# Creating & Using Surveys for External Respondents
Note: This feature is only available in Clinical Operations Vaults with Study Startup.
In Vaults with this [feature configured](/en/lr/72707/), you can create and send surveys ([Checklists](/en/lr/49033/)) to external respondents, allowing you to poll contacts associated with an Organization in the context of a _Site_ or _Outreach Target_. You can collect responses without requiring external respondents to have usernames and passwords, and keep all collected information within Vault, streamlining your startup tasks. These surveys can also reference Vault documents that external respondents can view without logging in. You can include up to five links per question on your surveys.
## Creating Survey Templates
To send recipients surveys, you must first create a **Survey Template** (`checklist_design__sys`).
To create a _Survey Template_ record:
1. Navigate to **Admin > Business Admin > Objects > Survey Templates**.
2. Click **Create**.
3. Select the **Study Site Survey** or **Outreach Target Survey** object type from the drop-down menu.
4. Enter a **Survey Name**.
5. Select a **Survey Type** from the drop-down menu.
6. Optional: For _Study Site Survey Template_ records, select a **Study**. For _Outreach Target Survey Template_ records, select an **Outreach Campaign**.
7. Optional: Fill out any additional fields.
8. Click **Save**.
Once you save your _Survey Template_ record, Vault navigates you to the [Visual Checklist Designer](/en/lr/537448/). If you prefer to design a checklist using the traditional design options described on this page, click **View Record Detail Page**. In either view you can [design your survey](/en/lr/52824/) by adding sections, questions and dependencies to your surveys.
You can use approved _Survey Template_ records to send respondents surveys.
_Study Site Survey_ object type _Template_ records have the _Site_ target object and can match a specific _Study_. _Outreach Target Survey_ object type _Survey Template_ records have the _Outreach Target_ target object and can match a specific _Outreach Campaign_.
Note: Vault only allows one Survey Template record of a given object type to match a specific Study or Outreach Campaign record.
## Using the Send Checklist Based on Contacts Action
In configured Vaults, the _Send Checklist Based on Contacts_ action on _Study Site_ and _Outreach Target_ objects sends recipients surveys based on the corresponding _Survey Template_ record.
When you trigger the **Send Checklist Based on Contacts** action on a _Study Site_, Vault confirms the following requirements are met:
* The _Study Site_ has at least one _Study Person_ record with a valid _Email_ value and a _Survey Respondent Type_ value matching the same field value on the [configured _Send Checklist Based on Contacts_ action](/en/lr/72707/)
* The _Study Site_ has an available _Survey Template_ record in the _Approved_ state
* If using [_Custom Email Senders_](/en/lr/72707/#custom-email-config):
* Any _Study Person_ assigned as an email sender has an active _User_ record and a verified outbound email address
* There is only one _Study Person_ for a given combination of _From Survey Sender Type_, _Study_, _Study Country_, _Study Site_, and level.
When you trigger the **Send Checklist Based on Contacts** action on an Outreach _Target_, Vault confirms the following requirements are met:
* The related _Organization_ has at least one associated _Contact Information_ record
* The associated _Contact Information_ record has valid _Email_ value and and a _Survey Respondent Type_ value matching the same field on the [configured _Send Checklist Based on Contacts_ action](/en/lr/72707/#send-checklist-based-contacts)
* The _Organization_ has an available _Survey Template_ record in the _Approved_ state
When you trigger the action and the above conditions are met for _Study Sites_ or _Outreach Targets_, Vault creates a _Survey_ and _Survey Invitation_ record and sends email notifications to the qualifying respondents.
## Working with Survey Invitations
When Vault sends out these surveys, the email contains a unique, encrypted link for a combination of a given survey and _Contact Information_ record (with email). This link provides access to a special, limited version of Vault. All irrelevant controls are hidden, and only the controls needed to complete the included survey are displayed.
Once the respondent completes the survey, their unique link no longer works. Links expire 60 days from when they are sent. When [configured](/en/lr/72707/), select the **Generate New Link** action to create a new _Survey Invitation_ record with a new link.
The _Delivery Status_ field on _Survey Invitations_ provide the following statuses:
* **Sent**: Vault has sent the email.
* **Delivered**: The email has arrived in the recipient's mailbox.
* **Opened**: The recipient has opened the email.
* **Error**: An error occurred while trying to send the invitation. Check the email address listed to see what may have gone wrong.
Vault updates the status once per hour.
If a _Study Site_ or _Outreach Target_ survey fails to generate, Vault automatically sends a notification to the user that initiated the sending of the survey. Vault provides two other important status fields:
* **Opened Date**: The date and time when a recipient first opened the email.
* **Last Accessed Date**: The last date and time when someone clicked on the invitation's corresponding link and was allowed into Vault to complete the survey.
## Sending Survey Reminder Emails
Once you have sent the initial survey invitations, Vault can automatically send reminder emails based on how you have configured the _Study Site_ or _Outreach Target Survey Templates_. You can also generate reminder emails on an as-needed basis from the _Study Site_ or _Outreach Target Survey Invitation_ record by using the **Send Outreach Survey Reminder** and **Send Site Feasibility Survey Reminder** object actions.
The reminder email contains the subject line and text configured in the survey template. When Vault sends reminder emails, the _Date_, _Last Reminder Sent_, the _Next Reminder Date_, the _Reminder Notification Frequency_, and the _Reminder Delivery Status_ fields are updated on the corresponding invitation records.
## About Electronic Confidentiality Agreement (eCDA) Survey Responses
Once [configured](/en/lr/72707/#configuring-ecda) in Vault, respondents can agree to eCDAs when completing a survey.
When a respondent, who has a _Study Person_ record with the _Confidentiality Recipient_ value in the _Respondent Type_ field, selects a configured answer on a survey and attempts to complete the survey, Vault displays a dialog box for the respondent to enter their _Full Name_ and the unique verification code. Vault sends an email with the unique verification code to the email listed on the _Study Person_ record. The verification code is only valid for ten minutes after Vault sends the email.
Once the respondent enters the verification code and completes the survey, if [configured](/en/lr/72707/#filing-sending-completed-survey), Vault generates a CDA document from a _Formatted Output Template_ then [files it in eTMF and sends a copy of the document][1] to the survey respondent.
## About Response Flag Survey Answers
Out of the many questions in a survey, a select few are true "dealbreakers" (for example, the Site must be rejected based on a specific answer) that require a closer review (for example, if the Site is missing a key piece of equipment that the Sponsor/CRO may be able to provide). You can define _Response Flags_ on available answers in surveys so that when users select those answers in a _Study Site_ or _Outreach Target_ survey, Vault copies the flag to the parent record. Similarly, if you deselect an answer with a response flag, Vault removes the value from the parent checklist. This allows you to have greater visibility over answers that are potential flags for _Study Site_ and _Outreach Target_ surveys. In order to mark specific survey answers as response flags, you must configure the survey questions and answers.
## Filing & Sending Completed Surveys {#filing-and-sending-completed-surveys}
Once survey respondents complete their survey, Vault can generate a copy of the completed survey to save in TMF and send to the survey respondent. When an Admin [configures this feature](/en/lr/72707/#filing-sending-completed-survey), Vault generates a survey response document and files the document under the designated Document Type in TMF and sends the survey respondent a download link for the PDF copy. The link to the document expires 60 days after Vault sends the notification.
[1]: #filing-and-sending-completed-surveys