Pulse Surveys vs. Custom Surveys

In the ParentPulse platform, we empower you with two distinct survey options: Pulse Surveys and Custom Surveys. Each serves a unique purpose, and understanding their differences is key to using them effectively.

While it’s easy for these two tools to overlap in your mind, they are designed with very specific use cases in mind. So, what exactly sets them apart?

At the core of ParentPulse lies the pulse survey—a dynamic and innovative way to collect real-time, actionable feedback from your community. These surveys are designed to keep you informed, eliminate blind spots, and foster continuous improvement by capturing insights when they matter most.

Here’s what makes pulse surveys stand out:

• Short and efficient
  With a maximum of 20 questions, pulse surveys respect your community’s time, taking only 3–5 minutes to complete.
  
  

• Automated delivery
  Surveys are distributed evenly over a 30, 60, 90, (or custom) day period, ensuring consistent and manageable data collection.
  
  

• Engagement-focused
  ParentPulse sends automated email invitations and up to two reminders to gently nudge your community to provide their feedback.
  
  

• Real-time insights
  Monitor evolving trends and changes in your school environment day-to-day, week-to-week, and month-to-month.
  
  

• Anonymous option: Respondents can provide feedback anonymously, encouraging participation and honesty.

Pulse surveys are perfect for maintaining an ongoing dialogue with your community and gaining a clear, up-to-date understanding of their needs and sentiments.

Custom surveys, on the other hand, offer maximum flexibility and control, making them ideal when you need tailored feedback for a particular moment or group. Think of them as your go-to tool for one-time, focused surveys similar to platforms like Google Forms or SurveyMonkey. If you're thinking of creating a post-tour survey, surveying donors after your annual auction, or sending out coaching evaluations, Custom Surveys will allow you to do this and more.

Here’s what sets custom surveys apart:

• Fully customizable
  You create the questions, use your preferred language, and determine the survey length—there’s no limit on the number of questions.
  
  

• Fast feedback
  Deploy surveys instantly to capture feedback on timely matters.
  
  

• Highly focused
  Best for targeted topics, such as evaluating an event, collecting input on a process, or addressing a specific issue.
  
  

• Manual distribution
  Share your survey through a generated link that you can share in emails, newsletters, or even QR codes.
  
  

• Custom Permissions
  You control access and permissions for each survey, including the ability to be anonymous.

• Custom surveys are for situations that are topical, targeted, and/or timely. If your survey needs hit one of those three criterion (or more), building a custom survey is the way to go! Ready to dive in? Check out our webinar on custom surveys (passcode: wz2!laq&).

At ParentPulse, we believe in providing you with powerful tools to understand and engage with your community. By combining pulse surveys for continuous feedback and custom surveys for focused insights, you’ll have everything you need to make informed decisions. Understanding the differences between these two tools will help you leverage them effectively, ensuring you get the right feedback at the right time.