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How to create and use Steer surveys

With Steer's new, easy-to-use survey builder, understanding customer satisfaction has never been easier. Use surveys to collect feedback on your service or gather NPS ratings.


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How to set up Steer surveys

Go to Settings > Widgets > Surveys. Here, you can:

  • Customize the colors of your widget.
  • Set up your survey questions. Choose from an open-ended question or a linear scale question
    ("On a scale from 1 to 5, how good was the coffee at our shop?")
  • Choose between two Survey Types:
    • {survey.url}: this is a typical survey - questions you want to ask your customers
    • {reviewSurvey.url}: a survey with a pre-defined first step, which includes providing a rating. If a rating of 1-3 is given, customers will be directed to a survey screen to collect more detailed feedback on their service experience. If a rating of 4-5 is given, customers will be taken directly to your Google Business page to provide a review. You are able to change the direction of the ratings.

      setting_up_survey 

How to edit Review Survey Ratings

Follow the steps below to customize where your {reviewSurvey.url} ratings direct your customers.

  1. Settings.
  2. Widgets > Surveys. 
  3. Scroll to Rating Settings.
  4. Choose between the Survey or a URL to direct the ratings to. 
    1. Select from Steer review tokens, Steer tokens are already connected to your Google Business listing, or enter a custom URL.

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How to Send Steer Surveys

Option 1: Send through a campaign

See this article for how to set-up new campaigns. The most common use case is to include a survey in the review request follow-up.

Note: Only one survey can be created at any given time.


Example for Email Campaign:

  • Go to Campaigns > Active
  • Under Follow-up Campaigns, there is a Review Request campaign. To add the Steer survey, click the 3-dot menu next to Email.
  • Then, click Edit Email > Edit Template.

feedback survey - edit email  edit template

Click on the email template and scroll to Redirect URLs on the right in the content section till the fields related to star links of your email template. 

Steer will track which star was selected for the survey, which will be reflected on the Survey Reporting page. Star tracking is provided by using a Survey dynamic token and a star value (e.g. {reviewSurvey.url}&rating=1).

email_example

 

Example for Message Campaign:

  • Go to Campaigns > Active
  • Under Follow-up Campaigns, there is a Review Request campaign. To add the Steer survey, click the 3-dot menu next to Message.
  • Then, click Edit Text > Edit Template.

Select a token from the list in the Message Builder and place it in the appropriate place in the body of your message. 

message_campaign

We recommend using the {reviewSurvey.url} token if you want a Review Request from your customers. Using the {survey.url} option won't let you know the star the customers clicked on and easily re-direct to Google Reviews.

Note: If you Send Test on an campaign with a survey token, the link will be broken. If you want to test it - please, create a test campaign with test users as the target segment.


Option 2: Send through a Direct Email or Text Message using Canned Messages

  • Go to Platform > Messages > Text Messages > Sent
  • Select a message.
  • Click the 3-dot menu next to Schedule.
  • Click Edit Canned Messages.
  • Click New Canned Message, then name your message.
  • Click Company Location under Dynamic Keyword, then select Survey.

survey - canned messages

canned_message


Setting this up lets you reply to your customers via text or email and quickly select the canned survey message.

steer_canned_message

 

How to receive a notification for new Steer surveys

Go to My Account > Notifications. Here, you can find your account's notification preferences. Go to New Survey Response and toggle it ON. That means that whenever a customer completes a new survey - you'll receive an email notification with answers they've provided to your questions so that you can react quickly if needed.

steer_survey_notifications

 


 

Survey Reporting

To see how customers are responding to your shop's surveys, go to Reputation > Surveys. Here, you will find a dashboard that provides the following information:

  • Average survey ratings
  • Total responses (all time and by month)
  • Customer responses

You can filter reviews by:

  • Keyword
  • Rating
  • Date
  • Customer name

Filtering reviews by keyword helps your shop identify specific team members who are receiving reviews, people who get particular work done on their vehicle, and other things like "poor," "great," "exceptional," etc. 

survey_responses

 

Replying to Survey Responses

You can reply directly to a customer's survey by text or email. From the Reputation > Survey dashboard,  click Contact Customer.

reply to survey


How To Diagnose Survey Feedback Discrepancies


Sometimes, customers leave glowing feedback but only one star. This is usually due to user error. Here’s how to troubleshoot and address this issue:


Troubleshooting Steps


Check for System Errors

  • Navigate to “Campaigns” > “Active.”
  • Review your survey campaign.
  • Select the three dots, choose “Preview Design,” then “Send Test.”
  • Input your phone number and send the test survey.
  • Ensure that ratings of 3 stars and below ask for additional context, while 4 and 5 stars redirect to Google.

If everything works correctly, it was likely a customer error.


Handling Customer Errors:
Sometimes, a customer might mistakenly select a 1-star rating but leave positive feedback.

Here’s how to address it:

  • Acknowledge the Feedback: Thank the customer for their positive comments.
  • Explain the Situation: Politely mention the possible rating error.
  • Request a Re-Post: Ask if they could repost their review with the correct rating.
  • Provide the Google Reviews Link: Make it easy for the customer to update their review.
By following this approach, you can maintain positive customer relationships and ensure accurate reviews.