Set Up a Desktop Widget
Deploy a feedback pop-up on employee computers for internal pulse surveys.
- You need admin access to do this. About roles
- Organize Your Locations must be set up first.
A Desktop Widget is a feedback pop-up that appears directly on employee computers. It is designed for internal use — employee pulse surveys, workplace satisfaction, and ongoing engagement measurement. The widget runs silently in the background and triggers at the schedule you define.
Keep it short. Desktop surveys interrupt the workday. One or two questions get higher response rates than a long form. Save the deep dives for quarterly reviews.
Add a Desktop Widget
Head to Admin > Touchpoints in the sidebar. Open your Location for editing and go to Step 2 — Touchpoints. In the Desktop Touchpoints table, click Add touchpoint.
- Subscription ID — Paste the ID provided by your Ombea account manager.
- Widget name — Give it a descriptive name (e.g. "Weekly pulse — HQ").
- Choose when to show — Select a trigger schedule (see below).
- Select language mode — Pick Stream language (default), Browser language, or choose a specific language. See Set Your Survey Language for details.
- Click Add.
Nothing is saved until you click Save on the Location wizard.
| Trigger | What it does |
|---|---|
| On login | Appears when the employee logs in to their computer. |
| Scheduled | Appears at a set time — daily, weekly, or at a custom interval. |
| After idle | Appears after a period of inactivity. |
| What you want to change | Where to do it |
|---|---|
| Questions and block order | In the Desktop Widget Stream |
| When the widget appears | Here — the trigger settings above |
| Survey language | See Set Your Survey Language |
Deploy to Employee Computers
Once the Desktop Widget is configured in Ombea, you need to install the Ombea Desktop Agent on each employee's computer.
- Download the Ombea Desktop Agent installer from your Ombea admin panel.
- Distribute it via your IT department's deployment tool (e.g. Group Policy, SCCM, Intune) or have employees install it manually.
- The agent runs in the system tray and connects automatically using the Subscription ID.
| Platform | Support |
|---|---|
| Windows | Windows 10 and later |
| macOS | macOS 11 (Big Sur) and later |
For IT-managed rollouts, the installer supports silent mode for unattended deployment. Contact your Ombea account manager for the enterprise deployment guide.
Good to Know
Desktop Widget responses do not include the employee's identity unless you explicitly configure the survey to ask for it or pass context data. This encourages honest feedback.
When you update widget settings, it can take up to 20 minutes for the change to reach all connected desktop agents.
Click the delete icon on the widget row. A confirmation dialog warns that all associated results will be removed. The deletion stays local until you save the Location wizard.
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