Survey Issues

Surveys are a critical part of the the platform workflow -- they collect caregiver availability, credentials, and preferences. This guide covers the most common survey problems and how to resolve them.

Survey Not Sending

If you sent a survey but recipients report they never received it, work through the following checks in order.

Step 1: Verify Recipient Email Addresses

The most common reason a survey is not received is an incorrect email address.

1. Navigate to the event and open the Candidates or Caregivers tab.
2. Locate the caregiver(s) who did not receive the survey.
3. Verify that the email address on their profile is correct and complete.
4. Common email mistakes:
   • Typos in the domain (e.g., @gmial.com instead of @gmail.com)
   • Missing top-level domain (e.g., @hospital instead of @hospital.com)
   • Extra spaces before or after the address

Fix: Correct the email address on the caregiver's profile, then resend the survey to the affected caregivers.

Step 2: Check the Campaign Status

Surveys in the platform are sent as part of a campaign. The campaign must be in an active state for emails to be dispatched.

1. Navigate to the event's Surveys tab.
2. Locate the survey campaign.
3. Check the campaign Status:

Status	Description	Emails Sent?
Draft	The campaign has been created but not yet sent.	No
Scheduled	The campaign is scheduled to send at a future date/time.	Not yet
Sending	The campaign is actively dispatching emails.	In progress
Sent	All emails have been dispatched.	Yes
Paused	The campaign was paused by a user.	Partially (paused mid-send)

Fix: If the status is Draft, the survey was never sent. Click Send to dispatch it. If the status is Paused, click Resume to continue sending.

Step 3: Verify the Survey Template

A survey must have a valid template before it can be sent.

1. Open the survey campaign details.
2. Check that a template is assigned.
3. If the template field is empty or shows an error, the survey cannot be sent.

Fix: Assign a valid survey template to the campaign. Templates are managed under the event's Surveys tab or by an administrator.

Step 4: Check the Email Outbox

The Email Outbox shows the delivery status of every email sent by the system, including survey invitations.

Admin

1. Navigate to Admin > Email Outbox.
2. Filter by Template = "Survey Invitation" and the relevant Date Range.
3. Look for emails to the affected recipient(s).
4. Check the Status column:

Status	What It Means	Action
Delivered	The email was accepted by the recipient's mail server.	The email likely arrived but may be in spam. Ask the recipient to check.
Bounced	The recipient's mail server rejected the email.	Verify the email address. See the bounce reason for details.
Failed	The email could not be sent.	Retry the send. Investigate the error in the email details.
Queued	The email is waiting to be sent.	Wait a few minutes. If it stays queued, investigate mail server health.

Step 5: Check Spam Filters

Survey emails may be caught by the recipient's spam filter, especially if:

• The the platform sender domain is not recognized by the recipient's mail server.
• The recipient's organization has strict email filtering policies.
• The email subject line or content triggers spam heuristics.

Solutions for recipients:

1. Check the spam/junk folder.
2. Add the the platform sender address to the safe senders list or contacts.
3. Ask the IT department to whitelist the the platform sender domain.

Solutions for administrators:

1. Verify that SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are properly configured for the sender domain (see System Settings).
2. Review the From Name and Subject Line -- generic or marketing-style phrasing can trigger spam filters.

Signature Not Saving

Some surveys include a signature capture step where caregivers provide a digital signature (e.g., for Letters of Understanding). If the signature is not saving, try the following.

Use a Supported Browser

The signature capture component requires a modern browser with JavaScript and HTML5 Canvas support.

Supported browsers:

• Google Chrome (latest version)
• Microsoft Edge (latest version)
• Mozilla Firefox (latest version)
• Safari (latest version on macOS and iOS)

Not supported:

• Internet Explorer (any version)
• Outdated browser versions (more than 2 major versions behind current)

Fix: Update your browser to the latest version or switch to one of the supported browsers listed above.

Clear Browser Cache

Stale cached JavaScript files can interfere with the signature component.

1. Open your browser's settings.
2. Navigate to Privacy or Clear browsing data.
3. Select Cached images and files (and optionally Cookies).
4. Clear the data.
5. Close and reopen the browser.
6. Navigate back to the survey and try signing again.

Check Internet Connection

The signature is transmitted to the server when the user clicks Submit or Save. If the internet connection drops at that moment, the save will fail.

1. Verify that you have a stable internet connection.
2. Try loading another page to confirm connectivity.
3. If on a mobile device, switch from cellular to Wi-Fi (or vice versa) if one connection is unstable.
4. After restoring the connection, navigate back to the survey signature page and try again.

caution

Do not click Submit or Save multiple times if the button appears unresponsive. This may create duplicate submissions. Wait for the page to respond, and if it does not respond within 30 seconds, refresh the page and try again.

