This article walks through how to create and send Lifecycle Surveys. Lifecycle Surveys in 15Five are designed to help you collect actionable feedback during pivotal employee milestones, such as onboarding, exit, promotions, and more. With professionally developed, pre-built templates and the option to start from scratch, you can easily launch surveys tailored to your organization’s needs.

In this article, you will learn...

Access and availability

⛔️ Required access to the Lifecycle Surveys Dashboard.
👥 This article is relevant to Account admins.
📦 This feature is available in the Total Platform, Legacy Perform, and Engage pricing packages.


How to Create a Lifecycle Survey

From a Template From Scratch

15Five offers professionally developed lifecycle survey templates you can use out of the box—or customize by adding your own questions.

  1. Click Surveys in 15Five's main, left-hand navigation, then select Lifecycle.
    Lifecycle-Surveys-Main-Nav.png
  2. Click "Customize" under the type of survey you want to create.
    Onboarding-Survey.png
  3. Update the survey name if desired, then click Continue. The name you choose will be visible to survey participants.
    Lifecycle-Survey-Name.png
  4. Choose whether the survey should be triggered manually or automatically based on the employee’s hire date, then click Continue.
    Lifecycle-Survey-Trigger-Type.png
  5. Choose who will participate in this survey. You can include all employees, specific groups, or exclude certain employees to refine your audience.
    Lifecycle-Survey-Audience.png
  6. Review the pre-populated survey questions. To remove a question, click the trashcan icon to its right. You can also rearrange questions using the 6-dot icon to the left.
    Lifecycle-Survey-Statement.png
  7. Add any custom questions you'd like.
    Custom-Employee-Question.png

    ✏️

    Note

    Add employee-facing questions in the employee section. To include questions for their manager to answer, enter them in the manager section.

  8. Select whether or not managers should be able to see their team's responses.
    Manager-Visibility-Setting-Lifecycle-Survey.png

    ✏️

    Note

    When taking the survey, participants will see a disclaimer that clearly states whether their feedback will be visible to their manager.

  9. Review your survey details in the Summary section, then click Save survey to create it.
    Lifecycle-Survey-Summary.png
  10. Automatic surveys are sent around 10 AM ET on their scheduled launch date, and participants will receive an email notification from surveys-cloud104@15five.com. If you're using a manual survey, follow these steps to trigger it manually.
    Email-Notification-Lifecycle-Survey.png

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) ❓

Who can create and trigger lifecycle surveys?

Only account admins have permission to create and trigger Lifecycle surveys in 15Five.

Who receives notifications when a lifecycle survey is triggered?

Notification recipients depend on the survey’s question types:

  • Employees receive notifications if the survey includes questions directed to them.
  • Managers receive notifications only if there are questions in the survey designated for them to answer about their direct reports.
Who has visibility into the results of a lifecycle survey?

By default, only account admins have access to Lifecycle survey results.

However, you can use the "Manager visibility into team results" setting to grant managers visibility into surveys submitted by their direct reports. This added flexibility supports a range of privacy preferences and organizational needs.

Many HR leaders prefer to keep survey responses limited to the HR team—especially for sensitive moments like onboarding or exit—to help ensure employees feel safe providing candid feedback.

Are the results from lifecycle surveys confidential like 15Five's engagement surveys?

No. Account admins can see who completed the survey, who didn’t, and view individual responses.

If the “Manager visibility into team results” setting is enabled for the survey, managers will also have access to responses from their direct reports.

Participants are informed during the survey that their responses will be visible to the HR team and, if applicable, to their manager.

How long do participants have to complete an assigned survey?
Participants have 14 days to complete an assigned Lifecycle survey before it expires.
If a survey expires, can it be re-sent to the participant?
Not at this time. To resend an expired survey, you will need to manually assign and send it again.
Can I delete a lifecycle survey?

Yes. To delete a survey, click the ellipsis (•••) next to the survey name and select "Delete."
Please note: Deleting a survey permanently removes all associated questions, triggers, and reporting. This action cannot be undone.

DeleteLifecycleSurvey.png

Can I manually send a survey that’s configured to send automatically?

Yes. You can manually trigger an automatic survey using one of the following methods:

  • Click the survey name and select "Send Manually" from the top-right button.
  • Click the ellipsis (•••) next to the survey name and select "Send manually."
How can we utilize lifecycle surveys alongside our regular cadence of engagement surveys?
Lifecycle surveys provide timely, targeted feedback at key stages in the employee journey, such as onboarding and exit. They work in tandem with your regularly scheduled engagement surveys, allowing HR leaders to capture a richer, more continuous stream of insights beyond the quarterly, semi-annual, or annual cadence.

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