Wasting $328K on Manual Surveys? Features of Odoo 18 Survey Module

Company needs customer satisfaction feedback. Marketing creates survey in Google Forms. 15 questions. Sends link to 847 customers via email. Waits for responses. 87 responses received (10% response rate). Marketing downloads CSV. Opens Excel. Manually analyzes data: Question 1 → 67% satisfied, 23% neutral, 10% dissatisfied. Calculates manually. Creates PowerPoint charts. Takes 6 hours. CEO asks: "What about response #47? What did they say about pricing?" Marketing searches Excel row by row. Finds response. No way to link response to customer record in CRM. Lost context. Another scenario: HR runs employee engagement survey. Paper forms distributed to 247 employees. 187 returned. HR manually enters data into Excel. 15 min per form × 187 = 46.75 hours data entry. Typos in 12% (wrong checkbox interpretation). Survey includes conditional question: "If dissatisfied, explain why?" 47 employees checked dissatisfied, but question wasn't on paper (forgot to add). No follow-up data. Annual employee certification test: 247 employees, 20 questions, passing score 80%. HR creates Word doc with questions. Emails to employees. Employees email back answers. HR manually grades 247 tests. 2 hours each × 247 = 494 hours. Realizes question #7 was ambiguous (everyone got it wrong). Can't easily re-score. Annual cost: $127K manual survey management + $67K data entry + $47K lost insights (no analysis tools) + $87K certification testing = $328K survey chaos.

Odoo 18 Survey fixes this: Create survey (title, type: feedback/assessment/live session). Add questions (multiple choice, text, date, matrix, scale, numerical). Configure options (pagination, time limits, scoring, access control). Share link (email, public link). Customers/employees complete online. Auto-submit responses. View results instantly (bar charts, pie charts, participation stats). Export detailed answers. Conditional questions (skip logic based on answers). Scoring/assessments (automatic grading, pass/fail, certificates). Integration with CRM/HR (link responses to contacts/employees). Real-time analytics. Here's how to use Odoo 18 Survey Module so you stop losing $328K annually to manual survey chaos.

What Odoo Survey Module Does

Complete survey solution: Create survey → Add questions → Configure options → Share link → Collect responses → View analytics → Export data → Integration with Odoo apps.

Survey Types

• Survey: Standard feedback collection (customer satisfaction, employee engagement, market research)
• Live Sessions: Real-time interactive surveys (audience polling, workshops, training sessions)
• Assessment: Tests and certifications (employee evaluations, training exams, skill assessments)
• Custom: Unique survey needs (specialized workflows)

Step 1: Access Survey Module

1. Go to Survey app from Odoo dashboard
2. Dashboard shows existing surveys:
   • Questions count
   • Average duration
   • Registered participants
   • Completed participants
   • Status (Active, Closed)
3. View options: Kanban (cards) or List (table)

Step 2: Create New Survey

1. Click New button
2. Select survey type:
   • Survey (feedback)
   • Live Sessions (real-time)
   • Assessment (test/certification)
   • Custom (specialized)
3. Enter Title: "Customer Satisfaction Survey 2024"
4. Responsible: Auto-filled (person creating survey)
5. Restricted to: Limit access to specific users (optional)

Step 3: Add Questions (Questions Tab)

Add Section

1. Click Add a section
2. Section name: "Product Quality"
3. Use sections to organize questions into categories

Add Question

1. Click Add a question
2. Popup appears
3. Configure question:
   • Question: "How satisfied are you with our product?"
   • Question Type: Select from:
     • Multiple choice: only one answer (radio buttons)
     • Multiple choice: multiple answers allowed (checkboxes)
     • Single Line Text Box (short text, email validation)
     • Multiple Lines Text Box (long text, comments)
     • Numerical Value (numbers only)
     • Scale (1-5, 1-10 rating)
     • Date (date picker)
     • Datetime (date + time)
     • Matrix (grid of questions/answers)

Configure Multiple Choice Question

1. Question Type: Multiple choice (one answer)
2. Go to Answers tab
3. Under Choices, click Add a line
4. Add answer options:
   • Very Satisfied
   • Satisfied
   • Neutral
   • Dissatisfied
   • Very Dissatisfied
5. For assessments: Check correct answer, assign score

