Note: The following article shows the NextGen user interface. If the steps and/or screenshots do not match what you see in your organization's Betterworks instance, try this article that shows the same feature in the Classic user interface.
Overview & Contents
Contents
- Overview
- Anytime Feedback
- Scheduled Feedback
- Localization and Languages
- Requests to Edit
- Deleting User Feedback
- FAQs
Overview
Our feedback feature has a variety of use cases, including:
- General feedback which can be requested or given at anytime
- 360 feedback for a year-end reviews to receive input from peers and others (no self-reflection)
- Upward feedback tp managers
All feedback templates can be accessed by going to:
Admin → Program Management → Feedback → Templates → Toggle between Anytime and Scheduled
Anytime Feedback
There are 3 types of anytime feedback:
1. Feedback that a user requests for themselves
2. Feedback that a manager requests on behalf of a direct report
3. Feedback that a user gives to another user unprompted
Step 1: Name & Description
The feedback name and description are visible to all participants. The description supports rich text, and gives participants a helpful reference to the time period or project the feedback should cover, and can also be used for links to any relevant company resources.
Allowing the manager to add a note to providers can help them elaborate on the quarter, project, or presentation for which they're requesting feedback.
Step 2: Select Participants
To target employees from specific teams, the search function gives the admin the ability to select any departments or groups already set up in the organization.
Step 3: Set Permissions (who can view feedback)
In Anytime feedback templates, the Recipient will always be able to view feedback responses, so this setting cannot be changed.
The 'Allow HR admin to view provider details in feedback reports' setting controls HR Admins' visibility over this specific feedback template. Turning off this setting would mean HR Admins cannot view the identities of Feedback providers in both the Feedback Status dashboard and Feedback Answers report.
Note: If a direct report is assigned to a new manager after feedback is requested, but before it's been provided, the new manager won't see the pending request on their end (since they're not the manager who initiated the request). However, if/when the feedback is provided, the new manager will be able to view the feedback content.
Step 4: Writing questions
The question types are...
-
Paragraph: Open text
- Note: Paragraph answers can be configured to have a hard word limit that is less than the default 10,000-character limit.
- Scale: 1-2 through 1-25. Each scale increment can also be labelled individually.
- Star Rating: Up to 5 stars
- Multi-select: Up to 25 options and up to 250 characters per option. This could be utilized for selecting pre-defined attributes such as company values.
Questions can be optional or Required, and can also be cloned by clicking the double-screen icon to the right of each question.
Step 5: Setting up notifications
Determine if you'd like feedback participants to be informed and/or reminded about the feedback.
Feedback requested is enabled by default, as those required to fill in the feedback will always need to be notified of this.
Send email to the manager can only be enabled when the Permissions are set for the manager to have visibility over feedback content
Send email to the matrix manager can only be enabled when the Permissions are set for the matrix manager to have visibility over feedback content.
Note: If system notifications are completely disabled, these notifications will not be sent out.
Step 6: Deploying the feedback template
By default, the number of days to complete feedback is 28. The maximum is 300. The minimum is 2. However, if a feedback provider declines the request or allows it to expire, they can be selected again.
Note: "Undeploying" an anytime feedback template will delete all in-progress feedback forms that are using the template. This action will also remove the data from feedback reports. However, completed feedback forms will not be impacted.
Scheduled Feedback
Scheduled feedback is generally used by an organization to run a more formal review process.
Step 1: Name & Description
The feedback name and description are visible to all participants. The description supports rich text, and gives participants a helpful reference to the time period or project the feedback should cover, and can also be used for links to any relevant company resources.
Note: Changes made to the name and/or description of a feedback template that has a cycle in progress will be applied immediately and pushed out to all participants.
Step 2: Select Participants
The Allow external Feedback providers option allows employees to request feedback from external providers, such as contractors or other colleagues who are not part of their organization. This option is not available for Anytime Feedback templates. This setting can also be configured during an active cycle, if not initially set up prior to deployment.
Note: Selections for feedback recipients and providers do not have to match. For example, you have the ability to select "Include all employees (recommended)" for recipients and "Custom participant list via CSV upload" for providers. Choosing a custom participant list for providers limits who can be selected as a provider. Download this simple template to use with the "Custom participant list via CSV upload" option. Only participant email addresses are needed.
