When sending out an invitation via email, there are two choices: Single-Use Link or Multi-Use Link. Depending on your goals and participants, each method has its benefits. Make your choice, then prepare and publish!
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Learn more about best practices in email delivery.
Single-Use Link
Sending an invitation with a Single-Use Link is an excellent choice of distribution method to collect a single response from each participant. A few benefits:
- Track individual participation
- Send Reminders to non-participants
- Use Data Population (Pre-population)
- Prevent multiple/duplicate participation (ballot box stuffing)
In deciding, a few points to remember:
- Each Single-Use Link only allows a single response.
- Single-Use Links should not be sent to group email addresses.
- These invitations should not be forwarded.
Multi-Use Link
Sending an invitation with a Multi-Use Link is a smart distribution method to widen your audience. A few benefits:
- Allow participants to forward invitations
- Allow participants to respond multiple times
- Broaden participation beyond existing contact list
- Track individual responses
- Send Intelligent Reminders to non-participants.
- Use Data Population
- Restrict number of responses from each invitee
In deciding, a few points to remember:
- Multiple/duplicate participation (ballot box stuffing) cannot be prevented.
- Each invitee will have different links that can be used multiple times
Send Email Invitations
Here’s how you can send an email invitation:
- Select your project, then click on the Publish icon.
- Select Single-Use/Multi-Use Link under the Email column.
- In Select Email Message, review the Email Messages created under Email Templates.
Once sent/scheduled, the email message cannot be changed.
- Hover over your chosen template, then choose from the following options:
- Select: Choose a template and proceed to publishing
- Edit: Review and edit a message before publishing
- Preview: Preview a message to confirm your choice
- If you’ve chosen to edit, complete any changes before continuing.You can also embed a question from the project by enabling Embed a Question from the menu on the left and selecting the question you want to embed. Learn more about how to embed a question in your email message.
Radio Button, Rating Scale, Smiley Rating Scale, Like/Dislike, and NPS questions may be embedded in invitations. Additionally, CSAT and CES questions may also be embedded in CX project invitations.
- In Source of Email Addresses, choose your preferred source.
- Type Manually: Type or copy/paste email addresses directly. This option is ideal if you are sending invitations to a small set of email addresses or if you don’t have an existing file. Up to 500 addresses may be entered at once, separated by commas or line breaks.
- From a File: Upload a list of contacts in .txt, .csv, .xls, or .xlsx format. The file may not exceed 9 MB and it must include email addresses in the first column.
Read more about the file format supported. - From a List: Select a List you have built under Contact Lists. Learn how to build a Contact List. Once this option is selected, choose which addresses should be sent the invitation:
- Entire List: All addresses will receive the invitation.
- Selected Email Addresses: Only those identified will receive the invitation.
- Draw a Random Sample: Identify the number of invitations to be sent and the system will select the appropriate number of email addresses.
If you have chosen to use a Multi-Use Link, you’ll see the option to restrict the number of times a link is accessed.
- Under Additional Publishing Options, you may choose to select more advanced features:
- Touch Rules:Sogolytics’s Touch Rules makes it easy to avoid over-surveying by filtering out those who have recently participated, eliminating survey fatigue.
- Pre-populate Survey: This option will be pre-selected if the pre-population is applied on one or more questions. You may select the values to be pre-filled for these question on this step.
- SMS Invite: Send an SMS invite along with an email invitation. This option is only available when sending from a Contact List.
- In the Mail Merge step, provide values for the mail merge variables used within the email content. If you entered email addresses manually, a text box will be shown next to each address. Otherwise, you will need to map columns from your List or file for each value.
If you are not seeing the Mail Merge step, you have likely not entered the mail merge code in the email content section. If you want to include these values in your message, return to edit your content and include these codes.
- If Pre-Population is used in your project, the distribution wizard will include a relevant step. Responses may be entered manually or by mapping columns.
Learn more about pre-populated invitations.
- Any answer mismatches or blanks can be downloaded and reviewed in the next step.
- If you have enabled SMS invite under Additional Publishing Options, you’ll see this step. Here you can map mobile numbers to the right column in your list and modify the message.
The system does not allow customization of automatic SMS reminder messages. By default, the SMS invitation message will be sent for SMS reminders.
- In Send/Schedule Invitations, the approximate number of invitations to be sent/scheduled will be displayed.
The time specified when scheduling invitations is based on the time zone setting for the overall account.
- Reminder Options:
- As desired, choose to send reminders to non-participants at automatic intervals, with different Email Message for each.
- Choose to schedule reminders 1-7 days from the original invitation.
- Scheduled reminders are automatically cancelled if responses are submitted.
- Up to 2 reminders can be sent automatically.
- Invitation Expiration Options
- As desired, choose to send reminders to non-participants at automatic intervals, with different Email Messages for each.
- Choose to expire invitations at a set date and time, no sooner than one day and no later than 10 weeks and 6 days.
- Use this feature when the project will remain active but the invitation should not.
- Expiration dates can be viewed and modified from Track.
If automatic reminders are scheduled for a set of invitations, the invitations cannot be expired before the reminders are sent.
- Before sending, click ‘Preview Pre-Pop’ to review Pre-Populated fields in a new window. If values are not correctly mapped, a system message will prompt you to change the mapping or proceed with the error.
- Finally, once everything is set, you can choose to send invitations immediately by selecting Send Now or schedule them by choosing Schedule for Later.
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