Have a look at some questions we frequently receive from clients. If you cant find the answers you’re looking for, feel free to contact us
| Tab | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| Survey | What video formats are supported in Survey Automator? | The Survey Automator supports MP4 as the allowed file format for videos when uploading to a survey. |
| Survey | Can I import multiple answers at once into the Survey tab? | Yes, you can! When editing a question, you can paste a list of answers directly into the answer field. Each line will automatically be added as separate answer alternatives. This is especially useful when copying answer lists from Word or other documents. |
| Survey | How can I format text in the Survey tab? | You can apply bold , italic , and underline using the relevant shortcuts ( Ctrl + B , Ctrl + I and Ctrl + U ) |
| Survey | How do I randomize the order of answers? | To randomize answer alternatives, open the question in the editor and click the three-dot menu(⋯) to access “Answers Settings” . There, you can enable the “Randomize” option. This will shuffle the order of answers for each respondent, helping to reduce order bias. |
| Survey | How do I move a question to a different place in the survey? | There are two main ways to move a question in Survey Automator, depending on which view you’re working in. In list view ( Ctrl + L ) which is recommended when working in larger forms. Click on the three-dot menu (⋯) to the right in the question bar and select Move . You can select how you want to move the question or by holding down Ctrl/Cmd and using the arrow keys. You can also move the question in the Preview mode by clicking the Edit button and Move. The shortcuts work in Preview Mode as well. |
| Survey | How do I duplicate a single question within the same project? |
To duplicate a question inside your project, go to the
Survey tab
(and if you prefer switch to
List View
—this gives you the clearest overview and easiest access to each item). Find the question you want to copy, then click the
three-dot menu (⋯)
to the right of that row. From there, simply choose
“Duplicate question.”
The system will instantly create a copy of the question, placing it right below the original. Everything—texts, answer options, layout settings, and conditions—is included in the duplicate, so it’s perfect for repeating structures or slight variations. Once duplicated, you can edit the new version as needed without affecting the original. If you’re working with grid questions or complex layouts, this feature can save a lot of time and ensure consistency throughout the survey. |
| Survey | What’s the purpose of the “Header” Info item when adding a new question? | The “Header” option under Info items is used to insert large section titles directly into your survey form. It doesn’t collect any data from the respondent—its purpose is purely visual. When you add a Header, it appears with bold formatting and a larger font size to help break the survey into clear, logical sections. This is especially useful in longer surveys where you want to signal a shift in topic or provide structure, such as labeling a section as “Background Questions” or “Final Comments”. You can add a header by clicking “+ New Question” , selecting “Info” as the type, and then choosing “Header” from the list. Once saved, it becomes part of the layout and will appear exactly where you insert it in the survey flow. It’s a simple way to improve clarity and make your survey feel more organized and readable for respondents. |
| Survey | How do I limit the number of digits in an open-ended response? | Use the Min/Max settings in the question editor. For example, to allow only Swedish postal codes, set Min to 10000 and Max to 99999 . |
| Survey | How do I translate the survey to Finnish, for example? | Go to the Survey tab and use the Language Selector in the top right corner to add a new language. You can then use the built-in AI translation tool to automatically translate the content. If needed, manually adjust any parts that were skipped or mistranslated. |
| Survey | Can I conditionally display a question based on a previous answer? | Yes! You can define visibility conditions in the question settings. Click the three-dot menu(⋯) in the top-right corner of the question editor. Select “ Condition ” > “ Add new ”. Give your condition a name, then select the trigger question and choose the specific answer(s) that should cause this question to be shown. |
| Survey | How do I add a video in my survey? | To embed a video in your survey, use the bookmark feature within the question or info item editor. Click the {} icon (or Ctrl + space) to open the Bookmark Editor > “ Video ”. You can then choose to insert a video or paste a video link from Vimeo/Youtube . |
| Survey | The AI translation skips some questions – how can I fix this? | Sometimes the AI may not translate all questions at once. If that happens, try running the translation again. If the issue persists, you can instead translate individual questions manually. |
| Survey | How do I apply visibility conditions to specific answers or rows in a question? |
To add visibility conditions to a
specific answer alternative
or a
row in a grid
, open the question in the editor. Then click the
three-dot menu(⋯)
next to the answer or row you want to edit. Select
“Condition”
, then choose the question and answer that should trigger visibility.
