Add a blank section at the top of the form. Drag an HTML label field to that section and add instructions to the field. Don’t forget to add instructions on how to save a response because the “Save” button isn’t at the bottom of the form (like most online surveys).

If you intend to aggregate and analyze the results of the survey, add dropdown, radio button, checkbox, and number fields as questions. Minimize the use of text boxes and note fields, which are difficult to display in a report.

Break up data entry with sections, especially long surveys.

If you prefer to be notified about a new survey response or if you want the person filling out the survey to be notified after completing a survey, add one or more email triggers to the form.

Add headers to each section of your form to identify steps: Step 1 of 5, Step 2 of 5, and so on. Use form logic to show new steps in the form only when the last field in the previous step is complete. The form will dynamically show the path to completion as the user fills out the form.

Set the duplicate check field as the Record ID of the form. This will allow unlimited data entry from new survey respondents.

A user that completes a form embedded on your website will feel like they are still on your website. Although the secure web form carries some formatting from the Apricot software interface with it, users will navigate to a web page that exists on your website and within your web domain (even though the form is framed into the page).

A user that completes a form hosted by Social Solutions will navigate away from your website via a link (or they may never go to your website to access the form in the first place). Secure web forms don’t allow any custom styling so the form will look as if the user is completing the form in Apricot itself. This is the easier of the two options to implement.

Create a report section at the top of the report to display the number of responses submitted for the survey.

Add two global values to the top of the report: Start Date and End Date.

Add one report section per survey question.

Add the Record ID, creation date, and survey question for each section.

Group the report section by the survey question field column. This will show the number of responses by field value (i.e. the survey responses).

Add global filters to each section of the report based on the Creation Date. Set the Start Date and End Date global values as the date range of for the filters.

Set each report section to show the graph. Set a graph that matches the analytics needed for that survey question (e.g. pie, bar, or other).

Send the URL for the survey in an email marketing campaign to your target audience. If you’re interested in learning how to integrate email marketing software with Apricot software, contact us to learn about our integration solutions.

Send the URL for the survey in a personal email or in an email trigger from Apricot software. This is a one-off solution and isn’t time effective if you need to send the survey to many people.

Add a clickable link on your website where website visitors can access the survey and complete it. This is best if the survey is publicly accessible and not specific to a target audience like clients, donors, or volunteers. If the survey is open, make it accessible on your website.

An alternative to mass distribution of your survey is to send the survey at the end of a program or service workflow. You could even send the survey to volunteers at the end of their tenure with your organization or after an event. Email triggers can automate survey distribution in these situations.