Introduction to Surveys & Poll Services
How to collect structured responses, trigger actions, and enrich contact data using Telerivet's poll service
Most teams collecting structured information from contacts do it the hard way: paper forms that need to be transcribed, spreadsheets updated manually after calls, or WhatsApp threads where responses arrive out of order and half of them never get recorded at all. Telerivet's poll service is the service type built to replace that process across SMS, WhatsApp, Viber, and voice. For contacts without a data connection at all, including feature phone users in areas with no internet coverage, Telerivet also supports structured data collection over USSD. The result in either case is structured data captured at the point of conversation, linked directly to your contacts, without any manual processing.
What the poll service actually does
The name "poll" in the Telerivet interface undersells this service type. It is not only a survey tool in the conventional sense. It is a question-branching-action engine: you define questions, set conditions on each response, and attach actions to what happens next. Those actions are not limited to recording an answer. Per-response actions available in the poll service include:
| Action category | What you can do |
|---|---|
| Messaging | Send a reply, send a message to another contact or group, send airtime, cancel scheduled messages |
| Contact management | Add or remove the contact from a group, set a contact variable, set a contact name, block sending |
| Logic and flow | Skip to a specific question, repeat a question, branch via a condition, end the survey |
| Advanced | Run JavaScript (Cloud Script), notify a webhook URL, set a variable, log a message |
This means a single poll service can collect a response, classify the contact, update their profile, add them to a segment, and trigger a follow-up message or an external system call, all from one answered question. That is a different capability from a feedback form.
Question types and response modes
Each question in a poll can be configured as multiple choice, open-ended, or missed call. Multiple choice questions use response matching ("has word") and support synonym matching, so a contact replying "yes," "yeah," or "yep" can all map to the same recorded answer. Open-ended questions capture free text. Missed call responses detect when a contact calls without speaking and can trigger an action on that basis alone.
Response mode controls when and how contacts can participate:
- Poll must be sent to contacts before they can respond is the default. The service sends the first question outbound, and responses are tied to that send. This is the right mode for registration flows, eligibility screening, and outbound surveys.
- Poll can be triggered via keyword allows contacts to initiate the flow by texting a word. This works for inbound inquiry handling, opt-in flows, and self-service collection.
- Contacts may send the question ID response directly is designed for multi-poll environments where contacts respond to specific question IDs without going through a full flow.
For setup instructions, see Creating Text Polls and Creating Voice Polls in the User Guide.
What organizations use this service type for
The poll service handles any use case where you need a contact to answer questions and those answers need to drive something: a record, a follow-up, a group assignment, or a downstream system action.
| Use case | What it collects | What it triggers |
|---|---|---|
| Registration and intake | Name, location, consent, eligibility criteria | Adds contact to program group, sends confirmation, notifies coordinator |
| KYC and identity verification | ID number, date of birth, account reference | Checks against data table, sends verification result, flags mismatches |
| Eligibility screening | Income range, household size, geography, program history | Routes contact to appropriate service or agent, sets contact variable |
| NPS and outcome feedback | Satisfaction rating, service quality score, open comment | Records score to contact profile, triggers follow-up for low scores |
| Field agent reporting | Visit completion, stock count, GPS location confirmation | Updates data table record, notifies supervisor, queues next task |
| Appointment confirmation | Attendance intent, need for reminder, language preference | Adjusts reminder campaign, updates contact field, flags no-shows |
| Consumer promotion | Promo code entry, product preference, consent | Validates code against data table, sends reward (airtime or voucher), records participation |
For distribution options, including how to send a poll to a contact group or trigger it from a campaign, see Distributing Text Polls in the User Guide.
How responses connect to the rest of the platform
Each response collected through the poll service is automatically linked to the contact who sent it. This means poll data flows directly into your contact profiles, your groups, and your campaign logic. For how contact fields are structured and how to create custom ones to store poll responses, see Managing Contact Fields in Telerivet. For how groups and filters work and how poll-based segmentation connects to targeting, see Understanding Contacts in Telerivet: Lists, Filters, Groups, and Segmentation.
