What is a pulse survey? We’ll get there in a minute.

Imagine you have a restaurant. For happy customers and mouth-watering food, you wouldn't rely on a once-in-a-year review. You'll check the oven's temperature, taste test dishes frequently, and ask people for quick feedback during and after their meal.

Pulse surveys or pulse check surveys operate similarly in the business world, offering insights into your audience's "health” or “sentiment.”

What really is a pulse survey?

Pulse surveys are mini questionnaires, typically with 5-15 targeted questions on a Likert scale broken into sections.

Unlike annual employee engagement surveys, pulse surveys are conducted frequently (monthly, even weekly) to know about the morale and mental makeup of the team.

A pulse survey can go beyond employees and could be conducted with customers or stakeholders. Agency owners constantly check their client’s feelings about work quality, feedback usage, and financial satisfaction.

The purpose of a pulse survey is to take action before any issue becomes real.

Every year, US employers spend $1.1B looking for new employees. Imagine how much money would be saved if they took an employee pulse survey, analyzed the results, and took action to improve work quality, employee mental health, leave policies, work culture, and other relevant parameters.

Who makes pulse surveys?

Organizations typically use pulse surveys with employees, and the HR team makes them.

However, the action could be taken by a specific team if employees answer, for instance, that the marketing budget for the previous quarter was low, which made the team anxious.

A school can utilize pulse surveys with students, evaluate teaching methods, understand learning gaps, and adapt their teaching approach.

The possibilities are endless. But the end outcome is the same: determine the issues of those around you.

What does a pulse survey reveal?

Analyzing pulse surveys highlights specific problem areas that traditional surveys often miss.

Suppose that you find out that employee morale typically drops after implementing a new software because they anticipate bugs – a quick employee pulse survey can pinpoint the specific features and systemic barriers causing this fear.

Along those lines, uncovering a decline in customer satisfaction within a particular demographic can lead to targeted intervention by the customer success team.

In short, a pulse survey reveals nascent problems. With the right action, they can be stopped before shaking up the entire workplace.

What Can’t a Pulse Survey Do?

Pulse surveys aren't a substitute for detailed assessment of employees that is better done 1:1. With an employee pulse survey, you can surely know the mood of the company as a whole, but on an individual level, you cannot resolve an employee’s issue.

Add to the fact that pulse surveys are conducted anonymously to bring out honest responses; it is hard to point out who exactly is facing what issue in the workplace.

Quick Review of Pulse Surveys

Pulse surveys are agile, actionable, and cost-effective tools for understanding your employees. You can extend them to other types of audiences as well.

They reveal specific insights on key problem areas and help you stay ahead of the curve. Pulse surveys are not an instant fix but a step toward improving work culture.

With AI, you can build Pulse Surveys that are fun to fill and offer you deep insight into your users. Get started with WorkHack's Form Builder for free now.