Feedback Provider Settings
Default providers are only suggestions and can be changed. Although the limit will prevent the Betterworks application from selecting more than the chosen number of feedback providers, feedback cycle participants can manually add more feedback providers and exceed the limit.
Setting Custom Providers via CSV Upload
For Scheduled Feedback cycles only, you have the option to designate feedback providers via a CSV upload, rather than leaving this choice to employees.
Selecting 'Custom providers via CSV upload' will give the option to add one .csv file in which each Feedback recipient is mapped to their feedback provider(s). Please note, this feature does not support the addition of External feedback providers.
To ensure cycle integrity, custom providers cannot be removed by individual users (although they do have the option to select additional providers alongside those uploaded here), and Admins are not permitted to modify or re-upload the custom providers .csv once the cycle is live.
Managers will always receive a notification as soon as feedback is submitted, even if the template is configured so that the recipient is notified after the cycle ends.
Note: If you select "After cycle ends", the feedback will be sent 1 day after the cycle ends. However, if there is a grace period (Step 6: Scheduled feedback cycles), the feedback will be sent 1 day after the grace period ends. Additionally, the manager will receive a notification each time someone submits feedback, along with a final notification at the end of the cycle.
Step 3: Set Permissions (who can view feedback)
Feedback providers are informed of who can view the feedback (i.e. “This feedback is visible to…”) via a note at the top of the feedback form. Due to this communication, permissions cannot be edited while a feedback cycle is in progress.
The 'Enable Feedback reports for HR Admin' setting controls HR Admins' visibility over this specific feedback template. Turning off this setting would mean HR Admins cannot view reports for this feedback.
Note: If a direct report is assigned to a new manager during the feedback cycle, the feedback will be redirected as long as the new reporting structure is defined via user management. As such, the new manager will be able to view the nominated feedback providers while the previous manager will no longer be able to view them.
Step 4: Writing questions
The question types are;
-
Paragraph: Open text
- Note: Paragraph answers can be configured to have a hard word limit that is less than the default 10,000-character limit.
- Scale: 1-2 through 1-25. Each scale increment can also be labelled individually.
- Star Rating: Up to 5 stars
- Multi-select: Up to 25 options and up to 250 characters per option. This could be utilized for selecting pre-defined attributes such as company values.
Questions can be optional or Required, and can also be cloned by clicking the double-screen icon to the right of each question.
Step 5: Cycle scheduling
As displayed in the example below, the selection phase (aka the nomination period) can be as short as 1 day. Once the nomination period has passed, participants will not be able to request feedback unless the "Allow employees to nominate feedback providers any time during the cycle" option below this is enabled. If a feedback provider declines the request, they can be nominated again during the same cycle.
Note: If a nominated feedback provider is removed prior to giving feedback, the feedback form will be removed from their list (Feedback → Give → To do). The "Feedback to give" count in the Feedback Adoption Report will also be reduced.
Once the giving phase has passed, feedback providers will not be able to provide feedback unless the "Add a grace period for your employees to provide feedback" option is enabled. The grace period is based on consecutive days, not business days.
These options can be enabled while the cycle is in progress.
Step 6: Setting up notifications
If Feedback has started is enabled, and you have selected "Include all employees (recommended)" to either receive or provide feedback everyone will receive this notification, even if they don't end up being selected to participate in the feedback cycle.
Send email to the manager... can only be enabled when the Permissions are set for the manager to have visibility over feedback content
Send email to the matrix manager... can only be enabled when the Permissions are set for the matrix manager to have visibility over feedback content.
Note: If system notifications are completely disabled, feedback notifications will not be sent out.
Step 7: Deploy feedback cycles
Note: "Undeploying" a scheduled feedback template while a cycle is in progress will delete all data associated with the cycle. This action will also remove the data from feedback reports. However, completed cycles will not be impacted.
Localization and Languages
Once a Feedback template has been created, fully completed, and saved in the original language, Admins can navigate to the template list view, choose the template they wish to add further languages to, and click Actions > Manage Languages.
Languages must be added before a cycle is deployed.
Supported Languages can be selected in the drop-down, and then the translations for each added. Fields left without a translation will be displayed to the participant in the original language.
Once edits have been made to the translations across multiple languages, pressing Save will save the changes across all the edited languages. Where a translation exists, and a user has this set as their preferred language, they will see the translated version of the cycle.
