BigSurveys.com

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F.A.Q.s

General Questions

• Is there a phone number where I can contact you? I need help ASAP!
  We provide all support via email. Most email receives a response in less than 2 hours.
• How do I rename my survey?
  To change the name of your survey, go to "Survey->Configure" and edit the "Name" field.
• How do I become a Professional Member?
  You can upgrade your account by logging in and clicking on the "Account->Upgrade/Renew" button in the upper right. If you do not already have an account, you must create a free account to upgrade.
• I am already a paid member, but I still see ads.
  Deluxe level accounts feature limited advertising, and Professional level accounts are completely free of any advertising (See our pricing page for details). If you recently upgraded to the Professional level and still see ads, please use your browser's Refresh button.
• Will users of my survey see advertising?
  Your users will see BigSurveys advertising if you at the Free or Deluxe level. For more information, please review the "Advertisement Free Surveys" on our pricing page.
• I have built my survey, how do I add it to my own website?
  Log into your account and go to "Survey->Publish". This page gives you the code necessary to integrate your survey in one of several different ways.
• Can I host the survey on my own server?
  Yes, you can place the HTML for your survey on your site.
• How long does my free account last?
  Free accounts are always free and do not expire as long as they are used. If you do not log in to your account or receive any for submissions for a period of 6 months, your free account may be deleted.
• Why do I keep getting logged out? (Session has Expired)
  Sessions expire after 20 minutes of inactivity. Additionally, many of our email features have tight security which resets your login. If you click on a BigSurveys.com link included in an emailed or mass emailed mailing originating from BigSurveys.com, you will most likely be logged out. Users of your surveys will not face these issues.
  If this problem is recurring, please try rebooting your computer and using our Secure Login page.
• I don't understand the account limits. For the free account, it says 50 in one place and 10 in another?
  There are two separate limitations on our pricing.

  1. Survey Submissions Per Month (50), applies to all surveys in your account. Every time a survey is successfully submitted, this count is incremented by one. This counter is reset at the beginning of the month. For free accounts, this limitation is 50 survey submissions per month.
  2. Results Stored Per Survey (10), applies to each individual survey. You can only store a set number of results per survey. For free accounts, this limitation is 10 results per survey. You can delete individual results to make room for more.
• How do I delete my account?
  Delete all surveys for your account. Free level accounts will automatically be deleted after 6 months of inactivity.
• I am looking at my survey, but it is an older version. Why is this happening and how do I fix it?
  Internet browsers save (cache) pages. You need to force your browser to get the most recent version of the survey. Most browsers have a Refresh or Reload button. Try this. You can always see the most recent version of your survey by logging in and going to "Survey->Edit". Whatever is displayed in this section is the most recent version of your survey. All updates are applied immediately to your survey and there is never a delay. The refresh button is located at the top of your browser.

  
• Do you have an affiliate program?
  No, not at this time. We do give discounts to people who refer over 5 accounts. There is not an automated program for this at this time. Contact us via the support page for more information.
• My web developer has left and I don't know my account or password. What can I do?
  Convince us this is your account by sending us as much info as possible via the Support Form. Include a URL to one of your surveys, the previous name on the account, who paid for the account and ideally include a reply email address from the same domain or company as your web developer.
• I have accidentally deleted a survey/data, can you recover the survey and its data for me?
  Yes, but there are additional fees for a recovery. We take backups every day, but these backups are put to tape and it is time consuming to do the selective restore for you. The usual charge is $200 per survey if we can get the data from a backup within the last month and we only need to recover from one tape. Contact us via the Support Form for more info.
• The "Submit" button on my survey does not work. What is going on?
  This problem only occurs when users have pasted HTML from other sources. Please go through the items on your survey and look for a form tag <form>...</form> that will terminate BigSurveys's capabilities.
• I have already created a survey in another software product. Can I use it on BigSurveys?
  All surveys must be created through BigSurveys.com, we do not offer the ability to import surveys. The hard part was designing the survey which you have already done. You should be able to re-create the survey fairly quickly in BigSurveys.com.
• What is your privacy statement? How will you use the data collected in my survey?
  Your data is private, and will not be accessed by third parties. We will not analyze your data in any fashion, except to provide technical support upon your request. Click to view our Privacy Statement.
• Are your secure surveys safe?
  Yes. We use the same secure technology that every other site uses to transmit sensitive data. We use industry standard SSL Certificates for all secure surveys. Your users will see the locked padlock (usually on the bottom tool bar) indicating that the survey is secure.
• Can I accept credit card, or other sensitive data using your surveys?
  BigSurveys has the features necessary to create surveys that can collect and handle data securely. However, it is your responsibility to take advantage of these features when appropriate. For more information, see our Security Guide.
• Can your service handle my high-volume survey?
  Yes, we have experience with very large surveys and have one client who is almost continuously conducting surveys that get in the 10,000-20,000 response range.
• Can your service be integrated with PayPal, Google Checkout, or Authorize.net?
  Yes. See the "Payment Integration Questions" section below.
• My survey shows "This BigSurveys.com account has exceeded its capacity." at the top. Why is this there, and how do I remove it?
  Log in to your account to check if the survey is at capacity for stored results or monthly submissions.
  You may need to force your survey to be regenerated. Do the following: Login and go to "Survey->Edit" for the survey in question. This will regenerate your survey. If you are now within account limits, your survey will not have the warning message.
  Load your survey, and click the refresh button on your browser.