This allows you to tailor complex layouts where only certain parts of a question appear based on previous responses—ideal for grids, multi-selects, and matrix formats. |
| Survey | What can bookmarks be used for in survey questions? | Bookmarks (inserted via the {} icon or Ctrl + Space ) allow you to dynamically display videos , images , links , or custom text in your survey. You can personalize content based on participant data or previous answers —for example, inserting the respondent’s name, organization, or a targeted message based on their profile or earlier responses. |
| Survey | What are answer blocks, and how can I use them in my survey? | Answer blocks are reusable sets of answer alternatives that can be shared across multiple questions. When you edit a question with predefined answers—for example: “Good”, “Neutral”, and “Bad”—you can save them as an answer block. This lets you apply the same answer set to other questions without recreating it manually. If you later make a change to the answer block (like renaming or reordering an option), that change will automatically apply to all questions that use the same block. This ensures consistency and saves time when working with repeatable scales or recurring response options across your survey. |
| Survey | What does the “Screen Out” item do, and when should I use it? | The “Screen Out” item is a special type of logic message you can insert into your survey when you need to disqualify certain respondents based on their answers. When someone reaches a Screen Out, the survey ends immediately for them, and they’re shown a customizable message explaining that they don’t meet the criteria for continuing. This is commonly used in recruitment or eligibility surveys—for example, if a respondent indicates they don’t belong to the target group, like answering “No” to a question about working in a specific industry. To use it, create a logic item by clicking “ + New Question ,” select the “Logic” type, then choose “ Screen Out .” You can then add your message and set a condition so that only respondents who meet the disqualification rule will be shown the Screen Out. The system will also track them as “screened” in the response status , which helps when filtering data or calculating valid response rates. |
| Survey | How do I export a list of all questions in the survey? | In the Survey tab , click on the Export icon in the top-right corner. This will export the question structure, including IDs, texts and logic. |
| Survey | What’s the difference between Preview mode and List View mode in the Survey tab? | Preview mode shows how the full survey form will appear to respondents. List View mode displays one row per survey item and is optimized for quicker editing. You can switch between the two using the shortcut Ctrl + L (or Cmd + L on Mac) |
| Survey | Can I show or hide questions depending on what someone wrote in a free-text field? |
Yes. You can conditionally display a question, answer, or row based on what a respondent wrote in an earlier open-ended question. To set this up, click the
three-dot menu (⋯)
for the item you want to control, then choose
Condition
. Select the previous open-ended question, change the comparison method to
Text value
, and enter the word or phrase you want to filter on—for example, “Excel”.
This allows you to show follow-up items only when specific text is detected in the response. It also works at both the question level and the individual answer level, depending on how you want to apply the logic. |
| Survey | How do I rename an answer template? | Renaming is not currently supported. As a workaround, you can detach the answer block from the question and then create a new one with the desired name. |
| Survey | How can I add a rule that prevents one question from having a higher value than another? |
To add a rule that compares answers between two questions, you can use an
Error message
(Logic) in the survey. This allows you to show a warning if a specific condition is met — for example, if one value is greater than another — and block the respondent from moving forward until it’s corrected. When setting up the
Condition
, you’ll need to use the system’s internal
question IDs (QIDs)
in your expression. These can be found in the survey’s List View. The error will appear automatically during the survey if the condition is true.
This approach is useful for validating numerical relationships between responses, such as part totals, logical limits, or sequencing rules. |
| Survey | How can I use custom CSS to style buttons or other elements in my survey? |
You can add CSS directly in
Survey Settings
>
Scripts / CSS
. This allows you to override default UI styles like ui-button, or define your own custom styles.
