When someone starts a survey but doesn't finish it, SatisMeter still saves their answers. Whether that partial response counts depends on what the person does next and which questions they answered. This article explains when a response is completed or dismissed, and when it appears in your dashboard and exports. It also explains why Slack, Zapier, and some other notifications can seem to arrive late.
In this article:
- From first answer to completed response
- Completed and dismissed responses
- Mobile responses
- Leaving before the first answer
- When integrations receive a response
- How partial responses affect email reminders
- FAQ
From first answer to completed response
Every response follows the same timeline, whether the person finishes the survey or not:
- The person gives their first answer.
- SatisMeter saves each answer as the person moves through the survey.
- The person finishes the survey, closes it, or leaves without doing either.
- SatisMeter marks the response as completed or dismissed. A completed response now appears in your dashboard and exports.
Saving answers as the person goes
SatisMeter saves each answer when the person moves to the next question. The person doesn't need to reach the end of the survey for their answers to be kept.
The response only appears in the dashboard and exports once it's completed or dismissed. That happens when the person finishes or closes the survey, or when SatisMeter completes it automatically. Digest emails can include a response earlier, while it's still in progress.
Finishing or closing the survey
When the person finishes or closes the survey, SatisMeter decides the response's status straight away:
- The response is completed if the person answered at least one question and every required question they were shown.
- Otherwise, the response is saved as dismissed immediately.
Example: On a default NPS survey, the rating is the required question. If a person gives a rating and then closes the survey without leaving a comment, the response counts as completed.
Leaving without finishing or closing
Sometimes a person answers a question and then leaves the page without finishing or closing the survey. In that case, SatisMeter completes the response automatically 60 – 70 minutes after the first answer.
- The clock starts at the first answer, not the last one.
- At that point, the response is dismissed instead if it has no answers or a shown required question is still blank.
- SatisMeter rejects any answers given after the response is completed automatically.
Note: Because the clock starts at the first answer, a very slow respondent can lose their last answers. Keeping surveys short helps people finish well within the time.
Completed and dismissed responses
Every response ends up in one of two states, and each state affects your results differently:
- Completed responses appear in the dashboard list, exports, and digest emails.
- Dismissed responses don't appear in the dashboard list, exports, or digest emails. They count only as displays when SatisMeter calculates your response rate.
Your response rate is responses divided by displays. A dismissed response adds a display but not a response, so many dismissed responses lower your response rate. To explore other reasons for a lower rate, see Why did my survey responses drop?
Mobile responses
Responses from mobile app surveys follow a simpler rule. SatisMeter marks a mobile response as completed as soon as the person submits it, unless they dismissed the survey.
Leaving before the first answer
If a person refreshes the page or leaves before answering anything, SatisMeter records nothing. The survey can show to them again later.
Once the person answers one question, they count as having answered for frequency purposes. SatisMeter then waits for the survey's cooldown before it shows that survey to them again. To learn more about eligibility, see How SatisMeter decides who sees a survey.
When integrations receive a response
Integrations receive responses at different points in the timeline. This explains why a Slack notification can arrive about an hour after someone answers, while a webhook fires right away.
For setup details, see Webhooks, Integration for Slack, and Zapier Integration.
How partial responses affect email reminders
Partial responses also affect who gets an email reminder:
- Reminders don't go to people who answered anything within the frequency window.
- Someone who opened the survey but answered nothing can still get a reminder.
- Closing the survey doesn't stop a reminder. Instead, it restarts the reminder delay.
- Reminders only go to people seen within the frequency window, which is three months by default.
To set up reminders, see Email reminders.
FAQ
These are the most common questions about incomplete responses.
Does SatisMeter save answers if someone didn't finish the survey?
Yes. SatisMeter saves each answer when the person moves to the next question. If they leave without finishing, SatisMeter completes or dismisses the response 60 – 70 minutes after their first answer.
Why did my Slack notification arrive late?
Slack, Zapier, and Productboard only receive completed responses. If the person left without finishing or closing the survey, the response is completed automatically 60 – 70 minutes after their first answer. The notification arrives then.
Why doesn't a partial response appear in my dashboard?
The response may still be in progress, or it may be dismissed. In-progress responses appear once they're completed or dismissed. Dismissed responses never appear in the dashboard list or exports, but they count as displays in your response rate.