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.

Jump to:

• How to set up Steer surveys
• How to send Steer surveys
• Survey reporting
• Using different survey providers
• How To Diagnose Survey Feedback Discrepancies

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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?")
  
   

Different Survey Types

There are 2 different ways that you can use surveys:

• {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.
  
  

 

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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.

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.

 

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).

 

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. 



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.

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.

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

 

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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. 

 

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.

 

Using Different Survey Providers

Want to use a different Survey provider? Here's how to setup your token.

Go to Settings > Communication > Tokens. Here, you can change how the survey token sources your data using a Steer setting or a custom link (for example, Google Forms).

Example using the Steer management tool:


Example using a third party custom link:

 

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.