To modify a button with multiple built-in UI classes, for example: .ui-button.ui-widget.ui-state-default.ui-button-text-only.ui-corner-left { background-color: #0073e6; color: white; border-radius: 4px; } This gives you full control over the layout—just make sure to test carefully so no other components are affected unintentionally. |
| Distribute | What does a “Hard Bounce” mean in email distribution? | A Hard Bounce means that the message could not be delivered to the recipient. If you’re sending to a specific organization, it’s a good idea to ask them to whitelist the sender address in their email system to prevent this issue. |
| Distribute | How can I track which emails were successfully delivered or bounced? | Go to the Distribute tab and open the Distribution Log (click on Show Participants ). Each recipient is tagged with a status such as Delivered , Opened , Clicked , Hard Bounce , or Blocked . Use filters to view only undelivered contacts or export the list for follow-up. |
| Distribute | Can I increase the number of emails sent per hour? | Yes, you can increase the rate—for example, to 400 emails per hour—by dividing your distribution into batches with 15-minute intervals. |
| Distribute | Can I send both SMS and email in the same project? | Yes, it’s possible to use both channels. SMS is often used as a complement when email doesn’t reach the recipient or fails to deliver. |
| Distribute | How do I resend the survey to people who haven’t responded? | In the Distribute tab, filter by Idle . Select all participants by clicking the first one, hold down the Shift button and click on the bottom one. Then you can send out the survey again! |
| Distribute | Can I schedule when messages are sent? | Yes. When preparing your email or SMS in the Distribute tab, you can set a scheduled time and date instead of sending immediately. This is helpful when coordinating distributions across time zones or campaigns. |
| Distribute | How do I change the sender email address? | Changing the sender address requires domain integration , which costs 2500 SEK/month . An alternative solution using your own mail server is currently under development. |
| Distribute | Sometimes our survey is available in multiple languages. How can I make sure the survey opens in the correct language for the respondent? |
By default, the survey opens in the
main language (
XQLANG=m
)
. To force a specific language version to load, you can adjust the link by adding or changing the
XQLANG
parameter. For example,
XQLANG=sv
for swedish,
XQLANG=en
for english.
Example URL: https://.researchautomators.se/?EXAMPLE&XQLANG=m |
| Dashboard | How can I segment and analyze specific groups based on multiple criteria in the Dashboard? |
To analyze a specific group based on a combination of background variables (such as gender, behavior, or attitudes), use the Calculated Copy and Calculation features in the Dashboard tab:
1. Go to the Dashboard and click Edit on the page you want to work with. 2. Locate the question you want to segment (e.g., satisfaction). Click the three-dot menu (⋯) and choose Calculated Copy . 3. Select the relevant answer options (e.g., “Very satisfied” and “Somewhat satisfied”) and use Merge to group them. Give the new field a descriptive name (e.g., “Satisfied group”). 4. Click Calculations and create a condition that combines the criteria you’re interested in—such as: ◦ Gender = Female ◦ Interest level = High This creates a filtered version of the original question that only includes responses from that specific group. You can now display and compare this segment across charts or tables in your dashboard. Repeat the steps to define and analyze other groups or to apply the same logic to additional questions. |
| Dashboard | How do I use a numeric question for comparisons in a report? |
To use a numeric question for group comparisons in a report, you can create a
segment
based on numeric values. Here’s how:
1. Go to the Dashboard tab and click Edit . 2. Locate the numeric question you want to use (e.g. “How much do you spend on X weekly?”) and click the three-dot menu (⋯) . 3. Select Calculated Copy to create a copy of the question. 4. Choose the values you want to include (e.g. 4 and 5), and use Merge to group them. 5. Name the segment, such as “High spenders”. 6. Hide the copy by selecting Exclude — it won’t appear in the survey but will be available in reporting. 7. In the Dashboard tab, click (⋯) next to the segment question and choose Add to breakdown list . Now your selected questions will breakdown based on “high spenders”, this is repeatable for multiple segments. Great for analyzing satisfaction, behavior, or attitudes by score, age, spending, or other numeric inputs. |
| Dashboard | How do I group answer alternatives for comparisons when reporting? (Also called creating segments) |
To group answer choices into custom segments for reporting, use the
Calculated Copy
function in the
Dashboard tab
. This allows you to define new variables based on selected responses from an existing question.
