This is a known limitation and a common point of confusion when using Customer Voice to send surveys to distribution groups with the "In my organization only" restriction. Here's why this happens and what you can do to address it:
The Problem: Anonymous Responses Linked by Distribution Group Identity
When you send a Customer Voice survey to a distribution group with the "In my organization only" setting, the responses are often treated as anonymous responses linked to the group identity rather than individual users. Here's why this leads to overwriting:
- Anonymous Link: Even with the "In my organization only" restriction, Customer Voice often generates a single, anonymous survey link that is sent to the entire distribution group.
- Shared Identity: When multiple members of the distribution group click this link and respond, their responses are all associated with the same anonymous survey response record.
- Last Response Wins: As each subsequent person submits their answers, they overwrite the previously saved responses for that shared anonymous record.
Why it Works with Individual Names:
When you send the survey to individual email addresses, Customer Voice can track each recipient uniquely. This allows it to create separate, identifiable survey response records for each person, preventing overwriting.
Solutions and Workarounds:
Unfortunately, there isn't a direct setting within Customer Voice to treat distribution group recipients as individual, identified respondents when using the "In my organization only" setting and sending directly through the platform (not as a link). Here are your options and suggestions:
- Send the Survey as an Embedded Link (Recommended for Tracking Individuals):
- Instead of using the direct email send functionality within Customer Voice, generate a survey link (even with the "In my organization only" restriction).
- Embed this link into an email you send via Dynamics 365 (Marketing or Sales) or Outlook.
- Personalize the email with a mail merge field for the recipient's email address.
When recipients click the personalized link, Customer Voice can often associate the response with the individual recipient based on the parameters in the link (even if the survey itself is set to "In my organization only"). This allows for individual tracking and prevents overwriting.
- Use the "Track respondent names" Option (If Applicable and Desired):
- When designing your survey, go to Settings > Distribution.
- Under Respondent identification, ensure the "Track respondent names" option is turned On.
While this setting is generally intended for scenarios where you want to explicitly ask for the respondent's name, it can sometimes help in identifying internal users even when a direct email send to a distribution group is used (though this is less reliable than the embedded link approach).
- Create Individual Distribution Lists (More Administrative Overhead):
- Instead of using a single large distribution group, create smaller, more targeted distribution lists for specific teams or individuals. This allows you to send the survey to a smaller set of people at a time, potentially reducing the likelihood of simultaneous responses and overwriting (though it doesn't guarantee individual tracking).
- Communicate Response Instructions Clearly:
- If you must use the direct email send to a distribution group, explicitly instruct recipients to respond at different times to minimize the chance of their responses overwriting each other. This is not a robust solution but can help in some cases.
- Review Microsoft Documentation and Support:
- Check the latest Microsoft Customer Voice documentation for any updates or known issues related to sending surveys to distribution groups.
- Consider reaching out to Microsoft Support to inquire if there are any specific configurations or best practices for this scenario that are not immediately obvious.
Why the "In my organization only" Restriction Doesn't Solve This for Distribution Groups:
The "In my organization only" restriction primarily controls who can access the survey link if it were shared externally. It doesn't inherently change how Customer Voice handles responses from a single, shared link sent to a group.
Key Takeaway:
To reliably track individual responses when sending surveys to a group within your organization, the recommended approach is to generate a survey link and embed it in a personalized email sent through Dynamics 365 or Outlook, rather than using the direct email distribution to a distribution group within Customer Voice itself. This allows Customer Voice to better identify individual respondents.
