FAQ

Questions about surveying? How does this thing work? We're here to help!

FAQ Sections

• The Basics
• Data Gathering
• Designing
• Publishing
• Tracking
• Reporting and Exporting
• Integration with Outside Data and Apps
• Plans and Pricing
• Support
• Survey Link Types

The Basics

What can I use SurveyGizmo for?

SurveyGizmo is more than just great online survey software. You can create and launch great-looking online surveys along with website quizzes and polls, landing pages, contest forms, registration pages, contact forms, and multi-page questionnaires with our survey software.

Are you a hosted or installed solution?

We are a completely hosted survey software solution. Our multiple servers all across the United States do the work, not yours.

What are the system requirements?

There’s nothing you need to install. SurveyGizmo is a 100 percent web-based survey application. You do, however, need one of the following web browsers: Internet Explorer 6+, Firefox, or Safari.

Are IT skills required?

Absolutely not. SurveyGizmo has a user-friendly survey interface and helpful wizards to guide you through the process of creating, tracking, and reporting on your online surveys.

Is my data secure?

All accounts are password-protected, and only account holders can access your account and data. Enterprise plans give you Custom Teams and additional User log-ins that can be configured. You can choose to share your reports with people who don’t have a login, such as your CEO — but that’s up to you.

Do you support secure surveys (https://)?

Enterprise plans can take advantage of secure socket surveys (also called SSL or https:// surveys) to encrypt your online survey and data during the respondent’s session. You turn this on optionally on a per survey basis.

Do you access my data? What about the email addresses I send surveys to?

Your data is all yours. Period. We don’t touch it. We don’t harvest email addresses, nor do we use any of the data you collect in your surveys. Your data will never be exported, sold, rented, or used in any way by SurveyGizmo. It is your data, and we will protect it to the very best of our abilities.

Data Gathering

How many surveys can I launch per month?

All our plans include an unlimited number of surveys — No strings attached!

How many questions can I ask in a survey?

All our plans include an unlimited number of questions per survey.

How many responses am I allowed?

The number of responses varies by plan. Please see our Features page for details.

Are responses rolled over from month to month?

No. If you go over your plan’s allowed response total one month, you start with a blank slate the next month. Or, if you do not hit your response limit one month, you start the next month with your plan’s allowed response total.

What happens if I go over the survey responses allowed on my plan?

SurveyGizmo will continue collecting responses and mark them as “overflow.” Depending on the account level you have, you can either pay a few cents per response to unlock overflow responses or upgrade to the next highest level.

What other features does SurveyGizmo have that provide for better, more accurate data collection?

Input masking using Regular Expressions, format validation, as-you-type formatting, pop-up calendars and in-survey feedback all help reduce data entry errors, so you’ve got cleaner survey data to work with. Plus, you can randomize options for questions and use built-in A/B split testing and data collection.

Can I cancel and take my data with me?

Not a problem. We just run the surveys; you own all your survey data. Exporting is a big part of our online survey software, so you’ll have no problem getting your data. (See the Reporting and Exporting section of this FAQ for how-to details.)

What if I want you to delete my data?

A written request to permanently remove all response data from our service will be answered in no more than two business days. SurveyGizmo will reply with written confirmation that all files, database records and backups of this data have been destroyed. Data cannot be recovered after this is performed.

Designing

Do you offer survey templates?

Yes. We offer customer service satisfaction, contact forms, job application forms, newsletter sign-ups and landing page templates. You can also copy any of the surveys you have previously created, or start a survey from scratch.

What about customizing the survey’s look and feel?

You can have as much or as little control as you want in the design, layout, and look and feel of surveys. Just a few of the customizations include tweaking the width of the form, changing the font size or font family, the text color, the background color, and the Submit button text.

Can I make more sophisticated changes to the template design?

We offer fully customizable XHTML/CSS Templates. You can modify the look of a survey by adding CSS that acts on the survey’s ID and Class names. You can also include images, logos, or CSS files from your site.

What question types are available?

SurveyGizmo contains 23 different question types, including textbox, essay, radio buttons, drop-down menu, multiple textboxes, checkboxes, ranking, continuous sum (also known as allocation), table of radio buttons, table of drop-down menus, table of checkboxes, table of textboxes, stars, group contact information, group customizable, repeatable question blocks, image choice, custom matrix and file upload.