Here’s how to do it: 1. Open the Dashboard tab and click Edit . 2. Locate the question you want to segment. 3. Click the three-dot menu (⋯) next to it and choose “Calculated Copy.” 4. Select the answer options you want to group together. 5. Use Merge to combine them into a single category (e.g., “Group A”). 6. Save and rename your new segment as needed. 7. You can now use this segment in the Dashboard tab as a filter, breakdown, or for comparisons in charts and tables. This is useful when you want to simplify comparisons by combining multiple response options into broader categories — without modifying the original question. |
| Dashboard | How do I code open ended questions into fixed answer alternatives? |
To transform open-ended responses into fixed categories for reporting, use the
Coded open-ends
feature in the Survey tab. This allows you to define text-based rules that automatically assign responses to predefined answer groups.
Here’s how: 1. Open the Dashboard tab and go to the open-ended question. 2. Click the three-dot menu (⋯) and select “Coded open-ends.” 3. In the coding window, define your categories using keywords, phrases, or regular expressions. ◦ For example: fast, quick 4. Each line creates a rule that tags matching responses with a category. 5. Once saved, the coded results behave like fixed answer alternatives — and can be used in filters, charts, breakdowns, and exports. This method is ideal when you want to quantify recurring themes or topics from open text responses — such as customer feedback, spontaneous brand mentions, or stated reasons. |
| Home | What should I do if Duo Mobile isn’t working on my new phone? | Log in to your account and select “Settings” > “Add new device” . Then choose an alternative authentication method such as “Call” or “Enter a code” to complete the setup without using Duo Push. |
| Home | Why can’t I anonymize a project? | Make sure you are assigned as the Protection Manager for the project. Only Protection Managers have the rights to perform anonymization. |
| Home | How do I create a copy of an existing project? | To duplicate a project, go to the Project Overview and click the three-dot menu (⋯) in the top-right corner of the project box. Then select “Duplicate” . This will create a new project using the same survey form, messages, and report templates—but without any response data.If you want to copy both the structure and the data, use the “Backups” option instead to restore from an existing backup. |
| Home | How do I assign someone else as a Protection Manager for a project? |
Go to the
Project Overview
and click the
three-dot menu (⋯)
on the project box and choose
Settings
. At the bottom of the menu, you’ll see the current Protection Manager. Use the dropdown menu to add another user as a Protection Manager.
Only Protection Managers can view/export personal data or anonymize the project. |
| Home | How do I create a project that’s protected from unauthorized data access? |
When creating a new project, select the
Protect
checkbox. This ensures only users designated as
Protection Managers
can access personal data. Others will be able to view and edit the survey but not see sensitive information.
Once a project is created, you cannot toggle protection on/off. You must duplicate the project to change its protection setting. |
| Home | Can I create a copy of a project that includes both structure and responses? | Yes—but not using the regular “Duplicate” function. That only copies the survey form, messages, and reports (without data).To include responses as well, use the Backups feature: Go to the Project Overview → click the three-dot menu (⋯) on the project card → select Backups → then choose Restore as new project . This creates a full copy of the project, including all responses saved at the time of the backup. |
| Home | Can respondents pause the survey and continue later? | Yes! Survey Automator supports automatic save-and-resume functionality for respondents using unique links generated in the Distribute tab. As long as the respondent opens the survey from the same device and browser, their progress is automatically saved after each page. When they return later using the same link, they’ll be taken back to where they left offNote: This functionality does not work for anonymous links. |
| Home | What does “Blocked with code 6” mean? | This means the participant has been removed from the project. You can restore them using a backup from the project card. |
| Home | Can I schedule anonymization to run automatically after a specific time? |
Yes. If you’re assigned as the Protection Manager for the project, you can schedule automatic anonymization based on your data retention policy.