Configure Text Box Question

1. Question Type: Single Line Text Box
2. Go to Answers tab → Options section
3. Enable Validate entry:
   • Min/Max Limits: Character count limits
   • Validation Error: Custom error message
4. Enable Input must be an email (for email collection)
5. Enable Save as user nickname (save as participant name)
6. Placeholder: Help text (e.g., "Enter your email")

Advanced Question Options

1. Mandatory Answer: Require response (can't skip)
2. Error Message: Custom message when not answered
3. Show Comments Field: Allow text feedback on multiple choice
4. Comment Message: Prompt for comments
5. Comment is an answer: Treat comment as part of answer
6. Triggering Answers: Conditional questions (skip logic)
   • Example: Show "Why dissatisfied?" only if previous answer was "Dissatisfied"
7. Time Limit: Question time limit (for live sessions)

7. Click Save & New to add more questions
8. Click Save & Close when done

Step 4: Configure Survey Options (Options Tab)

Questions Section

• Pagination:
  • One page per question (1 question at a time)
  • One page per section (all questions in section together)
  • One page with all questions (entire survey on single page)
• Display Progress as:
  • Percentage left (% remaining)
  • Number (X of Y questions answered)
• Question Selection:
  • All questions (standard)
  • Randomized per Section (random question pool)
• Questions Randomly Picked: Number of random questions (if randomized)
• Allow Roaming: Let participants go back to previous pages

Participants Section

• Access Mode:
  • Anyone with the link (public)
  • Invited people only (restricted)
• Require Login: Participants must sign in (tracks identity)
• Limit Attempts: Maximum times user can take survey (e.g., 3 attempts)

Time & Scoring Section

• Survey Time Limit: Total time allowed (e.g., 30 minutes)
• Scoring Type:
  • No scoring (feedback surveys)
  • Scoring with answers after each page (immediate feedback)
  • Scoring with answers at the end (show results after completion)
  • Scoring without answers (only show score, not correct answers)

Live Sessions Section

• Session Code: Unique code for live session access
• Session Link: URL for live session

Step 5: Add Description & End Message

Description Tab

1. Add survey introduction, purpose, instructions
2. Example: "Help us improve our products! This 5-minute survey will help us understand your needs better."

End Message Tab

1. Add thank-you message shown after completion
2. Example: "Thank you for your feedback! Your responses have been recorded."

Step 6: Share Survey

1. Click Share button
2. Popup shows sharing options:
   • Survey Link: Copy public URL
   • Send by Email: Enable to send invitations via email
   • Select contacts/partners to send to
   • Email template auto-fills with survey link
3. Click Send
4. Recipients receive email with survey link

Step 7: Test Survey

1. Click Test button
2. Survey opens in test mode
3. Click Start Survey
4. Complete all questions
5. Click Submit
6. Options after completion:
   • Take Again: Re-take test
   • Review your answers: See submitted responses
7. Test responses don't count in real statistics

Step 8: View Survey Results

1. Click See Results button
2. Dashboard shows:
   • Total participants (registered vs completed)
   • Average duration
   • Question-by-question breakdown
3. Visual analytics:
   • Bar Charts: Multiple choice results
   • Pie Charts: Percentage distribution
   • Text Responses: All free-text answers listed
4. Filter results by date, status, participant

Step 9: Manage Participations

1. Go to Survey → Participation
2. View all survey submissions:
   • Participant name (if logged in)
   • Survey name
   • Created on (submission date)
   • Attempts
   • Deadline (if set)
   • Quiz Passed (for assessments)
   • Score (if scoring enabled)
   • Status (In Progress, Completed)
3. View options: Kanban or List
4. Click participation to see individual responses

Step 10: Questions & Answers Menu

Questions

1. Go to Survey → Questions & Answers → Questions
2. View all questions across all surveys:
   • Question title
   • Survey name
   • Question type
3. Central management of question library

Suggested Values

1. Go to Survey → Questions & Answers → Suggested Values
2. View predefined answer choices used across surveys
3. Create reusable answer templates (e.g., satisfaction scales)

Detailed Answers

1. Go to Survey → Questions & Answers → Detailed Answers
2. View all individual responses from all surveys
3. Export data for external analysis (Excel, CSV)

Use Cases

Customer Satisfaction Survey

Employee Engagement Survey

Employee Certification Test

Live Workshop Polling

Real-World Impact

FAQs