  

Editing Your Survey

• You don't have a template for the survey I need - what can I do?
  The templates are simply some basic ideas; BigSurveys.com is a tool that you can use to build almost any type of survey. Take one of templates and use it for a base for your custom survey.
• How do I add an image to my survey?
  Go to "Survey->Edit" and add an Image Item (found under Formatting Items). Note, you can link to images on your web server, or, if you are a paying customer, you can upload images to our server. If you are going to be using a secure survey, you must upload the images to our server and choose the image from the Image Chooser on the page. If you do not add the image as described, you will get "insecure" warning messages when you access the survey. These same "insecure" warning messages will appear if you link an image from your server to a secure survey on BigSurveys.com.
• For the "Number of Items on a Survey" limitation, how are the items counted?
  Unless otherwise stated in the Item Type, each Item you add to the survey counts as one. The exceptions are the matrix/grid style questions. The computation for how many each one of these Items counts as is detailed in the setup area for an Item Type.

E-Mail Questions

• My survey results are not getting e-mailed to me, the messages are not coming through.
  If you are not receiving BigSurveys emails, check your spam or junk mail folder. Also, you can add survey_engine@bigsurveys.com and billing@bigsurveys.com to your address book to prevent BigSurveys emails from being mistakenly flagged as spam.
• How do I get survey results e-mailed to me?
  For every survey you create, you can have the results of the survey mailed to one or more email addresses. To specify the addresses:

  1. Log into your account.
  2. Go to the Notifications page for the survey you are working with.
  3. Create a new Notification and choose "Defined Addresses" as the "To".
  4. Enter your email address. For multiple addresses, separate each with a comma.
• How do I set up an Auto-Responder (custom message to the submitter) for my survey?
  When editing your survey, add an Email Address item, if you don't have one already. Then, go to your survey's Notifications page. Create a new Notification and choose the Email Address item as the "To". Then, enable the "Include Message" setting.
• Can I include answers given on a survey in the auto-response?
  Yes. You can customize the message to include unique information based on the responses, such as the user's name. To do this, add the appropriate "piping" code. Look for the "piping" link when configuring the Notification.
• Can the person submitting a survey receive an e-mail copy of their answers?
  Yes. When editing your survey, add an Email Address item, if you don't have one already. Then, go to your survey's Notifications page. Create a new Notification and choose the Email Address item as the "To".
• How do I prevent sensitive information from being e-mailed? How do I prevent answers to certain items, such as a credit card field, from being sent?
  You can configure information that is emailed via the "Results->Results Views" page in combination with the Notification setup on the "Survey->Notifications" page.
• Can I get the e-mail address of the person that has completed my survey?
  The only way to get this information is to ask for it in your survey. We recommend using the Email Address item to request this information. That will validate the format of the address.

Survey Results Questions

• How do I manage my results?
  The primary way to manage your results is through the "Results" page. From there, you can manipulate each result individually for viewing, deleting, or changing.
  
• How do I get survey results e-mailed to me?
  Please see the Email Questions section above.
• My survey shows "This BigSurveys.com account has exceeded its capacity." at the top. Why is this there, and how do I remove it?
  You may need to force your survey to be regenerated. Do the following: Login, go to "Survey->Edit" and select your survey. This will regenerate your survey. If you are now within account limits, your survey will not have the warning message.
  Load your survey, and click the refresh button on your browser.

