If you’ve ever sent a few customer surveys and then let things slide for months, you’re not alone. Getting feedback is easy to put off, but if you want honest, ongoing insights—not just a snapshot—you need a system that runs itself. This guide is for anyone who wants to set up recurring surveys in Delighted and actually get useful, continuous feedback. No more chasing your tail or spamming your users.
Below, I’ll walk you through exactly how to set up scheduled, recurring surveys in Delighted, what to watch out for, and a few things I wish I’d known before getting started.
Why bother with recurring surveys?
You might be thinking: “Can’t I just send a survey whenever I remember?” Sure, but you’ll miss trends, and your feedback will be skewed by whatever’s happening that week. Recurring surveys give you a steady drip of opinions over time, which is the only way to see if you’re actually improving—or just spinning your wheels.
A few benefits: - Spot trends: Monthly or quarterly surveys show you if changes are working, not just how people felt on launch day. - Reduce bias: One-off blasts tend to catch only your happiest (or angriest) customers. - Build a habit: If you set it up right, you’ll actually review the data instead of letting it die in your inbox.
But if you overdo it, you’ll annoy your customers and get ignored. Balance is key.
Step 1: Decide Who Gets Surveyed (and When)
Before you even open Delighted, get clear on: - Who should get the survey? (All customers? Just new ones? Only those who bought recently?) - How often? (Monthly? Quarterly? After every purchase?)
Pro tips: - Don’t blast everyone every month unless you want mass unsubscribes. - For SaaS: Consider surveying after a key event (like 30 days after signup) and then every 6-12 months. - For ecommerce: Post-purchase surveys work well, but don’t hit repeat buyers every time.
Write this down now—you’ll need it in the next steps.
Step 2: Get Your Contacts Ready
Recurring surveys only work if your contact list is clean and up-to-date. In Delighted, you’ll usually use one of these methods:
- Email Uploads: You can upload CSV lists directly. Good for smaller, one-off sends, not great for true automation.
- Integrations: Delighted connects with tools like Shopify, Salesforce, and Zendesk. These keep your list fresh without manual effort.
- API: If you’ve got dev resources, use the API to push contacts in real time.
What works: - Integrating with your CRM or store platform saves massive time. - Segmenting contacts (like “active in last 90 days”) avoids spamming inactive users.
What doesn’t: - Uploading static lists every month. You’ll forget, or the list will go stale.
If you can, set up an integration or automation now. It’ll save headaches later.
Step 3: Create Your Survey Project
In Delighted, each survey “project” is its own thing—its own set of questions, branding, and contact list.
- Log in to Delighted.
- Click “+ New Project” or similar (they occasionally change the button label).
- Pick your survey type (NPS, CSAT, 5-star, etc.). NPS is the classic, but pick what fits your goals.
- Customize your branding and questions. Keep it short—people bail on long surveys.
- Save your project.
Honest take: Don’t overthink the survey design. One or two well-worded questions beats a 10-question monster. If you need more detail, use a follow-up open text question.
Step 4: Set Up a Recurring Schedule
This is the heart of it. Delighted calls this “Autopilot” for email surveys, and it’s built-in—no need for Zapier or outside tools.
- Go to your project’s “Send” tab.
- Select “Autopilot” or “Recurring Sends” (the menu wording may vary).
- Choose your cadence: weekly, monthly, quarterly, or custom.
- Decide who gets included each time:
- All contacts
- New contacts only
- Only those not surveyed in the last X days (recommended)
- Set your send day and time.
What works: - Using the “don’t resend to contacts surveyed in the last X days” option stops you from pestering people. - Spreading sends over the month (instead of all at once) can avoid feedback spikes and keep results steady.
What doesn’t: - Weekly blasts for most products. Unless your customers interact every week, this is overkill. - Ignoring timezone differences if you have a global audience. Delighted can handle timezones, but double-check your settings.
Don’t see Autopilot? It’s not available for SMS or web surveys—only email. And yes, it’s only on certain Delighted plans. If you’re on a free or basic plan, you might be stuck with manual sends.
Step 5: Test Before You Go Live
It’s tempting to just hit “Start” and walk away, but a quick test will save you grief.
- Preview the survey: Send it to yourself and a coworker.
- Check for typos, weird branding, or broken links.
- Make sure the unsubscribe link works. (You have to let people opt out. Don’t skip this.)
- Verify your segmenting logic: If you set up rules like “only survey customers who haven’t been contacted in 90 days,” double-check the filters.
Pro tip: Survey fatigue is real. Make sure your email subject and intro are honest, direct, and not full of marketing fluff. People can smell a gimmick.
Step 6: Monitor Results and Adjust
Once your recurring surveys are rolling, don’t just let them chug along blindly.
- Watch your response rates. If they tank, you’re sending too often or your surveys are too long.
- Read the open text feedback. The gold is in the details, not just the score.
- Check unsubscribe rates. Spikes here mean you’re annoying people.
- Adjust cadence if needed. There’s no shame in moving from monthly to quarterly if you’re getting burned out (or burning out your users).
What to ignore: - Don’t obsess over every minor dip or spike. Look for trends over time. - Don’t chase a “perfect” response rate. 10-20% is normal. If you get more, great—but don’t lose sleep if you don’t.
Step 7: Close the Loop (Optional, but Smart)
If you want truly useful feedback, let people know you’re listening.
- Share what you’ve learned (and what you’re changing) in a newsletter or blog post.
- Thank people who leave thoughtful feedback, especially if you’re a smaller company.
- If you get a rave review, ask if you can use it as a testimonial.
You don’t have to do this every time, but it shows you’re paying attention—and it can boost future response rates.
What About SMS or Web Surveys?
Delighted can send surveys by SMS or embed them on your site, but recurring scheduling is only built-in for email. For SMS or web, you’ll need to get creative:
- Use your own automation tool (like Zapier or your CRM) to trigger sends.
- Manually upload new contacts on a schedule.
It’s doable, but clunkier. If recurring surveys are key, stick to email.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
Setting up recurring surveys in Delighted isn’t rocket science, but it’s easy to overcomplicate. Start with a small group and a simple schedule. Tweak as you go. If you try to build the “perfect” system from day one, you’ll never launch—or you’ll annoy everyone.
Keep it honest, keep it consistent, and don’t be afraid to dial things back if you get too much noise. Continuous feedback is about the long game, not chasing every blip.