How to create an optout link in an invitation

Creating an opt-out link

If you want to create a link in the invitation, that gives the user the possibility to click on it in order to opt-out of this particular survey, so that they do not get the automated reminders etc, you can do it the following way.

Pre-requisites:

1) Select what outcome-code you want to assign. We suggest that you use the "NOT APPLICABLE" code, but you can choose and of the "final" outcome-codes: SCREENED, QUOTA FULL or COMPLETE. You will then find the "final interview" for this person under that outcome. If you select "COMPLETE" they will be part of your "live" dataset.

2) Create an "info" element at the start (or following any autofill information that you want to be kept) of the questionnaire with the following options set:

  • Type an appropriate message like: "Sorry to hear that you want to opt-out of this survey. We will not contact you again regarding this survey."
  • "Exit questionnaire" -> yes
  • "Set status of interview on exit" -> [as decided in point 1]
  • "Redirect on exit" -> [as apropriate]
  • Filter: "\@cawi_QuenchTecOptOut=1" (you can also use this variable "cawi_QuenchTecOptOut" in an autofill of a question)
  • If you use a panel provider, you also need to consider how to inform them, e.g. use an outcome code and use your normal means using an API call, or using redirect links.

3) In the invitation, you need to create an opt-out link. This is done by appening the following parameter to the short or long link to the survey: "QuenchTecOptOut=1". If you use the short link preceed the parameter with "?", if you use the long link, proceed the parameter with "&". If you use HTML format in the invitation, an example can be like this:

<html>
<p>We would like you to take part in this ....</p>

 <p>[SurveyLink shorturl linktext="Start survey"]</p>

<p>If the link above does not work, please copy this entire link into your browser.</p>

<p>[SurveyLink shorturl urlonly]</p>

<br/><br/>

<p>If you would optout of this survey, please use this link: <a href="[SurveyLink shorturl urlonly]?QuenchTecOptOut=1">Opt-out</a></p>

</html>

Note 1: You can assign any value to the "QuenchTechOotOut" parameter, if you e.g. need different "reasons" for opt-out, or want to use this parameter for other uses, like answering the first question in a survey, you can create a "button" with different opt-out values for each button, like the value 0 for actually doing the opt-out, but using the value 1,2,3,4,5... to answer a "liking" question.

Note 2: When creating invitations, the link to start the survey is protected by a security parameter. It is therefore not possible to just add any parameter to the link. Only this reserved name parameter "QuenchTecOptOut" is possible to add, without getting a system error message about an illegal link.

Note 3: If you use the plain text invitation, you cant use the "linktext" parameter as this creates a complete link and will miss the extra parameter, so for this scenario it kan look lik ethis

Please answer survey click here [SurveyLink shorturl]

To opt-out click here [SurveyLink shorturl]?QuenchTecOptOut=1