  
• Will I be notified that I am about to exceed my result storage limit or monthly submission limit?
  No, you are only notified once you reach the limit. It is up to you to keep track of your account and anticipate any limitation issues.
• Can I download my results?
  Yes, you can do this using the "Results->Download" menu option. Data is downloaded in CSV or XLS format that can be read directly by most spreadsheet and database programs. The Summary download provides simple analysis, and the Detail download will allow you to upload results back into BigSurveys at a later time. You can also use Views to restrict data from being downloaded.
• How do I share my results with the general public?
  You can enable public viewing of your results through the "Survey->Configure" menu option. Once these results have been enabled, you can retrieve the public results link from the "Results->Publish" menu option.
• How do I tell who has completed my survey?
  Surveys collect the IP address of submissions, which may assist in certain cases. If you need to know specifically who completes a survey, you must ask for identifying information such as a name or ID number.
• Can I turn off the results storage? I just want my results e-mailed to me and not stored in the BigSurveys database.
  No. Results are always stored in the database.

Billing Questions

• How do I upgrade my account?
  To pay by credit card, use the "Account->Upgrade/Renew" menu option. If your organizations would like to pay by purchase order, please contact support.
• Can I downgrade my account?
  Monthly customers may change their account status, use the "Account->Upgrade/Renew" menu option to modify your account level. You may upgrade to a lower level from this page. If you are looking to cancel, go to "Account->Billing" and click the Cancel Service button.
• What happens if I cancel my account? Will my surveys or data be deleted if I cancel?
  When you cancel your account, your account is reverted to the free level of service. You do not lose any surveys or data, but you are held to the limitations of the free service level going forward. You can always re-upgrade your account.
• When does monthly billing start?
  Monthly billing starts when you sign-up. So, if you sign-up on March 16th as a monthly customer, your next billing date would be April 16th.
• Can I cancel my account and re-upgrade later?
  Yes. When you cancel your account, your account is reverted to the free level of service on its next billing date, allowing you to finish the time you purchased. You will not lose any surveys or data, but new results are held to the limitations of the free service level going forward. You can re-upgrade your account at any time.
• How do I change the credit card for my account?
  Monthly customers may change their credit card. Click the "Account -> Billing" menu option followed by the "Update Credit Card" link. The new card will be billed in the future.
  Yearly subscriptions do not automatically renew, so simply enter the new card for your next purchase.
• What name do you bill the BigSurveys.com service under?
  BigSurveys.com is billed under the name "Vroman Systems, Inc."
• Can I pay for multiple years at a time?
  Yes, you can simply sign-up for one year, then renew for another year. When you renew again, another year will be added to your service expiration date. You can also be invoiced for multiple years or multiple accounts at the same time. Contact us via the Support form for more information.
• Do you offer educational or non-profit pricing/discounts?
  We offer the same low pricing for everyone, we do not offer special discounts.
• How long does my free account last?
  Free accounts are always free and do not expire as long as they are being used. If your account is inactive for over six months with no logins or survey submissions, it may be deleted.
• Can I pay via purchase order?
  Yes, please contact us through the support form for more information.

Payment Integration Questions

• What is required to have a survey with Payment Integration?
  You must have a Professional 1 or higher level of BigSurveys service and you must have at least a Premier level PayPal account, a Google Checkout Merchant Account, or an Authorize.net Merchant account.
• What fees are involved?
  BigSurveys does not impose any additional fees beyond the monthly or yearly service fees outlined on our pricing page. PayPal requires a premier account and charges fees based on an individual transaction. Details on PayPal can be found here. Look for more information about Google Checkout here, and about Authorize.net here.
• Do my customers need a PayPal account?
  No, your customers do not need a PayPal account. They can pay without an account, using all major credit cards. If your customer does have a paypal account, they can use their existing paypal account to pay you.
• How difficult is it to enable Payment Integration?
  We provide step by step instructions to guide users through setting up their Payment account. Since BigSurveys is integrated with the payment processors, there are some additional setup steps necessary after creating the account. There is no fee to set up an account and does not require an excessive amount of time.
• Is my customer's data safe?
  Yes, the payment processors we have integrated with are the leading online payment systems and they use your customers' billing information. BigSurveys.com never sees or stores your customers' credit card data; instead we record an order number to identify the transaction in your payment processor account.
• What does BigSurveys do with my customers' billing information?
  We do not receive your customers' credit card information. The payment processor is responsible for billing your customer. We never see this data and do not have the ability to save it.
• Should I collect my customer's billing information within my survey?
  No, you should not ask for your customer's credit card info on your BigSurveys survey. The payment processor will handle all billing information. Requesting this information on your survey will duplicate information and possibly frustrate your customer.
• My customer says he/she paid, but BigSurveys does not show the transaction, how should I proceed?
  The payment processor is the final record of all payments and refunds and its reporting takes precedence over all BigSurveys reporting with respect to payments. There should not be a discrepancy between the payment processor and BigSurveys, but in the event that a situation arises, the payment processor's report takes precedence over BigSurveys.
• How are refunds handled?
  You may issue a refund by logging into your payment processor account and selecting the individual transaction. The payment processor will notify us and BigSurveys will reflect the fact a refund was issued. You may refund the entire transaction, or issue only a partial refund.
• What do the symbols mean next to my results?