Do all users have to see the same questions in a survey?

Nope. SurveyGizmo has dynamic page logic, which means you can show or hide questions based on user choices. It also has branching or page skipping, so you can send respondents down different paths in a survey. And piping lets you push answers from one question into other questions, answers and pages.

Can survey respondents upload files?

Yes, they can. Respondents can upload any type of file. For example, they can upload Word docs, Excel files, JPEGs, etc. You can specify the file type and maximum file size.

Publishing

What are the options for publishing surveys?

You can publish your online survey in its own page, or embed it right into your web site by using a snippet of Javascript or an iFrame. You can even run it in a kiosk (closed loop).

If I publish a survey on a web page, do I get a customized URL?

Yes, if you’d like. We allow for URLs such as companyname.surveyname.sgizmo.com at the Pro level. And Enterprise accounts can have custom subdomains of their website (for eg., surveys.surveyname.companyname.com.) Ask us for more info.

Tracking

How quickly can I see results? Do you offer real-time tracking?

Yes. You can see results as soon as the first response rolls in. When a respondent submits survey answers, the data show up in the survey results within 5-10 minutes.

What other information can I track?

You can track abandon rates and conversions in real time. Knowing how many people view a form versus how many submit it can be invaluable.

Is there a way to track surveys from outside SurveyGizmo? Do you have a widget?

Our open API allows for tracking integration into your own web site or application. We also provide the SurveyGizmo survey widget for Mac OS 10.4.3+ and the SurveyGizmo plugin for WordPress. Each allows you to monitor responses.

Can users track their own progress through a survey?

Yes. You can insert a survey progress bar that shows users how much of the survey has been completed and how much remains.

Reporting and Exporting

Can I export the survey data?

Yes. You can export data in CSV and Excel formats.

Can data be pushed to outside sources?

The Enterprise account has access to an Action type called HTTP Post. This is used to push data to outside services such as email lists, newsletter signups, customer databases, etc. You can transmit outside information to other services including SalesForce.com, ExactTarget, Campaign Monitor, etc.

What formats can I use for reports?

You can view survey reports online from their unique URLs, or you can export them as Excel files. Reports contain eye-catching graphs and charts that can be pasted easily into PowerPoint presentations.

How flexible are the reports?

Along with different report types, you decide which questions to include and whether to include text responses as an appendix. We also feature sophisticated survey question filtering tools for Personal, Pro and Enterprise accounts. You can run multiple filters and add or delete filters at any time. And, you can choose a date range of responses included in the report.

Are there any other report options?

Yes. These include the ability to append essay responses and contact group info to reports, to show percentages only in table question and ranking summaries, to round percentages to the nearest whole number, to leave N/A answers out of calculated percentages, and to keep or exclude partial responses in a report.

How long are my survey results stored?

You have unlimited access to responses, reports, and data exports. We never delete your data!

Integration with Outside Data and Apps

Will SurveyGizmo integrate with our company databases?

Yes. You can send and receive information to and from outside web sites and databases.

Do you have partnerships with any Email Service Providers?

SurveyGizmo is integrated with ExactTarget so customers can send invitations, track responses, subscribe respondents to newsletters and trigger auto-responders from a survey.

SurveyGizmo is also integrated with MailChimp. Send out your SurveyGizmo surveys through your already set up MailChimp lists.

Can I integrate your API into outside apps?

Yes, the free open survey API can be integrated into outside applications. We know that sounds pretty geeky, but let us know if you’re an interested developer and we’ll fill you in on the details. Here are a few things you could do with our API: integrate with your intranet to watch your surveys online, offer surveys as a value-added benefit to your own application (like an email service provider), or build survey widgets and survey plug-ins for a CMS.

What add-ons are available?

The Apple OS X Dashboard Widget allows you to keep up with progress on your surveys and view in real time the number of online surveys that are in progress, completed, abandoned, or partially completed.

The SurveyGizmo WordPress plugin makes it easy to quickly edit, preview, or grab your publishing links.

The Google Gadget makes it easy to view all of your surveys through your iGoogle homepage.

Plans and Pricing

How much is SurveyGizmo? Can I use it for free?

