Online surveys are exponentially more than just a digital versions of paper surveys. Among several features that allow you to do everything from using pre-designed templates and frameworks to real-time reporting and analytics, one particular aspect of QuestionPro Surveys is that of Custom Variables.
So what are Custom Variables?
Custom variables can be seen as empty pocket used for storing data. Once you assign a certain data to this pocket from the backend – such as respondent demographics or answer to a specific survey question, data that can be carried throughout the survey.
In other words, custom variables can be used to capture and “remember” the information entered by the respondent during the survey.
How and when should you use Custom Variables?
Custom Variables have a very specific role – to capture data and carry it onto another survey question when called upon.
There are 2 ways to do this :
1.) Advanced Dynamic Replacement (in Surveys) : Suppose a brand only has information that a customer visited their store. Now the first survey question will capture which store location and what product the customer bought.
Now the follow up question will be to understand how their experience was at the store using the information that was gathered from the previous question.
And now this is how the next question will appear to the respondent.
2.) Personalization token (in Emails) : Another way to use custom variables in the email template when a survey is being sent to a bulk of customers whom you would like to address in a personalized way.
This is how it will appear in the inbox of your target respondent.
One of the main reasons behind this is the fact that personalized emails have a much greater rate of clicks and survey completions than generalized emails.