  	The charge was successful.
  	The charge was successful, but additional information is also available, such as a refund or duplicate order. The order also may have been updated, changing the total amount.
  	Payment was incomplete or your account is not set up correctly.
  	The customer's payment attempt has failed.

Skip/Branch Questions

• What are Skip rules? What are Branch rules?
  Skip rules are used to show/hide individual questions, allowing items to be "skipped". Branch rules are used to set which page should come next on multi-page surveys, allowing surveys to "branch" to different pages.
• How does my survey decide which Branch rule to use when there is more than one?
  Branch rules are checked in the order in which they appear on the Skip/Branch setup page. The first rule that is found to be true is used.
• Can I set up my survey to branch backwards to a previous page?
  No. A page can only branch to pages after itself.
• Why can't I use Skip rules on the first page of my survey?
  Skip rules depend on the responses of previous questions. Since responses are only stored after a page is completed, on the first page there are no responses available to create rules with.

Additional Ideas

• Setup fax service to have survey results automatically faxed.
  People who take product orders will use a fax service to establish an email address that automatically results in the email being faxed to one or more locations. We have one customer with a call center that has all orders arrive via a fax machine. They then distribute the faxes to order takers. If you are interested in doing this, please search for an e-mail to fax company.
• Have your results emailed directly to your cell phone.
  Most cell phones now have text messaging. You can setup your survey to send your cell phone or pager the results of your survey.

  • Verizon: ##########@vtext.com
  • Sprint: ##########@messaging.sprintpcs.com
  • T-Mobile: ##########@tmomail.net
  • Please contact your cellular provider to verify your e-mail address
• You can copy the survey HTML from BigSurveys to your server.
  Many people will take the HTML survey produced by BigSurveys.com and copy it to their own server. They do this so they can modify the HTML further and to also hide the fact that the survey was created at BigSurveys.com. You may also configure your "Success Page" to send users back to your own website.
• You can hide the fact BigSurveys is being used by using HTML frames from your server.
  As an alternative to copying the survey HTML to your server, you can setup a frameset that contains the BigSurveys.com survey in one frame. This enables you to hide the BigSurveys.com URL, but not have to copy/update the survey.
• Have users with PDAs complete a survey.
  BigSurveys.com surveys work well with PDAs. We have a medical professor that has his students complete evaluations on their PDAs.
• You largely control the URL link to your survey.
  You can make a friendlier URL to your survey by changing your URL Extension using the "Account->Profile" menu option and the survey directory using the "Survey->Publish" menu option. These two values determine the ending portion of your URL.
  http://www.bigsurveys.com/URLExtension/surveydirectory
• If you have multiple paying accounts, we can associate the accounts so that all of your paying accounts are related to a master account. This enables you to share survey templates with all accounts.
  We have several companies that have a central marketing department that will create template surveys. Regional locations can then access the survey templates and customize them for their own use. Multi-national corporations will have surveys in different languages.
• Get detailed data on how and where the traffic to your survey came from. For Professional 2 users and higher, we provide very valuable traffic analysis reporting.
  We offer a very powerful and detailed analysis of all Internet Traffic that comes to your account. "Go to Results->Reports->Traffic Summary" for more information.
• Daily Updates
  We recommend going to "Survey->Configure" and setting up the daily updates email. Daily updates are sent daily telling you the total amount of new submissions in the last 24 hours. If you are unsure of your email reliability, this is a great check/balance to use.
• Set up a filter within your email software so that your BigSurveys surveys go to a specific folder.
  Using your computer's email package, create a new directory and set a rule that all email from the bigsurveys.com domain should go to this directory. Account holders with many surveys will create a different directory for each survey and a different rule for each survey.
• You can add any amount of HTML or images you would like to your survey.
  Add images / HTML to your survey as you would like. We provide the Custom HTML Item Type in the list of Items to add to a survey. This enables you to add your own HTML to your survey. Many people will use an HTML editor outside of BigSurveys.com to create certain sections of HTML and then will copy and paste this HTML into the Plain Text /HTML Item Type of BigSurveys.com.