Go to the Project Overview , click the three-dot menu (⋯) , and select Anonymize project . In the popup, click “Schedule” and choose how often it should run: one time, weekly, or monthly. Then set the number of days to retain personal data—for example, 180 days. When anonymization is triggered, the following actions will take place: • The selected personal data (e.g. first name, last name, email) is deleted • The project is unpublished (no more responses can be submitted) • Backups of the project are deleted • Any exported case data files are deleted • Previously generated report files are deleted (except dashboards) This feature is especially useful for organizations needing to automate GDPR compliance or meet strict client requirements for data deletion |
| Upload | What is the Upload tab used for? |
The Upload tab is used to securely share files with the project team without relying on email. A common use case is uploading
participant data
(such as Excel files with email addresses or background variables) before it’s imported into the project — especially when working under
GDPR constraints
or client confidentiality requirements.
It’s also often used for supplementary material , such as custom fonts, logos, or reference documents that are needed for survey styling or reporting. Files uploaded here are not immediately visible to others; they must be reviewed and approved by the project manager before being shared, imported, or published. This makes the Upload tab a safe and structured way to receive files from clients, collaborators, or internal team members. |
| Upload | Who can upload files to the Upload tab? | Both clients and project team members can upload files. However, client uploads are restricted — they can upload, but not publish or share. Files they upload are marked as Pending and must be reviewed by the project manager before they’re accessible to others. |
| Upload | What access do users have in a protected project? |
In a protected project, only users who are assigned the role of
Protection Manager
(also referred to as Project Manager in some parts of the system) have access to
personal data
. Users who are not protection managers — referred to as
ordinary users
— still have full access to the Survey, Report, and Dashboard tabs. However, their access to other tabs (such as Responses, Upload, or Distribute) is limited, since those areas may expose protected data.
This ensures that personal information is only accessible to users with explicit data protection responsibilities, while still allowing ordinary users to work on design, reporting, and analysis without risk of accessing sensitive respondent-level data. |
| Response | How do I export all responses to Excel or SPSS? | Go to the Responses tab and click the Export icon in the top-right corner. You can choose to export in Excel or SPSS format. Before exporting, select whether to include any filters. |
| Response | How do I delete a response? | In the Response tab, select the response(s) you want to delete and click on the delete button in the top-right corner. Be aware: deleted responses cannot be recovered unless a backup exists. |
| Response | Where can I see how long each respondent took? | The Response Length and End Timestamps columns in the Responses tab show when the survey started and ended for each participant. You can export this data to analyze response speed or detect outliers. |
| Report | How do I export in Excel or PowerPoint in another language (e.g., Finnish)? |
To export your report tables in another language, first switch the report language before exporting:
1. Go to the Report tab. 2. In the top-right corner, use the language selector to choose your second language (e.g., Finnish). 3. Once the report reloads in the selected language, click Export > Excel/PowerPoint . The exported file will now display all question texts, answer options, and headers in the chosen language.If any content still appears in the original language, it may not be translated yet. You can review and adjust translations in the Survey tab . |
| Report | How do I add a new page to a report? | Once you’re inside the report editor, click the “New Page” button at the top-right of the screen. Each page can be formatted differently, depending on whether you want tables, charts, or text summaries. |
| Report | Can I change the chart type after adding a question? | Yes! Click on the chart you’ve added, then open the dropdown: “Datatype” . From here, you can switch to a different visual—such as bar, column, table, or line graph. Each chart type supports different display options depending on your data. |
| Report | How can I export a report to share with others? | To export a report, open the report and click the Download button in the top-right corner. A menu will appear with options to download either the full report or just the current page, as slides or tables , in PowerPoint or Excel format. The export reflects any filters and breakdowns you’ve applied. Additional options in the menu include updating or backing up the report, accessing the dashboard, or exporting for translation |
| Report | What does the “Datatype” option do in the chart editor? | The Datatype setting defines how the data is summarized—such as frequency (count or percentage), averages , percent positive , response count etc . For example, you can show percentages of responses, or display the average value for a numeric scale. Choosing the correct datatype helps you match the chart to the type of data you’re working with. |
