When getting started with AskNicely, one of the most important decisions youβll make is whether to use Touch Base surveys or Follow-Up surveys. These two approaches represent distinct strategies for collecting customer feedback, and the best fit depends on your goals.
π§ Introduction
This article breaks down the difference between Touch Base (relational) and Follow-Up (transactional) surveys so you can decide which approach is best for your customer experience program.
π Step-by-Step Explanation
π¬ Touch Base Surveys (Relational)
Touch Base Surveys are recurring surveys sent to your entire customer base at regular intervals.
Why choose Touch Base Surveys?
-
β Best for long-term benchmarking β industry standard for NPS.
-
β Casts a wide net β helpful for identifying broad patterns in customer sentiment.
-
β Quick setup β just import contacts, create a survey, and schedule sends.
Recommended for:
-
Teams just getting started with AskNicely.
-
Programs seeking a high-level view of customer experience.
-
Organizations aiming for regular, predictable feedback collection.
π‘ Tip: Start broad, learn from feedback, and refine later with targeted surveys.
π¨ Follow-Up Surveys (Transactional)
Follow-Up Surveys are triggered by specific events or customer milestones.
Examples of triggering events:
-
A support ticket closes (e.g., Zendesk, Intercom).
-
A customer completes a purchase (e.g., Shopify).
-
Completion of an onboarding or training seminar.
-
Timed lifecycle milestones (e.g., 3-month check-in post-signup).
What you need to set these up:
-
A data field that logs the event or milestone (e.g.,
closed_won_date
). -
A trigger field to define which survey should be sent.
-
Optional: Unique survey templates tied to the event.
Recommended for:
-
Programs focused on specific experience moments.
-
Teams ready to engineer custom workflows.
-
Businesses with clear feedback goals tied to lifecycle events.
π§ Note: These surveys take more setup, so we suggest waiting until you know what insight youβre aiming to collect.
π€ FAQs & Common Issues
Q: Can I use both types of surveys at the same time?
A: Yes! Many AskNicely customers start with Touch Base surveys and later layer in Follow-Up surveys for key interactions.
Q: Will both types follow the Global Contact Rule?
A: By default, yesβbut Follow-Up surveys can override this using Custom Contact Rules for event-based triggers.
Q: Which survey type is better for NPS?
A: Both can collect NPS scores, but Touch Base surveys are better for benchmarking and trend tracking.
π Next Steps & Related Articles
Β