Types of Survey Responses: 1‑Click Survey Responses and Full Survey Submissions

BizRatings surveys provide multiple ways for recipients to share feedback. This article explains the difference between a 1‑click survey response and a full survey submission, how each interaction is used, and why survey scores can change over time in our platform.

Understanding this distinction helps set proper expectations around alerts, reporting, and how customer feedback is finalized.

What Is a 1‑Click Survey Response?

A 1‑click survey response, also known as a QuickScore,  occurs when a recipient selects a rating directly from a survey email—without completing the full survey landing page form.

Key characteristics of a 1‑click response:

• Captures immediate feedback with minimal reviewer effort

• Represents an early engagement signal

• Is recorded instantly when the rating is selected from an email or HTML snippet scoring scale

• May be used to trigger alerts, notifications, or workflows that are triggered by specific score thresholds, such as low score notifications. 

• Can occur multiple times if the recipient clicks more than once from the email

1‑click responses are designed to maximize participation and provide near real‑time insight into customer sentiment, even before the full survey experience is completed.

What Is a Full Survey Submission?

A full survey submission occurs when the reviewer completes the survey experience after clicking through to the survey landing page, fills out the form, and submits.

This may include:

• 1-click scores are retained on the full survey landing page, and the reviewer can change them if they wish*

• Answering additional questions (if included as part of your survey setup)

• Adding written comments or additional context

• Submitting the survey using the final submission action

• If your Google Review redirect is enabled, the reviewer will be redirected to the specified URL after clicking submit, per your settings. 

Key characteristics of a full survey submission:

• Represents the reviewer’s final, intentional feedback and cannot be changed by the reviewer once submitted

• Is treated as the authoritative score for reporting and analytics

• Replaces or supersedes any earlier 1‑click interactions

• Is the score used for finalized metrics, dashboards, and trend analysis

• Once a full survey is submitted, the survey is marked completed and the unique survey URL is closed from future interactions. 

*Note: When a customer completes the full survey, the initial 1‑click score is retained and carried forward into the survey landing page, where it can be confirmed or changed before submission. 

Why Scores Can Change

In some cases, users may notice that a score changes after it is initially recorded. This behavior is expected and typically occurs when:

1. A reviewer selects a score via an email or html snippet score scale, generating a  1‑click response in the BizRatings platform.

1. At a later point, the reviewer opens the same survey URL and proceeds to the full survey landing page, and successfully submits. 

1. The final submitted score differs from the original 1‑click selection, and is updated in the BizRatings platform accordingly.

When this happens:

• The full survey submission becomes the final recorded score and the survey is officially closed.

• Earlier 1‑click responses provided valuable, real-time engagement indicators but do not override the finalized submission

This approach ensures that reporting reflects the most complete and deliberate feedback provided by the reviewer.

Timing, Notifications, and Survey Access

Because 1‑click responses are recorded immediately, they may trigger alerts or notifications before a full survey is completed.

Key timing behaviors to be aware of:

• If a reviewer submits a low 1‑click score and does not complete the full survey within five minutes, a low‑score notification may be generated if the score satisfies the low-score threshold parameters set up in your BizRatings account.

• The reviewer can still complete the full survey experience after the notification is sent

• Multiple 1‑click responses may be recorded if the recipient continues clicking from the email without submitting the full survey

• Once the full survey is submitted, the finalized score supersedes all earlier 1‑click interactions

• Survey email links remain active for 30 days, allowing reviewers to complete the full survey during that time

• In notifications and throughout the BizRatings platform, note that when the field Survey Completed=False, that means the score was a 1-Click submission.  If Survey Completed=True, that means the score was a result of a full survey submission and is final.

How 1‑Click Responses Are Used

While 1‑click responses are not considered final survey outcomes, they serve an important role in the feedback process:

• Measure engagement and participation behavior, in real-time

• Provide early visibility into feedback trends

• Enable timely notifications when prompt attention may be needed, and give your Account Managers an early indication that a customer needs attention

• Note that 1-Click submissions can also result from spam/safe url checking tools submitting false-positive scores in the process of scanning emails. To learn more about Bot-Clicks, which are persistent issues with all survey tools, click here. 

Because they occur immediately, 1‑click responses can power real‑time workflows and alerts, even before the full survey is completed.

How Full Survey Submissions Are Used

Full survey submissions are used for:

• Official customer satisfaction and NPS reporting

• Long‑term trend analysis

• Dashboards and scorecards

• Executive and operational reporting

These submissions reflect the reviewer’s most complete input and are considered the final source of truth.

Best Practices for Interpreting Survey Data

• Treat 1‑click responses as early engagement signals, not final outcomes

• Rely on full survey submissions when evaluating performance or trends

• Understand that alerts may be based on early‑stage interactions

• Review finalized survey data for the most accurate reporting

• Remember that CSAT/NPS surveys are tools to open doors of communication between you and your customers, while a survey is an automated, efficient way of collecting valuable information and data on customer experience, relationships, recovery and celebration are best delivered when those providing the services reach out to customers in support of the survey systems.

Summary