The Email Platform: Sending CX surveys via Email
In this article:
- Introducing the Email platform.
- Setting up the Email platform.
- Sending from the Email platform.
- Inputting email addresses with a CSV or Excel file.
- Adding (and editing) Additional Questions to the Email platform.
- Testing and previewing Email surveys.
FAQs
- How do I capture an initial benchmark and track progress over time?
- How do I edit text and alter my survey's logo and colors after the initial setup?
- How do I send Email Reminders?
- How do I add the Email platform to an existing CX project?
- Do Delighted surveys avoid spam filters?
- Can I see who has bounced or unsubscribed after sending emails?
Suggested next articles: Email Platform Customization and Autopilot Sends
Introducing the Email platform
The Email platform is the most common way to collect feedback — whether from customers, constituents, or colleagues. Send email surveys right from your Delighted account, or from your favorite CRM using a simple Delighted integration.
Delighted's email platform automatically embeds the first question of your survey within an email, ensuring a frictionless and intuitive survey experience for your recipients. Email surveys are designed for optimal readability and deliverability across desktop and mobile.
Core Training Module 2 speeds you through building CX surveys with Email as your example. This video's your perfect intro (guaranteed!). Just FYI: "Edit and send" now replaces "Survey people."
Setting up the Email platform
Setting up the Email platform follows the 5 steps outlined in video above.
The steps are:
- 1
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Select “Create a new project” → from the Projects menu
- 2
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Choose a metric type → like NPS, CSAT, 5-Star, CES, PMF, eNPS, Thumbs, or Smileys
- 3
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Pick Email by selecting "Set up" → seen at the bottom of the Email tile
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- 4
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Customize → by adding your branding, color scheme, and logo; rewording you survey's question; changing email addresses and subject lines; altering your survey language, and more. (Learn the details in Email Platform Customization)
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- 5
- Click "Next: Import people" → to start sending your survey to participants
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- Pop down to Sending from the Email platform for the next few steps
Sending from the Email platform
There are two options for the Email platform:
| 1 | One-time | Surveys can be sent immediately or scheduled for sending in the future with the One-time survey feature |
| 2 | Autopilot | Repeating or recurring surveys can be scheduled with the Autopilot feature Watch below and see how easily 10 people are added to Autopilot from a .csv spreadsheet file. Notice also that you can schedule your first send if you choose. |
How do I capture an initial benchmark and track progress over time?
Schedule your first send in Autopilot (see above) to capture your benchmark, then schedule Autopilot to send every 3, 6, or 9 months after that to track progress over time. (Learn more in our Autopilot Sends article.)
Inputting email addresses with a CSV or Excel file
Type, paste, or upload the email addresses into the entry box.
If you are uploading your email addresses in a CSV or Excel file, label the column with your email addresses with the header “ Email.” (Don't worry if you leave someone out — you can add them to your file and simply upload again.)
Here’s an example of that required formatting:
| Name | |
| sean@delighted.com | Sean |
| jack@delighted.com | Jack |
| ellie@delighted.com | Ellie |
If there is no column titled "Email", our parsing system will return the error below:
As a CSV or Excel file is uploaded to Delighted, we'll automatically remove any rows with duplicate emails, only processing the first instance of each email per file.
However, to ensure your contacts are up to date, scan for duplicates before importing.
Adding (and editing) Additional Questions
Insert up to 10 Additional questions following your initial metric score survey question and comment prompt.
To add an Additional question:
- 1
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Click "Edit and send" → seen at the top of the Dashboard
- 2
- Click on the "Gear" icon → located to the right of the desired platform
- 3
- Click “Configure additional questions”
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- 4
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Select a question type and customize your question → also, edit questions from the same section
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Click “Save question”
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- Repeat steps 2-5 for any other questions you’d like to add or edit
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- Click “Publish” → and go live with your Additional Questions
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Learn all about adding and editing Additional questions on the Additional questions page.
If you are new to Additional questions, be sure to catch the minute video in the introductory section. It's five minutes — and guaranteed to give you a massive head start.
Testing and previewing Email platform surveys
Sending yourself a test email is a great way to experience Email platform surveys like your customers will, without using any of your survey volume or affecting your CX metric.
To send a test email:
- 1
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Click on "Edit and send" → and head to the Platforms page
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- Click on the "Gear" icon to the right of the Email platform
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- Choose “Customize appearance”
- 4
- Under Email customization, enter your email address and click “Send test”
These test/preview email sends will take you through the entire survey flow, but your responses will not be saved to the Dashboard.
How do I edit text and alter my survey's appearance after the initial setup?
Go back and edit your survey at any time by:
- 1
- Clicking "Edit and send"
- 2
- Opening the "Gear" icon in your platform tile
- 3
- Choosing "Customize appearance"
- 4
- Make your changes → and Save!
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Here is a quick summary of the types of changes you can make to your survey as you go along, together with quick links to the Email Platform Customization sections that explain it all step-by-step!
| 1 | Basic customization | Branding, including colors and logo |
| 2 | Question customization | Reword the initial survey question |
| 3 | Email customization | Email subject line and Email addresses |
| 4 | Advanced customization | Change the intro message or translate your survey |
| 5 | Comment page customization | Change the comment prompt (the open ended question that comes second in the survey flow) |
| 6 | Thank you page customization | Update the Thank you page, which is the screen that shows once the survey has been submitted, or any post-survey redirects |
You can't change your CX metric question once the project has been set up with one or more of its distribution platforms. Instead, you'll want to delete the project and start again.
See Can I change my CX metric question? for more information.
How do I send Email Reminders?
Reminders can be sent one week after the initial send to anyone who hasn’t opened the original survey email. Reminders provide a proven way to increase response rates by reengaging with those who may have overlooked the survey. (Visit the Reminders page in this Help Center to learn more.)
To enable Reminders:
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- Click "Edit and send"
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- Click on the "Gear" icon to the right of the Email platform
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- Choose “Configure Reminders”
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- Click “Turn on” → (click "Turn off" to stop sending Reminders)
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How do I add the Email platform to an existing CX project?
Pick the "Edit and send" button and reopen the platform selection page. Choose "Set up" under the Email platform tile.
Do Delighted surveys avoid spam filters?
Yes.
Delighted surveys have exceptional deliverability rates. Our team continually runs our surveys through testing to ensure the highest rate of spam avoidance, optimal rendering (based on device and Email platform), and more.
If you have any questions about your account and deliverability, feel free to click the purple Beacon Help icon in the bottom-left corner of your screen and start a conversation with our Concierge team.
Can I see people who bounced or unsubscribed after sending emails?
Yes!
Check out more information on managing bounces and unsubscribes in 5. Managing People and Properties.