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Sending Surveys

AdminSupervisor
🔒Requires permission: Surveys.Send

After creating a survey campaign and configuring its recipients, the next step is to send the survey. HCSS Events Platform supports two delivery methods: Send Now for immediate distribution and Scheduled Send for future distribution at a specified date and time.

Prerequisites​

Before sending a survey campaign, verify that:

  • The campaign has been created and is in Draft or Scheduled status. See Creating Campaigns.
  • At least one recipient with a valid email address has been added to the campaign.
  • The survey template has been reviewed and finalized.
  • You have the Surveys.Send permission.

Send Now​

Send Now immediately distributes the survey to all recipients in the campaign.

How to Send Now​

  1. Open the campaign from the campaign list (navigate to the event's Surveys tab or the global Surveys page).
  2. Click the Send Now button in the top-right corner of the campaign detail page.
  3. A confirmation dialog appears showing:
    • The campaign name.
    • The number of recipients who will receive the survey.
    • The number of recipients with missing or invalid email addresses (these will be skipped).
    • A warning if any recipients have already received a survey of the same type for this event.
  4. Review the information carefully.
  5. Click Confirm Send to initiate delivery.

After Clicking Confirm Send​

  • The campaign status changes from Draft to Active.
  • Emails begin delivering immediately. Delivery is processed in batches, so all emails are typically sent within a few minutes depending on the number of recipients.
  • The campaign dashboard updates in real time as emails are delivered and opened.
info

Email delivery uses the system's configured email service. If a caregiver's email address bounces, the bounce is recorded in the campaign dashboard and the caregiver is flagged.

Scheduled Send​

Scheduled Send allows you to set a future date and time for automatic survey distribution. This is useful when you want to prepare a campaign in advance but send it at an optimal time (e.g., a weekday morning when caregivers are more likely to check email).

How to Schedule a Send​

  1. Open the campaign from the campaign list.
  2. Click the Schedule button (or, if the campaign already has a start date in the future, it is automatically in Scheduled mode).
  3. Set the Send Date and Time:
    • Select the date using the date picker.
    • Select the time using the time picker. Times are displayed in your local timezone.
  4. Click Confirm Schedule.

After Scheduling​

  • The campaign status changes to Scheduled.
  • A banner on the campaign detail page displays the scheduled send date and time.
  • At the scheduled time, the system automatically sends the survey to all recipients. No further action is required.

Modifying or Canceling a Scheduled Send​

You can modify or cancel a scheduled send before it executes:

  • Reschedule: Click Edit Schedule on the campaign detail page, change the date or time, and click Save.
  • Cancel: Click Cancel Schedule to revert the campaign to Draft status. The survey will not be sent at the originally scheduled time.
  • Send Immediately: Click Send Now to override the schedule and send the survey immediately.
tip

If you are unsure about the optimal send time, consider scheduling for a weekday morning (8:00--10:00 AM in the recipients' primary timezone). Response rates tend to be highest during business hours.

Email Delivery​

When a survey is sent (whether immediately or via schedule), each recipient receives an email containing:

ElementDescription
Subject LineThe campaign name (e.g., "Spring 2026 - Availability Survey").
GreetingA personalized greeting using the caregiver's first name.
Survey DescriptionA brief explanation of the survey's purpose and the associated event.
Call-to-Action ButtonA prominent "Complete Survey" button that links to the caregiver's unique survey URL.
Deadline NoticeIf a deadline is configured, the email displays the response deadline.
FooterOrganization branding and an unsubscribe/opt-out link (where applicable).

Each caregiver receives a unique survey URL that is tied to their identity. This ensures responses are correctly attributed and prevents duplicate submissions.

caution

Survey links are unique to each recipient. Caregivers should not forward their survey email to others, as any responses submitted through a shared link will be attributed to the original recipient.

Confirming the Send Action​

The confirmation dialog is designed to prevent accidental sends. It requires explicit acknowledgment of the following:

  1. Recipient Count -- The exact number of caregivers who will receive the email.
  2. Skipped Recipients -- The number of recipients who will not receive the email due to missing or invalid email addresses.
  3. Duplicate Warning -- If any recipients have already completed a survey of the same type for this event, a warning is displayed with the count. You can choose to proceed (they will receive a new survey) or cancel.

The Confirm Send button is disabled until the confirmation checkbox is checked, ensuring deliberate action.

Delivery Status​

After sending, the campaign dashboard provides real-time delivery status for each recipient:

StatusDescription
DeliveredThe email was successfully delivered to the recipient's mail server.
BouncedThe email could not be delivered (invalid address, full mailbox, etc.).
OpenedThe recipient opened the email.
ClickedThe recipient clicked the survey link in the email.
Not SentThe recipient was skipped due to a missing or invalid email address.
note

Email open tracking relies on a tracking pixel. Some email clients block tracking pixels by default, so the actual open rate may be higher than reported.

Troubleshooting​

Common Issues​

IssueCauseResolution
Send Now button is disabledNo recipients with valid emails, or you lack the Surveys.Send permission.Verify recipients and your role permissions.
Emails not arrivingEmails may be caught in spam filters.Ask caregivers to check their spam/junk folder. Ensure the sending domain is whitelisted.
Bounced emailsInvalid or outdated email addresses.Update email addresses in BlueSky CRM and re-sync caregiver records.
Duplicate send warningRecipients already received this survey type for the event.Review whether a re-send is intentional. If not, adjust your recipient list.

Next Steps​