Distribution

Distribution defines how the Ad Hoc survey is delivered and how it reaches to survey takers. There are two ways of distributing an Ad Hoc survey:

  • Email — Sends the Ad Hoc survey using a personalized Invitation email and, if desirable, a Reminder email as well. It requires uploading a file with data of the individuals invited to take the survey and configure the emails.

  • Link and QR code — Creates a link and, optionally, a QR code that can be shared with anyone to take the survey and leave anonymous feedback. There is no need of uploading a file or bring people's data into the Ad Hoc survey.

Important: Ad Hoc surveys require to have at least one distribution method enabled.

Distribution screen lists the options to send out the Ad Hoc the survey: email or Link and QR choose.

Email

Email creates a personalized email and survey to invite people that interact with your company to give feedback via surveys. This requires providing some information about the individuals and interaction, which the Ad Hoc survey uses to capture feedback and measure their experience.

Important: Experience Cloud automatically uses the From domain related to the return-path domain configured for Email masking.

To distribute the survey via email, click Create and complete these sub-steps:

Email invitations

Email invitations are the messages that invite people to take the survey. They handle the settings of both the Invitation email and Reminder email, as well as defining the email sender address and name. They also identify when the Invitation email — and survey — expires.

For more information, see Email invitations.

Upload file

Upload file defines what data comes into Ad Hoc surveys to send out surveys using the Email invitations. For example, you might want to collect some feedback about a meet-up event you hosted. The information you need about the attendees are their names and emails — the most common data they provide, though you may include more details. Optionally, you may also include information about the event, such as the date and venue, if your survey or invitation email refer to that. All that information is condensed in a file you need to upload to send the Ad Hoc surveys appropriately.

For more information, see Upload file.

After completing and saving both steps, click Back to distribution to see a summary of all the configuration. To enable this distribution method, click the Email distribution menu and select Enable.

Email distribution menu

To make any changes in the Upload file or Email invitations sub-steps, click Edit and choose the sub-step you would like to make the changes. If you no longer want to send the Ad Hoc survey via email, select Disable.
Important: Email distribution can only be disabled if Link and QR code distribution is configured and enabled.

Email distribution completed and enabled.

Link and QR code generates an link to distribute the Ad Hoc survey with no prior knowledge of who the survey takers are. This differs from Email distribution where survey takers are reached based on the uploaded data and access the survey directly via an email. Instead of clicking a link from an email invitation, survey takers reach the Ad Hoc survey either by:

  • Manually entering the survey URL in their browser address.
  • Clicking a link a on a web page.
  • Responding to a prompt on a web page that takes them to the survey.
  • Scanning a QR code.

For example, you might want to encourage your employees to send some anonymous feedback by posting QR codes in visible places where they can scan them. To distribute the survey using a link, click Create and complete these sub-steps:

Create link: Customization

By default, Distribution already provides a unique, shareable, reusable URL that you can customize as you see fit. Links always have this pattern: https://<BaseURL>/<prefix>-<customization>, where <BaseURL> can refer to a production or sandbox instance, and <prefix> are six random characters that avoid link collision.

To customize the default link:

  1. On the Create link screen, click the Customization tab.

  2. Enter the customized slug. For example, setting the link customization to retail-purchase makes the link URL for the survey https://survey.medallia.com/?cU8Mx6-retail-purchase.
    Restriction: Links can have a maximum of 22 characters, and can include letters, numbers, and hyphens (-).
  3. Click Verify link availability to check the link is unique within the instance.

  4. Click Save. Note that the URL points to a generic 'Link under construction' page until the link is deployed/activated.

Link customization and its parts.

Create link: Parameters

Parameters optionally pass data to the Ad Hoc surveys by providing identifying information, such as an order number, receipt code, etc. A parameter is a name/value pair appended to the URL that the survey taker uses to access the survey. Experience Cloud takes the parameter value and maps it in a program field as the answer to a question (in a Feedback field), or as the value of other information about the interaction (in an Event field). For example, StoreID, POS, and Loyalty Tier are parameters and each has a value assigned. In the Link URL, the list of parameters begins after an ampersand (&):

Parameters for links

To add a parameter, complete these steps:

  1. On the Create link screen, click the Parameters tab.

  2. On the Parameters tab, click Add parameter.

  3. Enter the parameter's a name. For example, store_id.
    Restriction: Parameter's name can only include letters, numbers, and hyphens (-).
  4. Click Map to field and select the field this parameter maps to in a survey. The field is usually hidden from the survey taker.
    Note: As opposed to Anonymous surveys, parameters in Ad Hoc surveys have a fixed mapping depending on the field data type:
    Data typeMappingExample
    Choice setSequence/Valuehttps://survey.medallia.com/?/cU8Mx6-retail-purchase&LoyaltyTier=1
    IntegerValuehttps://survey.medallia.com/?/cU8Mx6-retail-purchase&POS=45
    TextSequence/ Valuehttps://survey.medallia.com/?/cU8Mx6-retail-purchase&country=US
    UnitUnit IDhttps://survey.medallia.com/?/cU8Mx6-retail-purchase&StoreID=account_87
  5. If none of the existing field fits the information the parameter passes, click Create new field. See Create fields for details.
    Restriction: When creating a field from parameters, the data type can only be Choice set, Integer, Text, and Unit.

  6. Optionally, define if the parameter is required.

  7. Optionally, set a value for this parameter when the parameter value is not already included in the URL because either the parameter is missing, or the value is missing (such as parameter=).

  8. Click Save.

After completing and saving the link settings, click Back to distribution to see a summary of all the configuration. To enable this distribution method, click the Arrow down icon Email distribution menu and select Enable.

Link distribution menu

To make changes, click Edit and then Edit link. Editing a link that is live (that is, a link that has been published and is collecting responses) makes the previous link stop working. Note that updates do not apply to the live survey until it is deployed, and survey takers that are completing the survey while deployment takes place still access the original survey.

If you no longer want people to access the Ad Hoc survey using the link and/or QR code, click the Arrow down icon Email distribution menu and select Disable. This becomes effective once you click Publish changes on Review and deploy.
Important: Link and QR code distribution can only be disabled if Email distribution is previously configured and enabled.

Link distribution completed and enabled.

Tip: Generate QR codes using external third party tools such as QR Code Generator.