Introducing Sequences for Enhanced Survey Management

We’re excited to introduce Sequences — a dynamic new way to manage your survey cycles! Designed with flexibility and ease in mind, Sequences directly addresses the common challenges our partner schools have faced with survey management. It transforms how you plan, schedule, and administer your pulse surveys.

 

Why Sequences? Addressing Your Challenges and Various Use Cases

Over the years, we’ve heard from you about the challenges you face in managing surveys effectively. Sequences is designed to solve these pain points while empowering you with new capabilities. 

Here are some common challenges and how Sequences will help:

Challenge: Planning Ahead

Planning future surveys hasn’t been an option in the past because changes made to a survey go live immediately. With Sequences, you will now be able to:

  • Build out a full year’s worth of surveys in advance, such as during the summer months.

  • Create future cycles while an active one is still running.

Challenge: Accessing Past Surveys

When a survey cycle ends, past versions have traditionally been inaccessible. Once Sequences has launched, you can:

  • Quickly retrieve and adapt questions from previous surveys or clone previous surveys to maintain consistency, save time, and even run the same survey from year to year.

    • ⚠️ Survey cycles that are initiated after the Sequences update will be accessible. Survey cycles that were completed prior to the update will not be listed on the Sequences page, but the data and comments will still be accessible, of course.

Challenge: Cycle Duration Flexibility

While a 90-day drip cycle is a recommended best practice, some scenarios demand shorter cycles. Previously, customizing cycle durations to fit specific needs wasn’t feasible. 

  • Now, you will have the option to run 90-day, 60-day, or 30-day survey cycles.

The Solution? Sequences!

Sequences are designed to give you a flexible, practical way to manage survey cycles effectively. 

Here’s how Sequences works:

A New Survey Builder Experience

  • Accessing Modules: Start by clicking the “Survey Builder” link, which opens a new pop-out menu. Select the module you want to work with (e.g., parents, students, employees, or custom surveys).

  • Sequences Pages: After selecting a module, you’ll arrive at the Sequences page—a dashboard where each survey cycle (active, staged, or completed) appears as a card.

    • View details like start and end dates or sequence durations at a glance.

    • Rename sequences quickly using the pencil icon.

    • Access past cycles to review questions.

    • Clone any past sequence for replication or customization.

New Scheduling Options

  • Build a New Sequence: To build a new survey, click “New Sequence.” You can start fresh by creating a survey from scratch or clone an existing sequence as a starting point.

  • Sequence Settings

    • Choose from three activation options:

      • Manual Activation: Activate as you currently do, by clicking “Start” when you’re ready to launch.

      • Scheduled Activation: Plan ahead by setting a future start date (like two weeks into the school year).

      • Triggered Activation: Start a sequence automatically after another ends, with an optional buffer period. This is a great option if you want to build out all of your surveys for the school year and want them to roll out one after the other.

Greater Flexibility

  • Customizable Durations: Adjust survey cycles to 30, 60, or the default 90 days to suit your needs.

  • Personalized Messages: Customize the introduction and completion messages for surveys. Default language is provided, but you can edit it to match your tone.

Managing Staged Sequences

  • Staged sequences appear on the Sequences home page.

  • Adjust start dates and cycle durations anytime before activation.

    • ⚠️ Once active, the sequence duration is locked and cannot be changed, but survey questions can still be modified.

Why Use Sequences?

Sequences offer:

  • More Control: Manage your survey cycles with ease.

  • Advance Planning: Set up surveys ahead of time.

  • Improved Access: Quickly retrieve past surveys to reference and clone.

  • Increased Flexibility: Tailor survey cycles to your unique needs, from cycle duration to message personalization.

We’re thrilled to bring this enhancement to you and can’t wait to see how it improves your survey management process!