How to Create Your First Campaign

Last updated 26 days ago

Overview

This guide walks you through creating and sending your first ProcureValue survey campaign in under 10 minutes.

What you'll learn:

  • Creating a campaign

  • Uploading invitations

  • Reviewing and sending

  • Monitoring responses

Before You Start

What You'll Need

✅ Email list - At least 10 people (CSV format recommended)
✅ Campaign name - Something descriptive (e.g., "Q4 2024 Stakeholder Feedback")
✅ Survey type decision - Stakeholder (internal) or Supplier (external)
✅ Timeline - Start and end dates for your campaign

Time Required

  • Campaign setup: 2 minutes

  • CSV preparation: 3 minutes

  • Upload and review: 2 minutes

  • Send and monitor: 3 minutes

Total: ~10 minutes

Step 1: Create a New Campaign

Navigate to Campaigns

  1. Log in to ProcureValue

  2. Click "Campaigns" in the left sidebar

  3. Click the "Create Campaign" button (top right)

Fill in Campaign Details

Campaign Name
Example: Q4 2024 Stakeholder Survey

💡 Tip: Use a naming convention like [Period] [Type] [Purpose] for easy sorting.

Survey Type
Choose one:

  • 📊 Stakeholder - For internal feedback (colleagues, departments)

  • 🤝 Supplier - For external feedback (vendors, partners)

Start Date (Optional)
When to begin accepting responses. Leave blank to start immediately.

End Date (Optional)
Survey expiration date. Typical: 2-4 weeks from start.

💡 Tip: Shorter timeframes (2 weeks) create urgency. Longer (4 weeks) work better for larger groups.

Campaign Type (Optional)

  • Standard (default) - Regular feedback survey

  • CSRD Diversity - EU compliance reporting (requires supplier categorization)

Most users should stick with Standard.

Click "Create Campaign"

✅ Your campaign is now created in Draft status.

Step 2: Add Invitations

You have two options for adding people to your campaign:

Option A: Upload CSV (Recommended)

Prepare your CSV file:

csv

name,email,role John Smith,john@company.com,Category Manager Sarah Johnson,sarah@company.com,VP Operations Mike Chen,mike@company.com,Director IT ...

Required columns:

  • name - Full name or first name

  • email - Valid email address

  • role - Job title or department (optional but recommended)

For supplier surveys, add:

  • supplier_category - e.g., "IT Services", "Logistics", "Manufacturing"

💡 Tip: Export from your HRIS, email client, or CRM to save time.

Upload the CSV:

  1. Click "Bulk Upload" button

  2. Select your CSV file

  3. Review the preview

  4. Click "Upload"

✅ All valid entries are added. Invalid entries show errors.

Option B: Manual Entry

For small campaigns or test surveys:

  1. Click "Add Invitation"

  2. Enter name, email, and role

  3. Click "Save"

  4. Repeat until you have at least 10 people

Step 3: Review Your Invitations

Check the List

You'll see a table with all invitations:

  • ✅ Name

  • ✅ Email

  • ✅ Role

  • ✅ Status (should be "Pending")

Privacy Check

⚠️ Important: You must have at least 10 invitations before you can send.

If you see a warning: "Need 10 invitations to send (currently: 8)", add more people.

Edit or Remove

  • Edit: Click the pencil icon to fix typos

  • Remove: Click the trash icon to delete (only works for "Pending" invitations)

Step 4: Send Invitations

Preview the Email

Before sending, click "Preview Email" to see what recipients will receive.

The email includes:

  • Personalised greeting (Hi [First Name],)

  • Survey purpose explanation

  • Anonymous guarantee

  • Call-to-action button with unique link

  • Expected completion time (< 2 minutes)

Send Campaign

  1. Click "Send Invitations" button

  2. Confirm in the popup

  3. Wait for confirmation

What happens:

  • ✉️ Emails sent to all "Pending" invitations

  • 🔗 Each email contains a unique anonymous survey link

  • 📊 Status changes from "Pending" to "Sent"

  • 🚀 Campaign status changes from "Draft" to "Active"

💡 Tip: Emails typically arrive within 1-2 minutes. Check your spam folder if you don't see it.

Step 5: Monitor Responses

Campaign Dashboard

Navigate back to your campaign to see:

📊 Key Metrics

  • Invitations Sent: Total emails sent

  • Responses: Completed surveys

  • Response Rate: Completion percentage

  • Days Remaining: Until end date

📈 Response Status

  • Sent: Email delivered

  • Opened: Recipient clicked survey link

  • Completed: Survey submitted

  • Failed: Email bounce or error

When Will I See Results?

Before 5 responses:

  • ⏳ Analytics are hidden (privacy threshold)

  • 📧 You can see invitation statuses

  • 📊 Response count is visible

After 5 responses:

  • ✅ Full PVX Score revealed

  • 📈 Dimensional breakdowns visible

  • 🤖 AI insights generated

  • 💬 Feedback themes displayed

Step 6: Follow Up (Optional)

Send Reminders

If response rates are low after 3-5 days:

  1. Click "Send Reminders" button

  2. System automatically sends reminder emails to non-responders

  3. Wait another 3-5 days

💡 Tip: One reminder is usually enough. More than two feels spammy.

Extend Deadline

If you need more time:

  1. Click "Edit Campaign"

  2. Update the End Date

  3. Click "Save"

Survey links automatically extend to the new date.

Common Issues & Solutions

❌ "Need 10 invitations to send"

Solution: Add more people to your invitation list. Privacy thresholds require minimum 10.

❌ "Email failed to send"

Solution: Check email addresses for typos. Common issues:

  • Missing @ symbol

  • Incorrect domain

  • Extra spaces

Click the "Resend" button for failed invitations after fixing.

❌ "Survey link doesn't work"

Solution: Links expire on the campaign end date. Check if:

  • Campaign is still active

  • End date hasn't passed

  • Link was copied correctly (no extra characters)

❌ "Stuck at 4 responses, can't see analytics"

Solution: Privacy threshold requires 5 responses minimum. Options:

  • Send reminder emails

  • Add more invitations

  • Extend deadline

  • Wait patiently

Best Practices

✅ DO:

  • Send during business hours (Tuesday-Thursday, 9 AM - 3 PM)

  • Use descriptive campaign names

  • Give 2-4 weeks for responses

  • Send one reminder after 5 days

  • Communicate the purpose beforehand

❌ DON'T:

  • Send Friday afternoon or Monday morning

  • Use generic names like "Survey 1"

  • Make deadlines too short (< 1 week)

  • Send multiple reminders (feels pushy)

  • Surprise people with unexpected surveys

Next Steps

✅ Campaign sent! Now what?

  1. Wait for responses (check back in 2-3 days)

  2. Monitor your dashboard (don't obsess - let people respond naturally)

  3. Review AI insights (once you hit 5 responses)

  4. Take action (that's the whole point!)

  5. Plan your next campaign (quarterly cadence works well)