If you’re an HR manager, team lead, or just the unofficial “culture person” at work, you probably already know that employee engagement surveys are a necessary evil. You want honest, actionable feedback—not another round of “Strongly Agree/Disagree” that gets ignored. If your company uses Centrical, you’ve got some tools to build these surveys, but getting it right (and not wasting everyone’s time) takes more than just clicking “Create Survey.”
Here’s how to make Centrical work for you, whether you’re launching your first pulse survey or rolling out something more ambitious. This guide cuts through the noise—no buzzwords, just clear steps, honest advice, and a few warnings about what not to do.
Step 1: Know What You Want to Learn
Before you even log in, figure out what you’re actually trying to get from your survey. Centrical gives you lots of question types and templates, but more isn’t always better.
- Don’t just ask what’s easy to measure. What do you really want to know? Morale? Manager trust? Burnout? Pick 2–4 focus areas, tops.
- Ignore the urge to make it “comprehensive.” Long surveys get ignored or half-assed.
- Pro tip: If you can’t imagine what you’d do with the answer, don’t ask the question.
Write down your goals (seriously—write them down). These will keep you honest when you’re building your actual survey in Centrical.
Step 2: Log in and Find the Survey Tool
Centrical’s interface isn’t the worst, but if you’re new, it’s easy to get lost. Here’s how to find what you need:
- Log in to your Centrical admin dashboard.
- Look for the “Engagement” or “Surveys” module in the sidebar. It’s usually labeled pretty clearly.
- Click “Create New Survey” or the equivalent button.
If you don’t see the Surveys option, your admin might not have enabled it. Annoying, but you’ll need to ask someone with the right permissions to turn it on.
Step 3: Choose Between a Template or Starting from Scratch
Centrical offers a handful of pre-built survey templates covering things like onboarding, engagement, and pulse checks. They’re not bad, but they’re often generic.
- Templates are fine if you’re short on time or just want to test the waters.
- Starting from scratch is better if you’ve got specific goals, or if you want to ditch the usual “How satisfied are you?” questions.
Honest take: Most templates are padded with filler. Don’t be afraid to delete what you don’t need.
Step 4: Build Your Survey
This is where you’ll spend most of your time. Centrical’s survey editor is drag-and-drop, but it’s easy to overcomplicate things.
Pick the Right Question Types
You’ll see options like:
- Multiple choice (good for quantifiable stuff)
- Rating scales (classic, but overused)
- Open text (great for real feedback, but harder to analyze)
- Dropdown menus, checkboxes, yes/no
Tips: - Use open text sparingly. People get survey fatigue fast. - Don’t ask more than 8–10 questions total. Seriously, resist the urge.
Write Clear, Honest Questions
- Avoid jargon (“How would you rate our cross-functional alignment?”—people will roll their eyes).
- Be specific (“How supported do you feel by your direct manager?” is better than “How do you feel about management?”)
- Keep the language casual. If it sounds like a textbook, rewrite it.
Branching and Logic
Centrical lets you add skip logic or branches (“If yes, show this question”). It’s handy, but don’t go overboard—complex logic is a maintenance headache.
Required vs. Optional
Don’t make every question mandatory. People will either abandon the survey or click random answers just to get through.
Step 5: Set Up Audience and Timing
After building your survey, you’ll choose who gets it and when.
Audience
- All employees? Risky, unless the survey’s really general.
- Target groups? (Departments, teams, new hires, etc.) Usually better—feedback is more relevant and honest.
- You can set filters in Centrical to include or exclude by role, location, etc.
Timing
- One-off or recurring? Centrical supports both. If you’re just starting, stick with one-off.
- Avoid survey fatigue. Don’t send another survey until you’ve shared results or acted on the last one.
Step 6: Test Your Survey Before Launching
Don’t skip this. Send the survey to yourself or a few trusted coworkers first.
- Check for typos, logic errors, or weird formatting.
- Make sure branching works (if you used it).
- If your test group says “This is confusing” or “Why are you asking this?”, fix it.
Pro tip: Actually take the survey yourself. If you’re annoyed by it, others will be too.
Step 7: Launch—and Communicate Honestly
When you’re ready, hit “Publish” or “Launch” in Centrical. But your job isn’t done yet.
- Tell people why you’re doing this. A quick, straightforward message works best (“We want your honest feedback so we can fix what isn’t working. This isn’t just for show.”)
- Be clear about anonymity. Centrical lets you choose if responses are anonymous. If you promise anonymity, double-check your settings.
- Set a deadline. 5–7 days is usually enough. Longer and people forget; shorter and they feel rushed.
Step 8: Monitor Responses and Remind (But Don’t Nag)
Centrical lets you track response rates in real time.
- If you’re not getting enough responses, a single reminder is fine. More than that feels pushy.
- Don’t single people out (“Hey, I see you haven’t filled out the survey…”). That kills trust.
Step 9: Review and Act on the Results
This is where most companies drop the ball.
- Centrical’s analytics dashboard is decent for basic trends, but don’t expect deep insights out of the box.
- Look for patterns, not just scores. Open-ended comments are the gold mine—read them carefully.
- Share results quickly, even if it’s just a summary (“Here’s what we learned—and here’s what we’re doing about it”).
Honest take: If you don’t act or communicate about the results, people will tune out next time. No tool can fix that.
Step 10: Iterate and Keep It Simple
Nobody gets this perfect the first time. After your first survey:
- Ask yourself and a few trusted folks: What worked? What didn’t? What would you cut?
- Shorten the next survey. Drop any question that didn’t yield useful feedback.
- Don’t get seduced by fancy features. Simple, clear surveys always win.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- Over-surveying: If you’re running more than one survey a quarter, you’re probably doing too much.
- Asking for feedback, then ignoring it: The fastest way to kill engagement.
- Making surveys too long or complex: People check out after question 8, no matter how “engaging” you think it is.
- Assuming anonymity just because Centrical says so: Check your settings and communicate clearly.
Wrapping Up
Employee engagement surveys in Centrical don’t need to be fancy, complicated, or full of HR-speak. Start small. Focus on what you actually care about, keep your surveys short, and—most importantly—follow up on what you learn. You’ll get better data, and your team will respect you for not wasting their time. Iterate, adjust, and remember: the tool is just a tool. The real work is what you do with the answers.