If you want honest feedback from your users, timing matters. Catch people right after they do something important—like signing up or abandoning a cart—and you’re far more likely to get real, useful answers. This guide is for anyone trying to set up behavior-based Qualaroo surveys without wading through a bunch of vague documentation or marketing fluff. If you’re looking for a straight path from “I want to ask users something” to “My survey pops up at the right time,” you’re in the right place.
Why Trigger Surveys by Behavior?
Before we get into the how, let’s call out the why: Random surveys annoy people and give you junk data. Triggering surveys off specific actions—like finishing a purchase or hitting a key page—gets you:
- Better timing: You’re catching people when it’s relevant.
- Higher response rates: People are more likely to answer.
- More useful data: You know what prompted their feedback.
Bottom line: Don’t just throw surveys at everyone. Make them count.
Step 1: Nail Down What You Actually Want to Learn
Don’t start with the tool—start with your goal. Figure out:
- Who do you want feedback from? (New signups? Power users? Cart abandoners?)
- What action should trigger the survey? (Clicked “Upgrade”? Visited the pricing page three times?)
- What question do you want to ask? (Don’t make it a 10-question quiz—keep it short and direct.)
Pro tip: Write your survey question before you even log in. If you can’t explain why you’re asking, don’t ask.
Step 2: Set Up Your Qualaroo Account and Install the Code
If you’re already using Qualaroo, skip ahead. If not:
- Create an account: Go to Qualaroo and sign up.
- Get your JavaScript snippet: You’ll find this in your Qualaroo dashboard under “Install Code.”
- Add the snippet to your site: Paste it right before the closing
</body>tag on every page where you might want a survey to trigger.
Heads up: If you’re not comfortable editing your site’s code, get someone who is. If you’re using a CMS (like WordPress), there are usually plugins or settings for adding header/footer scripts.
Step 3: Build Your Survey (Nudge)
In Qualaroo, surveys are called “nudges.” Here’s how to make one:
- Go to ‘Create New Nudge’: In your dashboard, click to start a new survey.
- Choose your format: Most times, you’ll want a simple question—multiple choice or open text.
- Write your question: Make it specific and easy to answer.
- Customize the look: Don’t spend forever here. Just make sure it doesn’t clash terribly with your site.
What to ignore: Fancy branching logic, unless you really need it. Most great surveys are dead simple.
Step 4: Set Up Behavioral Targeting
This is where the magic happens. Qualaroo lets you target surveys based on:
- Page URL (simple stuff: show on checkout, pricing, signup, etc.)
- User actions or properties (requires a little more setup)
A. Targeting by Page
- In your nudge settings, go to “Where should this nudge appear?”
- Use URL rules (like “contains /pricing”) to show the survey on specific pages.
This covers most use cases—don’t overthink it.
B. Triggering Off User Actions (Events)
If you want to trigger a survey off a specific user action—like clicking a button or finishing a task—you’ll need to use Custom Events.
Here’s how:
- Identify the event: Figure out what action you want to track (e.g., clicking “Download PDF”).
- Ask your dev (or yourself) to fire a Qualaroo event:
In your site’s code, after the action happens, add:
javascript _kiq.push(['set', { custom_property: 'value' }]);
For example, after a user completes a purchase:
javascript _kiq.push(['set', { purchased: true }]);
- Target your survey to the event:
In your nudge settings under “Who should see this nudge?” select “Custom Property” and match it to your event (e.g., “purchased is true”).
Keep in mind:
- You can set multiple properties if you want.
- These events stick for the user’s session (and sometimes longer), so be careful not to accidentally show the survey to the wrong people.
Pro tip: Test your event in a staging environment first. You don’t want to blast your production users with test surveys.
Step 5: Add Frequency and Delay Rules (So You Don’t Annoy People)
More isn’t better. You want feedback, not rage clicks.
- Limit how often surveys appear: In the nudge settings, set a limit (e.g., “Show this nudge once per user”).
- Set a delay if needed: Sometimes it’s better to wait a few seconds after the triggering event. Add a delay so the survey isn’t instant and jarring.
What doesn’t work:
- Showing a survey every time someone visits a page. That’s a great way to get ignored (or blocked).
- Long surveys. One or two questions max—otherwise, people bail.
Step 6: Preview and Test Everything
Before you unleash your survey on real users:
- Preview the nudge: Use Qualaroo’s preview tools to make sure it looks right.
- Test the trigger: Perform the behavior that should set off the survey. Make sure it fires only when it should.
- Check across devices: Sometimes mobile targeting is wonky—always double-check.
If it doesn’t work, retrace your steps. Nine times out of ten, it’s either a typo in the custom property or the code snippet isn’t placed right.
Step 7: Go Live and Watch Results (But Don’t Obsess)
Once you’re happy, set your nudge live. Qualaroo will start collecting responses.
- Watch for survey fatigue: If responses drop off fast, you might be showing it too often.
- Keep an eye on data quality: Junk answers? Maybe your timing is off or the question’s too vague.
Don’t:
- Make major changes based on a handful of responses.
- Expect a flood of detailed feedback overnight. Good data takes time.
Honest Takes: What Actually Works (and What to Skip)
Works: - Targeting surveys to key moments: signups, cancellations, checkout. - Simple, single-question surveys. - Limiting how often you ask.
Doesn’t work: - Surveying everyone, everywhere. - Long, multi-step surveys. - Trying to be too clever with “personalization” unless you have a clear use case.
Ignore the hype about “AI-powered insights” in survey tools. If your survey question sucks, no algorithm will fix it.
Keep It Simple, Iterate, Repeat
Behavior-based surveys are powerful, but only if you keep them simple and focused. Start with one key moment, get the question right, and test it out. Watch what happens, tweak as needed, and don’t drown in data for data’s sake. The best feedback comes from asking the right question at the right time—no magic required.