| Report | How can I make a report page show only in PowerPoint or Excel exports? | To control where a report page appears, click the cogwheel icon located above the Datatype dropdown in the report editor. This opens a dropdown menu—then select Page Conditions . A settings panel will appear where you can choose whether the page should be included only in PowerPoint , Excel , or Dashboard exports. You can select one or multiple options. This is useful for customizing the visibility of specific pages depending on the report format being generated, allowing you to tailor content for different audiences. |
| Report | What does a report consist of in Survey Automator? | Reports are made up of one or more pages, and each page contains a set of charts or tables . You can freely add, remove, or reorder pages, and customize how each chart looks—whether it’s a bar chart, table, average score, or open-end summary. Each report is tied to a specific project and updates automatically as new responses come in. |
| Report | Why is the response rate showing incorrectly in the report? | This is usually caused by a missing or incorrect time period filter. Make sure that the correct period variable is being used in the filter settings to accurately reflect the intended timeframe. |
| Report | How do I filter open-ended responses based on specific words? | To filter or group open-ended responses using keywords, you’ll use the Open End Coding feature in the Report tab . This lets you automatically categorize free-text answers by matching them against keyword lists. It’s especially useful for summarizing qualitative feedback or spotting patterns in large volumes of text. Locate the Open-Ended Question, click on the three-dot menu (⋯) next to it and choose “Code Open End” . Add the new code, example: “Complaint”. In the popup text field , list relevant keywords separated by commas, example: “bad, slow, rude, broken”. The system will scan all open-ended responses and assign this code to any answer that contains at least one of those words. |
| Report | Can I apply filters to show specific segments in the report? | Yes! In the report editor, click the filter icon located below the “Datatype” and “Base” sections. From there, you can define filters based on questions , specific answers , or time periods . This lets you focus the report on targeted segments or track trends over time. |
| Report | Can I compare results between different segments in the same chart? | Yes! In the report editor, you can use the Breakdown feature to compare how different groups of respondents answered a question. These groups can be defined either by background variables added during import—such as job role, region, or department—or by answers provided within the survey itself. For instance, if a respondent is marked as an Artist or Actor through imported data or by answering a question like “What is your profession?”, applying a breakdown on that variable will automatically generate separate bars , columns , table rows etc in the report. You can also break down results by time periods , such as years, months etc to compare how responses evolve over time. This makes it easy to visualize and compare how each group responded—for example, to see how many hours per week artists versus actors typically work. |
| Report | How do I change the PowerPoint template used in my report export? |
To apply a custom PowerPoint layout when exporting your report, you can upload and use your own
.PPTX template
. Open the Report tab, then click the Settings icon in the top-right corner of the screen. Click
Design
, select
PowerPoint
.
Here, you’ll find the option to upload or select a PowerPoint template. Once uploaded, your template will define the layout, fonts, colors, and positioning of elements for each slide in your exported report. You can choose whether to preserve the design choices made in your template (like fonts and chart types) or override them with system-wide defaults.Templates work best when they include named placeholders for charts and text—this ensures the exported data maps neatly into your design. If your team uses different branding per client, you can upload multiple templates and switch between them as needed. |
| Report | Can reports be run on assistant servers? | Yes, assistant servers can be enabled so that report jobs do not place load on the main project server. |
| Connect | How do I connect data to Power BI? | A dedicated database user is created and linked to a template project. SQL access is then granted via IP address to enable the connection. |
| Connect | Database connection failed—why does this happen after periods of inactivity? |
If a project hasn’t been accessed for more than 50 days, the system automatically “packs” the project, which takes the administrative database offline.
To prevent this, set up a daily automation job using the “Synchronize” task. This keeps the project active by accessing it regularly. Avoid using “Import Responses” unless you’re importing from another survey—this does not count as activity if no new responses exist. If a connection fails unexpectedly, simply open the project and make a small change to reactivate it. This resets the 50-day timer. |