Set Up a Link Survey
Build a shareable survey and distribute it anywhere — URL, email, SMS, QR code. Your call.
- You need admin access to do this. About roles
- Set Up a Feedback Link must be set up first.
A Link Stream is a web-based survey that lives at a URL. Drop it in an email, print it as a QR code, embed it on a receipt — if you can share a link, you can collect feedback. Here is how to set one up.
Create the Stream
- Go to Streams in the sidebar and click +. A type selection panel appears.
- Select Link. The wizard opens with two tabs: Blocks (active by default) and Settings.
Test your link on mobile before sharing. Generate a QR code, scan it from your phone, and walk through the full survey. Catching issues now saves you from broken links reaching respondents.
Build Your Survey
This is where you design what respondents see. Each question or screen is a Block, and you can add up to 100 of them.
Add languages
The Blocks tab starts with a language selector at the top. If your survey needs translations, click Edit next to Available languages before adding blocks.
Select your languages in the modal. Once added, every question field will show one input per language, so you can enter translations inline as you build.
Add and arrange blocks
Click Add new block to create your first block. Each block starts with a type picker — six buttons across the top. Drag and drop blocks to reorder them at any time.
Pick the type that fits your question:
| Type | What it does | Use it when... |
|---|---|---|
| Smiley | 5- or 2-point smiley face scale. Produces a satisfaction index score. | You want a quick "how was your experience?" gauge. |
| NPS® | The standard 0–10 "how likely are you to recommend us?" scale. | You need the industry-standard loyalty metric. |
| Multiple Choice | A list of text options (up to 100). | Demographic questions, categories, or any closed-ended question. |
| Picture Choice | Like Multiple Choice, but each option carries an image. | Visual options help — e.g. "which product did you buy?" |
| Free Text | An open text field for written comments. | You want verbatim feedback in the respondent's own words. |
| Break | An informational screen with optional redirect URL. Shows Title instead of Question and collects no response. Can open a website in a new tab. | Welcome messages, section dividers, instructions, or redirecting to an external page. |
Configure a block
- Type your question in the Question field (required, max 100 characters). For Breaks, this is labeled Title.
- Expand Show more fields to optionally add a Description Text (subheading, max 1000 characters), a Description image or icon, or a Friendly Name (internal label for reports — available on all types except Break).
- Configure the type-specific settings (see below).
- Tick This question is required if the respondent must answer before continuing. (Not available on Break blocks.)
Choose 5 smileys or 2 smileys — this choice is locked after you save. Then pick an Index: Insights Index (default), NPS, CSAT, CES, NAS, PAS, or VPS. Two-smiley mode excludes NPS and CES. The default works for most cases; pick a specific one if your organization tracks an industry standard. See What Do the Scores Mean?.
Enter a Min value label (e.g. "Not at all likely") and a Max value label (e.g. "Extremely likely"). Both are required, max 100 characters. The index is automatically set to NPS.
Add your answer options (up to 100). Toggle Randomize order of options to prevent position bias. Set Maximum responses per respondent — 1 means single-select, higher allows multi-select. For Picture Choice, each option also requires an image upload.
Let Location users compare their scores against peers — either within the same folder or across all locations on this Stream. Available on Smiley, NPS, and Multiple Choice blocks. See Share Results Between Locations for the full guide.
Show or hide blocks based on earlier answers — for example, show a follow-up question only if the respondent chose "Unhappy." Available from the second block onward. See Add Branching Logic for the full guide.
The exit block
Every Link stream includes an Exit block at the bottom, pre-populated with "Thank you!" as the title. Expand Show more fields to add a Message and an image.
Link streams also support a Redirect URL on the exit block — enter a URL under Open a website in a new tab to send respondents to a landing page after they finish.
Configure Settings
Click the Settings tab to define when and where your survey runs.
- Enter a Stream name (required) — make it descriptive, like "Customer Feedback Q1".
- Set the Schedule: start date, start time, end date, and end time (all required).
- Under Select Touchpoints, tick at least one Touchpoint from the checkbox tree. Some may be grayed out due to feature restrictions.
- Under Choose Website, select the domain where the survey will be published. This is the web address respondents see in their browser — options come from your selected touchpoints.
- Choose a Submission Mode (see below).
- Set a Survey Quota (see below).
- Optionally create Survey Shortcuts (see below).
- Toggle Show in Overview to display this stream's score on the Overview. When enabled, choose a Period and optionally turn on comparison with a previous period.
- Leave Show in Details on (default) if you want this Stream visible in the Dashboard's Details view.
- Click Save. Your stream is live — respondents can reach it at the survey URL on schedule.
Submission mode
Two options for how answers get recorded:
- Automatically after each question (default) — each answer is submitted the moment the respondent moves on. If they abandon halfway, you still keep what they answered.
- Using a submit button at the end of the survey — all answers are held until the respondent clicks submit. All or nothing.
Survey quota
Control how often the same person can respond:
- Unlimited (default) — no restrictions.
- Only one time — one response per person, ever.
- Every [interval] — the respondent can answer again after a set period (weeks, days, hours, or minutes).
When you set a quota other than Unlimited, you need at least one way to recognize returning respondents. Toggle on one or more: Browser history (on by default), Email, Phone, or Custom ID. If several are enabled, drag them to set evaluation priority. Browser history works silently but can be bypassed in private browsing. Email or Phone requires respondents to identify themselves — more reliable but adds friction.
Survey shortcuts
Shortcuts let respondents land directly on this survey without seeing a selection screen. Under Add shortcuts to this Stream, type an alias in the Alias field — the domain is shown as a prefix so you see the full URL as you type (e.g. acme.ombea.com/kitchen). Tick Make this stream only accessible using a shortcut if you want to force all access through a shortcut URL.
For the full guide on how shortcuts and touchpoint aliases combine in the URL, see Customize Your Survey URL.
Turn feedback into a competition between Locations — rank them by satisfaction score, improvement, or both on a leaderboard. Requires at least one Smiley or NPS block. See Set Up Gamification for the full guide.
Good to Know
Once you save a block with 5 smileys or 2 smileys, you cannot change it. Need the other variant? Delete the block and create a new one.
Changing the stream content — questions, options, order — does not change the URL. Your printed QR codes keep working.
A single Link stream supports up to 100 blocks. If you are hitting that ceiling, consider splitting your survey into multiple streams.
What's Next
Your stream is live. Head to the Dashboard to see incoming responses.
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