Take a survey via email or SMS

Your organization uses CultureMonkey to ask how you're really doing at work, and the easiest way to be heard is to answer the survey when it lands in your inbox or on your phone. This guide walks you through the whole thing: opening the link from an email or SMS, passing any quick verification step, answering the questions, and submitting so your feedback actually counts.

It takes just a few minutes, and it works the same on a laptop or a phone. Let's go through it.

What arrives, and where

When a survey is sent to you, CultureMonkey delivers it through whichever channel your organization has set up. The two most common are:

• Email. You'll get a message (often from a no-reply address at your company's CultureMonkey domain) inviting you to take a quick survey. It contains a clear Start survey button or link.
• SMS. You'll get a short text like "You have been invited for a quick survey to help make [Company] a better place to work," followed by a survey link.

Both point to the same place: your survey response page in a browser. You don't need to install an app or log in to any portal. If your organization also sends surveys through Slack or Microsoft Teams, the experience is similar once you click through - see Find and open your survey for the other channels.

Step 1: Open the survey link

Start by clicking the link:

1. 1From email - open the invitation and click the Start survey button (or the link shown just below it). It opens your survey in a new browser tab.
2. 2From SMS - tap the survey link in the text message. Your phone's browser opens the same survey page.

If tapping the link doesn't open anything, copy the full web address from the message and paste it into your browser's address bar. On a phone, make sure you're connected to the internet before you start.

Once the page loads, you'll usually see a welcome screen (sometimes called the splash screen) with your organization's logo, the survey name, roughly how long it takes, and how many questions there are. If your organization runs surveys in more than one language, you may also see a language dropdown here - pick the language you're most comfortable with before you begin. When you're ready, press the Start button.

Step 2: Verify your identity (only sometimes)

Here's an important distinction. If your link is the personal one sent straight to you, clicking it usually takes you right into the survey - no extra step needed.

But some organizations share a survey through a generic link or a QR code (for example, printed on a poster, or sent to a shared number). Because that link isn't tied to one person, CultureMonkey needs to confirm who you are before it lets you in. If that's your situation, you'll land on a short verification screen first.

What you're asked for depends on how your organization set things up. You'll see one of these:

Type in the requested detail and press the button to continue (labeled Verify or similar). CultureMonkey checks the value against your employee record. If it matches an active employee, you move on to the next step. If it doesn't, you'll see a message like "Invalid email address. Please retry with an alternative email address" - double-check for typos and try again, or use the alternative your employer registered for you.

Step 3: Enter the passcode

After you verify your email or phone number on a shared link, CultureMonkey sends you a one-time passcode (also called an OTP, short for one-time password). This is a quick security check so that only you can open the survey.

1. 1Wait for the passcode - it arrives by email (subject line "Passcode for CultureMonkey Survey") and, if your phone number is on file, by SMS or WhatsApp too. The text reads something like "Your CultureMonkey verification passcode is: 123456."
2. 2Enter it - type the passcode into the box on the verification screen and press Validate passcode.
3. 3Didn't get it? - use the Resend link on the screen to have a fresh passcode sent. If you entered the wrong contact detail, use the Edit email address option to go back and correct it.

A couple of things worth knowing:

• Passcodes expire. A passcode is valid for 30 minutes. If you take longer than that, you'll see "Passcode has expired. Click Resend to get new passcode." Just press Resend and enter the new one.
• One passcode at a time. Each time you resend, the previous passcode stops working, so always use the most recent one.

Not every organization uses passcodes. Some skip this check entirely, and personal email or SMS links usually go straight into the survey without it. So if you never see a passcode screen, nothing is wrong - you just weren't asked for one.

Step 4: Answer the questions

Now you're in the survey itself. You'll move through the questions one section at a time, with a progress bar at the top showing how far along you are.

You'll come across a few common question types:

• Rating scales - tap the point on the scale (or the smiley) that best matches how you feel.
• The recommend question (eNPS) - a 0 to 10 scale asking how likely you are to recommend your organization as a place to work. If you're curious what happens to this number, see What is eNPS and how is it calculated?.
• Multiple choice - pick the option that fits.
• Open text / comments - a box where you can type your own thoughts in your own words. These comments are genuinely valuable, so it's worth adding one when you have something to say.

A few tips as you go:

• Answer honestly. In most setups your responses are anonymous or confidential, and the survey screen will tell you which. Your candid answer is what makes the results useful.
• Watch for required questions. Some questions must be answered before you can finish. If you try to submit with a required question blank, CultureMonkey highlights it and asks you to fill it in.
• Your progress is saved as you go. CultureMonkey autosaves your answers, so if you get interrupted you can come back to the same link later and pick up where you left off. See Save and resume a survey for the full details.

Step 5: Submit

When you reach the last question, press the submit button to send your responses. You'll land on a thank-you screen confirming your answers were received. That's your signal that everything went through - you can safely close the tab.

Once you've submitted, you're done. If you open the same link again, CultureMonkey will let you know you've already responded ("You have already submitted a response for this survey") rather than starting you over, so there's no risk of accidentally answering twice.

Is my response anonymous?

For most engagement and pulse surveys, yes. CultureMonkey is built so that individual answers are pooled together and reported only as group results, and it applies anonymity thresholds so no single person's response can be identified from a report.

The survey screen itself will state whether that particular survey is anonymous, confidential, or identified, so you always know before you answer. The verification and passcode steps described above don't change this - they confirm you're a real, eligible employee, but they don't attach your name to your answers when the survey is set up to be anonymous.

Frequently asked questions

The link says the survey has expired. What now?

Surveys run for a set window and close on a deadline. If you open the link after it closes, you'll see a "survey expired" page. Unfortunately you can't submit after that point, but you can let the person who sent it know - they may be able to reopen it or include you in the next one.

I didn't get the passcode. What should I check?

First, check your spam or junk folder for the email (subject: "Passcode for CultureMonkey Survey"). If you asked for it by phone, make sure the number you entered matches the one your employer has on file. Then use the Resend link on the verification screen. Remember a passcode is only valid for 30 minutes.

Can I change my answers after I submit?

No. Once you press submit, your response is locked and the survey shows a thank-you screen. If you realize you made a mistake, reach out to whoever ran the survey - they'll advise you.

I use two devices. Will my answers get lost?

No. Your answers are saved against your personal link. If you start on your phone and later open the same link on your laptop, you'll see the answers you already gave. Just avoid submitting twice.

Do I need a CultureMonkey account or password?

No. There's no account to create and no login. The email or SMS link (plus a one-time passcode, if your organization uses one) is all you need.

Where to go next

• Opening surveys from any channel: Find and open your survey
• Pausing and coming back later: Save and resume a survey
• Understanding the recommend question: What is eNPS and how is it calculated?