There are five SurveyGizmo plans ranging from a completely free plan to our top-tier plan at $ per month. We encourage you to sign up for our free online survey tool account, or trial a Personal, Pro, or Enterprise account, then decide later if you want to upgrade after you’ve used it for while. (You can use the free plan for as long as you’d like.)

What’s the difference between the free and paid plans?

Paid plans allow you to collect more responses per month, and they also give you access to more features. But with all our plans, there are no set-up fees, cancellation fees, or long-term contracts.

Are there any hidden fees?

Nope. Nada. Zip.

Do you offer discounts for educational or non-profit organizations?

Yes. We offer a 25% – 50% off discount program for nonprofits and academic institutions. Please contact James Kircher at 800.609.6480 ext. 739 or James at sgizmo dot com for more information about the program.

Do you offer trial accounts?

Yes, you can trial a Personal, Pro, or Enterprise account for 14 days to see how you like it. When you are signing up for your account just click on the account level you are interested and then check the 14 day trial and you’re set to go.

What about an affiliate program?

Yes, we have an affiliate program. It gives you the first month of whatever paid level account ($19-$159 per month) your referrals sign up for. We cut checks quarterly. Contact us at support@sgizmo.com with any questions.

What are the billing options?

Free accounts are, well, free. For the other accounts, we offer monthly credit card billing. In addition, Personal, Pro, Enterprise & Dedicated accounts have the option of annual billing (with a 10% off discount!).

Can I pay via check or be invoiced?

Certainly. You can request an invoice, and we accept checks upon request for annual billing.

How many users can I have per account?

Dedicated accounts can have up to 40 users, Enterprise accounts may have up to 10 user accounts, Pro, Personal, and Free accounts are for a single user only.

How do I upgrade/downgrade my account?

Once you are signed up you can click on “Change Plans Here” link in the right corner of the window. In this section you can either upgrade to a higher level or downgrade to a lower level account.

What happens to my surveys when I upgrade/downgrade?

Your data, including your surveys, is stored in your account untouched. When you upgrade again, you will find everything intact as if you had never downgraded.

What if I want to cancel my account?

You can cancel at any time, and we will delete your data upon request. Or, if you’re using a paid account, you may prefer to just downgrade to the Free level. That way you still have access to all of your data.

How do I cancel my account?

You have two options:

Option 1: Downgrade to the Free level. This will allow you access to all the data you had previously collected, but will not charge you a monthly fee.

Option 2: Contact us at support@sgizmo.com and we will completely delete your account and you will not have access to any data you had collected. Note this is not reversible.

Can I get a refund?

If you need a refund, we refund the most recent payment made within the last 30 days.

Support

What customer support do you offer?

All accounts have access to free email support. Our customer service team will reply in 24-48 hours, usually less. In addition, Enterprise account holders have access to priority phone support.

Do you offer design and consulting services?

Yes, we do, for an additional fee. We can do things such as consult on survey question design or create custom-designed templates that exactly match your branding. You can submit a request to our professional services team here.

We also partner with survey experts who know SurveyGizmo intimately and consult on projects as well. You can contact our survey experts here.

Survey Link Types

What are all the different survey links for?

Normal Survey Link:

• Every survey starts out with this link
• Found on the Publishing page in your survey editor
• Will create a new response every time it is clicked
• Available to all account levels
• Can be distributed to the public
• Looks like http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/123456798/example-survey

Short link:

• Designed for email blasts
• Short as to not get broken by line wrapping in emails
• Available for all paid accounts
• Can be distributed to the public
• Looks like http://sgiz.mobi/s3/e9e25646

Branded Subdomain:

• Can be customized to look like the user needs it to
• Can be found on the Publishing page
• Will create a new response every time it is clicked
• Available to Pro and Above account levels
• Can be distributed to the public
• Looks like http://acme.SurveyName.sgizmo.com/s3/

Private Domain:

• Best used for a printed campaign (ex. school newsletter)
• Does not contain the .sgizmo.com portion of the Branded Subdomain URL
• Need to have a registered domain (we don’t do this for you)
• Requires some knowledge or a Web Admin to set up
• Can be created by talking to someone at support@sgizmo.com and your IT department
• Available to Enterprise level accounts
• Can be distributed to the public
• Looks like: http://surveys.yourwebsite.com/s3/YourSurveyName