Signature Drawing Area Issues

If the signature area does not respond to touch or mouse input:

Problem	Cause	Solution
Cannot draw on desktop	Browser blocking Canvas API or JavaScript error.	Clear cache, disable browser extensions, try incognito/private mode.
Cannot draw on mobile	Touch events not registering.	Try using a different finger, or use a stylus. Ensure the browser is up to date.
Signature appears blank after drawing	Canvas not rendering.	Zoom to 100% (some zoom levels interfere with Canvas rendering). Refresh and try again.
"Signature required" error despite signing	Signature was too small or not captured properly.	Draw a larger, more deliberate signature. Make sure strokes are visible in the preview.

Try Incognito/Private Mode

Browser extensions (ad blockers, privacy tools, script blockers) can interfere with the signature component:

1. Open an incognito (Chrome, Edge) or private (Firefox, Safari) browser window.
2. Navigate to the survey link.
3. Complete the signature step.
4. If this works, the issue is caused by a browser extension. Disable extensions one at a time to identify the culprit.

Low Response Rates

If survey response rates are below expectations, the problem is usually one of delivery, visibility, or timing -- not caregiver unwillingness.

Send Reminders

Automated reminders significantly improve response rates.

1. Navigate to the event's Surveys tab.
2. Open the survey campaign.
3. Check the Reminder Settings:
   • Reminders should be enabled.
   • Default timing: first reminder 48 hours after initial send, then every 24 hours (up to 3 reminders).
4. If reminders are disabled, enable them.
5. You can also send a manual reminder by clicking Send Reminder on the campaign page. This sends a reminder to all caregivers who have not yet responded.

tip

Reminders sent 24-48 hours after the initial invitation are the most effective. After 3-4 reminders with no response, further reminders have diminishing returns and may frustrate recipients.

Check Email Deliverability

Low response rates may indicate that emails are not reaching recipients. Review the overall delivery metrics:

Admin

1. Navigate to Admin > Email Outbox.
2. Filter by the survey campaign's template and date range.
3. Check the aggregate metrics:
   • Delivery rate below 90% indicates a deliverability problem.
   • Bounce rate above 5% indicates many invalid email addresses.
   • Open rate below 20% suggests emails are landing in spam.

Actions based on metrics:

Metric	Threshold	Action
Delivery rate below 90%	Emails are not reaching mail servers.	Check SPF/DKIM/DMARC configuration. Verify sender email settings.
Bounce rate above 5%	Many invalid addresses.	Audit caregiver email addresses. Clean up invalid entries.
Open rate below 20%	Emails are likely in spam.	Ask recipients to check spam. Improve subject lines. Configure DNS authentication.
Open rate high but response rate low	Emails are received but not acted on.	Review the survey content. Simplify questions. Shorten the survey.

Improve Survey Design

If emails are delivered and opened but response rates are still low, the survey itself may be the issue:

• Keep it short -- surveys with fewer than 10 questions get significantly higher completion rates.
• Use clear language -- avoid jargon or ambiguous questions.
• Set expectations -- tell caregivers upfront how long the survey will take (e.g., "This survey takes approximately 3 minutes").
• Mobile-friendly -- many caregivers complete surveys on their phones. Ensure the survey is easy to complete on a small screen.
• Clear deadline -- communicate the survey deadline clearly in the invitation email and at the top of the survey.

Verify the Survey Link

Occasionally, the survey link in the invitation email may be broken or expired:

1. Open the email outbox and find a sent survey invitation.
2. Click on the email to view its content.
3. Copy the survey link and test it in your browser.
4. If the link does not work, the survey campaign may need to be re-sent.

Track Progress in Real Time

Use the survey campaign dashboard to monitor progress:

1. Open the survey campaign.
2. The Response Summary shows:
   • Total invitations sent
   • Responses received
   • Response rate percentage
   • Time since last response
3. If the response rate has plateaued, consider sending a manual reminder or extending the deadline.

Common Survey Error Messages

Error Message	Cause	Solution
"This survey has expired"	The survey deadline has passed.	Extend the campaign deadline and resend.
"This survey has already been completed"	The caregiver already submitted a response.	No action needed. The response is on record. If they need to change answers, an admin can reset the response.
"Survey not found"	The survey link is invalid or the campaign was deleted.	Verify the campaign exists. Resend a fresh invitation.
"Unable to save response"	Server error or connectivity issue during submission.	Try again. If the error persists, contact support.
"Signature required"	The survey requires a signature but none was captured.	Complete the signature step. See the signature troubleshooting section above.

Best Practices for Survey Success

1. Validate email addresses before sending -- run a caregiver list review before launching a survey campaign to catch invalid addresses.
2. Send at optimal times -- surveys sent on Tuesday through Thursday mornings tend to get the highest response rates. Avoid weekends and late evenings.
3. Personalize the invitation -- emails addressed to the caregiver by name and referencing the specific event get better engagement than generic messages.
4. Follow up strategically -- use the automated reminder schedule. Supplement with personal outreach (phone or text) for critical surveys with low response rates.
5. Close the loop -- when a survey campaign reaches the desired response rate, mark it as complete and communicate next steps to respondents.

Still Having Issues?

If the above solutions do not resolve your survey problem:

1. Note the survey campaign name, event name, and affected caregiver(s).
2. Take screenshots of any error messages.
3. Contact your administrator or see Getting Help for support options.