Tracker Feature
Overview
The Tracker Survey feature is designed for surveys that need to be sent out repeatedly over time; Using the exact same survey content each time. Rather than manually creating and launching individual surveys at each interval, Tracker automates this process by scheduling multiple survey launches (called “waves”) in advance.
This guide walks through every step needed to create, configure, and launch a Tracker Survey, from initial setup through final launch.
When Should You Use the Tracker Feature?
Use Tracker when your project requires:
• The same survey to be fielded multiple times (e.g., monthly brand tracking, quarterly sentiment checks)
• Pre-scheduled wave launches so you don’t have to manually re-create or re-launch each time
• Respondent exclusions between waves to prevent the same people from participating in consecutive waves, ensuring fresh, unbiased data
Key Tracker Concepts
Step-by-Step Process Overview
The complete process for setting up and launching a Tracker Survey involves six stages:
Tracker Guide - Steps
Step 1: Create a New Tracker Survey
From the PureSpectrum dashboard, click the + New Survey dropdown button in the top-right corner of the screen. A small menu will appear with three options. Select Tracker Survey to begin.
Figure 1: The + New Survey dropdown menu with Tracker Survey highlighted.
• Import from Decipher
• Recontact Survey
• Tracker Survey ← Select this one
Step 2: Configure Your Waves
After clicking Tracker Survey, the configuration screen appears. You will set three key settings here before proceeding. Once all three fields are filled in, click Confirm to proceed.
Figure 2: The Tracker configuration screen showing Number of Waves, Wave Frequency, and Exclusion Rules.
Notes and Definitions
Number of Waves
This is the total number of times your survey will be sent out. Each send is called a “wave.” Most projects use 3–5 waves, but you can configure up to 52. You can edit this number later if your project needs change.
Tip: Think of waves as chapters of your research story. A brand tracking study might run monthly for 6 months = 6 waves.
Wave Frequency (Configuration)
This determines how often each wave launches after the previous one. Options are: Days, Weeks, Months, or Quarters. Once you set your launch date in the final step, all subsequent waves will automatically schedule based on this interval.
Example: if Wave 1 launches January 1st and your frequency is 1 month, Wave 2 launches February 1st, Wave 3 on March 1st, and so on.
Exclusion Rules
Exclusion rules prevent respondents from previous waves from participating in future waves, ensuring you collect fresh, unbiased responses.
• Exclude Last Wave: Respondents from the immediately preceding wave cannot rejoin the next one. (Wave A respondents can re-enter after being skipped one wave.) • Exclude Last Two Waves: Respondents from the two most recent waves are blocked. • Exclude Last Three Waves: Respondents from the three most recent waves are excluded.
• Exclude All Previous Waves: Once a respondent completes any wave, they are permanently excluded from all future waves.
Note: The more waves and exclusion rules you apply, the harder it is to find new qualifying respondents. Make sure your project has a large enough feasibility pool before setting strict exclusion rules.
Step 3: Set Survey Criteria
After clicking Confirm, you are redirected to the standard survey setup page. Fill out targeting, quotas, and all other survey parameters here exactly as you would for any standard survey.
Figure 3: The Survey Criteria setup page for your Tracker Survey.
Key fields to complete:
• Survey Title, Country & Language
• Number of Completes (target responses per wave)
• Length of Survey (minutes), Incidence Rate (%), Field Time (days) • Advanced Targeting definitions
• Location Targeting (Region, State, DMA, ZIP, etc.)
• Quota settings: Gender, Age, Income, Race/Ethnicity, and more
Note: The criteria you set here will apply to every wave. If you need to change criteria for a specific future wave, you will have to do so manually on a wave-by-wave basis after launch.
Step 4: Select Waves via the Side Panel
Once your survey criteria are filled in, click the arrow icon on the right side of the screen to open the side panel. This panel lists all your configured waves, each with a checkbox, wave number, locale, and CPI.
Figure 4: The side panel showing all waves with checkboxes and the Create Tracker Wave Drafts button.
Check or uncheck individual waves based on which ones you want to include in this launch. Use the Select All or Clear All buttons to quickly manage your selection. Once satisfied, click Create Tracker Wave Drafts at the bottom of the panel.
Step 5 -> Finalize & Launch
After clicking Create Tracker Wave Drafts, the side panel updates to the finalization view. Review and adjust three things before launching:
- CPI (Cost Per Interview)
Review the CPI for each wave. Increase it if you want to attract more respondents or improve performance; lower it if you are confident the quota will still be met on time.
- Launch Dates
Auto-calculated wave dates appear here based on your configured frequency. You can edit specific dates directly if your project requires custom scheduling that wasn’t possible during initial setup.
- Exclusion Pattern
The far-right column shows the exclusion pattern per wave. Verify this matches what you configured in Step 2 before proceeding.
Once everything looks correct, click Finalize & Launch.
Figure 5: The Finalize & Launch sidebar showing CPI, scheduled wave dates, and the Finalize & Launch button.
Step 6: Launch Your Tracker Survey
The final step is the Launch Survey page, where you enter your survey URL and set the go-live date.
Enter Your Survey URL
- Paste your live survey URL into the Live URL field. Check “Use the same link for all waves” if all waves share the same URL.
Scheduled Launch
- Launch Immediately: Turn the Scheduled Launch toggle OFF. The survey goes live right away.
- Schedule for a Future Date: Turn the Scheduled Launch toggle ON and select a start date. All subsequent wave dates are calculated from this date using your configured frequency.
Once the URL and launch preference are set, click Launch your Survey. Your Tracker Survey is now live!
Figure 6: The Launch Survey page showing the Live URL field, Scheduled Launch toggle, and launch date selector.
Best Practices & Tips
| Use scheduled launch for precise timing | For research tied to specific dates (e.g., post-event surveys, quarterly reports), always use the Scheduled Launch option. |
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