A contact who answers a registration poll can be added to the right group immediately, with their contact fields updated based on what they said. A campaign can then fire based on that group membership. A data table can be updated with their record. A webhook can push the data to an external CRM or form system. None of this requires manual processing between the poll completing and the follow-up happening.
For a fuller picture of how services connect to campaigns and other platform components, see Understanding Automated Services in Telerivet: Service Types, Triggers, and When to Use Each.
For viewing and exporting what you have collected, see Viewing and Exporting Poll Responses in the User Guide.
Getting started
- Go to Services in your Telerivet project and click Add New Service, then select Poll.
- Define your first question and set response conditions. Use multiple choice for structured data you need to record consistently. Use open-ended for free-text capture where you will code responses manually or via Cloud Script.
- Add actions to each response branch. At minimum, record the answer. Add contact management or messaging actions where the response should drive a next step. For personalizing the reply messages your poll sends, see How to Personalize Messages in Telerivet.
- Set your response mode based on whether contacts initiate the flow or you send the first question outbound.
- Test before distributing. The Testing Your Poll guide in the User Guide walks through the simulation steps.
For more on distributing to large groups or running multiple polls in one project, see Conducting Multiple Text Polls.
For context on how organizations use SMS-based collection in practice, see How to Run an SMS Poll: 3 Example Use Cases, Smart Ways to Grow Your Messaging Lists and Collect Zero Party Data, and Simple Personalization Tactics That Make SMS Messages Feel More Human on the Telerivet blog.
Frequently asked questions
Can a Telerivet poll do more than record responses? Yes. Each answer in a poll can trigger actions beyond recording: adding a contact to a group, updating a contact variable, sending airtime, running JavaScript, or notifying a webhook. The poll service is a question-branching-action engine, not just a data collection form. This makes it suitable for registration, KYC, eligibility screening, and reward distribution, not just surveys.
Can I trigger a poll from a campaign? Yes. A poll service can be invoked as a step inside a Relative Campaign, meaning it fires as a timed action within a sequence. A contact can receive an onboarding message on day one, a confirmation poll on day three, and a follow-up message based on their poll response on day five, all within a single campaign workflow. See Understanding Automated Services in Telerivet for more on service and campaign integration.
What happens if a contact does not respond to a poll question? Telerivet tracks non-respondents automatically. You can view who has not replied and send reminder messages to that group. See Tracking and Reminding Non-Respondents in the User Guide for setup steps.
Does the poll service work on WhatsApp, Viber, and voice as well as SMS? Yes. Text polls run on SMS, WhatsApp, Viber, and any other connected messaging channel. Viber is particularly relevant for programs reaching contacts in the Philippines, Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe where Viber is the dominant messaging app. Voice polls use automated calls and can be set up separately. See Creating Voice Polls in the User Guide for the voice-specific setup.
Can I collect structured data from contacts who have no data connection or smartphone? Yes, through USSD. USSD sessions run on any mobile phone, including basic feature phones, with no internet connection required. A contact dials a short code and responds to prompts in a live session. This makes USSD the right path for reaching the most underserved contacts: rural populations, users in low-connectivity areas, and programs with GEDSI (Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion) requirements that mandate reaching everyone regardless of device or connectivity. USSD data collection in Telerivet uses the Rules Engine or Cloud Script rather than the poll service UI, but delivers the same outcome: structured responses collected at the contact level, stored in your project, and actionable. See Getting Started with USSD in Telerivet for setup details.
Best practice tip
Keep individual polls short and build branching into the question logic rather than asking every question to every contact. A registration flow that asks five questions to everyone wastes message volume and lowers completion rates. A flow that asks two qualifying questions and branches to two more based on the answer collects the same data with less friction. For complex multi-step flows, consider building the poll service as one component inside a larger automated service rather than a standalone send.
Need help designing a collection flow for your specific use case? Talk to our Solution Engineers.