Requests to Edit: Submission, approval & denial
If a feedback provider would like to edit their response or decline the request after the deadline, they'll need to submit a request to edit. This can be done by going to Feedback → Give → Completed, selecting the specific feedback form, and clicking the "Request to edit" button:
This action will add the feedback provider's name to the list of requests that are sent via automated email to administrators at approximately 5 PM (your organization's time zone). Clicking the "Manage Request(s)" button in the email will redirect you to:
Admin → Program Management → Feedback → Request to edit
From there, you can select the individual request, view this in more detail if required, and then "Allow" or "Deny".
If you allow the request, the feedback provider will receive an automated email informing them of the decision. They'll then have an additional 7 days to reshare their feedback. During this time, their feedback form will disappear from the requester's view so that the provider can make the necessary edits. If the feedback is not edited within the 7-day window, it will be reshared as is. If their edit request is denied, no email will be sent, giving you the opportunity to contact the feedback provider directly and discuss the policy and/or reason.
Deleting User Feedback
Super Admins have the ability to delete feedback records directly within Betterworks. This can be used in cases where feedback was requested or given in error, or when participant records need to be adjusted.
Note:
- Deleting feedback records is permanent and cannot be undone
- Deleted feedback will no longer appear in feedback views or reports
- At least one search field is required to return results when using the Delete Feedback tool
- Only Super Admins have access to this functionality
Delete Individual Feedback (Search & Filter)
Use the fields below to search for a specific feedback record. Filter results by feedback name, provider, recipient, or date range.
To locate feedback records:
- Navigate to:
Admin → Program Management → Feedback → Delete - Enter at least one of the following fields:
- Feedback Name
- Provider
- Recipient
- Date range (optional)
- Click into the results table to review matching records
- Select one or more feedback entries
- Click Delete
Bulk Delete Feedback (CSV Upload)
For larger updates, feedback records can be deleted in bulk via CSV upload.
To delete feedback via CSV:
- Navigate to:
Admin → Program Management → Feedback → Delete - Click Bulk Delete
- Upload a CSV file (maximum file size: 5MB) containing the required fields:
- Cycle ID
- Template Name
- Provider Email
- Recipient Email
- Confirm the upload
The system will process the file in the background. Once complete, a status message will indicate if the upload was successful or if any errors occurred.
Admins can download an error report for any records that were not successfully deleted.
FAQs
When do scheduled feedback cycles launch?
By default, scheduled feedback cycles launch at approximately 12 AM (your organization's time zone) on the cycle start date. This means the feedback template will be available in the participants' Feedback module from that point forward.
Can multiple feedback cycles run at once?
Yes. You can run cycles of different template types at the same time.
Is feedback data reflected in the Usage Dashboard?
No, feedback data is not available in the Usage Dashboard. However, feedback data is available in the Manager Insights Dashboard.
Is there a character limit for questions and/or answers?
- Questions: The limit is 1,000 characters.
- Answers: The limit is 10,000 characters (unless you've set a shorter hard word limit in the feedback template).
Is there a limit on how many feedback providers can be requested?
As the participant requesting feedback, there is no limit to the number of feedback providers that can be selected. During the configuration of a feedback template, the option "Set a limit for how many feedback providers can be suggested by the system" only limits how many are suggested.
If a participant has already received 5-6 feedback requests, a warning message will appear informing the requester so that they may consider selecting another user. However, if the requester decides to proceed, the feedback request will go through.
Can I add/remove participants after I deploy a scheduled feedback cycle?
To add participants, you'll need to upload a new CSV file that includes the original participants as well as the new participants. To remove participants, you'll need to upload a new CSV file with only the participants that you'd like to remain in the cycle.
Can I delete a feedback cycle?
Yes. However, deleting a cycle (whether or not it's in progress) will delete the data associated with it. As such, deleting a cycle is not recommended.
Can I delete a feedback template?
You cannot delete default feedback templates. However, Super Admins can delete all other feedback templates by going into the template and clicking the trash can icon in the top-right corner. Deleting the template will not delete the data associated with scheduled feedback cycles. Note: Admins will be unable to run Feedback Adoption or Feedback Answers reports for deleted templates.
You cannot delete a scheduled feedback template while the cycle is in progress or in the grace period.
Can I change the dates in a scheduled feedback template after it goes live?
Unlike scheduled conversations, only the end date of a scheduled feedback template can be modified after it goes live, as long as it hasn’t passed.
Note: Be aware that changes to the end date may affect your template notifications.