This guide sets out the key elements of setting up your AskNicely software. We recommend reviewing our "Know Before You Go" article first, as well as our Strategy section, to understand the key considerations and decisions you should make before configuring the system to achieve your goals. The rest of the articles in this Configuration section (also linked throughout this article) will provide detailed step-by-step instructions on how to set up certain elements of this platform.
This article reflects Part 2 of the overall AskNicely Launch Guide.
Intro to the AskNicely platform
The video below provides a walkthrough of our recommended starter configuration, following Steps 1-5 below.
1. Import your Contacts
Bringing the people you wish to survey into AskNicely is the first step to getting started with AskNicely. There are three methods to import your contacts: via our CSV Importer, via 3rd Party Integration, or via API. We call these methods "Data Sources." (The video above uses the CSV Importer.)
Once your contacts are in AskNicely, we can set rules for who is sent which survey, create multiple Survey Templates, and view the Leaderboards and Filters that were generated from the data you imported.
| Note: Several of our integrations combine this step (Importing Your Contacts) with actually sending the surveys. If your integration actually "triggers" surveys, you will not need the Send Scheduler listed in Step 3 below. |
2. Set up your Survey Template
Survey Templates are the main event! The recipients of your survey will be interacting with the two parts of the Survey Template - the Survey Start tab shows what will be contained in the email your contacts will initially receive, and the Survey tab contains the "Conversation Builder" where you can any follow-up questions.
With minimal tweaks (dialing in the hex colors, coming up with a creative subject line for the email, and other personalized touches), the "default" survey out of the box is going to give you the widest, most open-ended "bucket" to gathering your feedback. Our recommendation is to get started with the default "out-of-the-box" configuration and see where your feedback takes you.
3. Set up a Send Scheduler to launch surveys on a recurring basis
AskNicely makes sending surveys easy for you. The Send Scheduler's job is twofold:
1. The Send Scheduler pulls however many contacts you choose in the "Max Surveys to Send" field into the queue at midnight tonight. (Surveys will not be queued to send immediately.)
2. The Send Scheduler will sends all of the surveys in the queue at the days and time of your choosing.
We recommend keeping it as simple as possible: one Survey Template, one Send Scheduler. And our Global Contact Rule will make sure no one is over-surveyed so you can rest easy.
4. Add Your Team
Once Surveys are out the door, Responses will begin flowing in immediately. We recommend adding your team of AskNicely users to thank Promoters, examine Passives, and investigate issues raised by Detractors. You can also set up Custom Alert Workflows to alert your team when specific responses come in.
5. Analyze Your Responses & Take Action!
Once Surveys are going out and Responses coming back in, your AskNicely account will spring to life.
- You will be able to see how data aggregates on the Dashboard.
- Having Response data will enable you to build out Reply Templates and set rules for Workflows.
- You can use our Case Management system to make sure all of your Responses are being handled by your team.
- You can use our Reports section on the Dashboard and "Download Sent Surveys" functionality to track open and response rates.
These insights will enable you to move into the "Take Action!" stage of your journey, where we put your learnings to work at the organizational level. This is just a sampling of what is possible with AskNicely - the key is to actually get started and learn the system as you go. So...
Are you ready?
Our final "Know Before You Go" article lists all the steps in our recommended Customer Journey to stand up your Customer Experience Program from start to finish. Onward!