Collecting Offline Surveys

Surveys can be completed on a device that is not connected to the internet. For example, survey results could be typed into a tablet or laptop where the internet connection isn't reliable or available

Important - The way Offline Surveys work was changed in May 2022. This was to deal with changes to the Google Chrome Browser. If you have Offline Survey links you have been using for a long time, you may wish to see the the "May 2022" update section.

By using an offline survey link, all responses collected whilst offline will be stored in the device and can be uploaded once the device is connected to the internet.Any unsupported features will need to be switched off or removed before you use an offline link to ensure it works properly. Here is the list of features which are not supported in offline mode:

• File Upload Question Type
• Custom Variables
• Skip Logic
• Piping
• Scoring
• Page Randomisation
• Question Randomisation
• Answer Option Randomisation
• Survey Authentication
• Password Protection
• Default Answers
• Language Selection
• Save & Continue

Custom Images: These are now supported by default and should work. If you have problems with custom images included in a survey, you can add the image to the resource manifest - this is done in the settings tab for the Offline Tracking Link

Create the Offline Survey Link

1. On the Collect page of your survey, ensure that your Survey Status is set to Open
2. Scroll down to the horizontal menu How do you want to Collect Responses?
3. Select Offline Mode
4. A dialogue box opens, displaying the offline survey password. Copy and paste this password for future reference
5. A tracking link for the offline survey is displayed - click the orange Customise Link to change it (optional) and click Save Link
6. Review the Recommended Browsers and Unsupported Features
7. Click Settings in the menu on the left​

Collect Offline Responses

To collect responses, open the custom survey link using a compatible browser.

Please note: Do not use 'private' or 'incognito' mode while completing offline surveys, as your responses will be lost once the browser window closes

• Click the Add New Response button to add a single response.
• Click Start Kiosk Mode to open a new, blank survey each time a survey is completed. Exit Kiosk Mode by pressing Alt+U, shaking the mobile device, or clicking / tapping the survey title 5 times in sucession.

In Kiosk Mode, you will need to enter a password when you begin, and the same password again when you are done.

Recent browser privacy changes mean that responses stored for more than 7 days will not be retained, so we strongly recommend uploading the responses as frequently as possible, connectivity permitting.

Upload Offline Responses

Once you have finished your offline survey, you can upload responses individually, or upload all of your responses at the same time.

• To upload one response, click Upload next to it.
• Click Upload All Local Responses to upload all of the responses from that session.Please note, that whilst we aim to optimise our surveys on all major web browsers, there is a list of recommended browsers to use with offline mode:

If you have forgotten your kiosk mode password, please raise a support ticket

Please note: Do not use 'private' or 'incognito' mode while completing offline surveys, as your responses will be lost once the browser window closes