Survey and Chat Engagement FAQ

This article answers common questions about Surveys and Chats in Bullhorn Automation, helping you understand how each engagement type works and what’s supported.

What's the difference between a Survey and a Chat?

Surveys are best for collecting structured feedback and updating records. They follow a linear question-and-answer format and are ideal for gathering specific information at defined points in the recruiting process.

Chats (Chatbot) provide a more conversational, real-time experience. They're designed to engage visitors on your website 24/7, with features like keyword branching, recruiter handoff via SMS, and dynamic job displays.

What entity types can I create engagements for?

You can create engagements for the following entity types:

  • Candidate-based: For engaging with candidates

  • Sales Contact-based: For engaging with clients/contacts

  • Submission-based: For candidates tied to specific job submissions

  • Placement-based: For collecting feedback after placements

  • New Visitor-based (Chat only): For unknown visitors to your website

Can I use merge tokens or personalization in New Visitor Chats?

No. You cannot use merge tokens, dynamic jobs, or any other personalization in New Visitor Chats because there won't be any stored information on that individual.

What happens if I don't set a default chat for my website?

If you don't select a Default New Visitor Chat, Default Sales Contact Chat, or Default Candidate Chat in Company Settings, no inbound chats will display to people visiting your website.

Is survey branching available for all entity types?

No. Survey branching is currently only available for Candidate-based surveys. You cannot add branch steps to Sales Contact, Submission, or Placement-based surveys.

Can a candidate change their answers after submitting a survey?

Candidates can change their answers up until they click "Complete" or "Submit." Each time they change an answer, it is saved to Bullhorn Automation. If the survey is set to update Bullhorn ATS fields, the value will update each time they change the answer.

Once the survey is submitted, answers cannot be changed.

Can the engagement entity type be different from the automation entity type?

No. The engagement entity type must match the automation entity type. For example, Placement-based engagements can only be used in Placement-based automations.

However, Candidate and Contact-based surveys can also be used in Submission or Placement-based automations.

Do survey and chat links expire?

Yes, engagement links expire after 30 days. This is consistent with the expiration period for screener engagement links.

Can I customize the CSV delivery time for weekly survey responses?

No, the send time is fixed for Mondays at 11:00 AM ET.

Can I use %SURVEY_ANSWERS% in email templates outside Survey Settings?

No, that merge tag only works in the custom notification message area inside Survey Settings. If you try to use it elsewhere, it will not populate.

Do the survey and chat settings apply to all engagement types?

No, Survey and Chat settings only apply to Surveys and Chats. Screeners have separate configuration options.

Can I hide only some survey questions from the ATS Activity Feed?

No, confidentiality applies to the entire survey. You cannot selectively hide individual questions.

Why aren't my survey notifications sending?

Check the following:

  • Verify notification email addresses are formatted correctly.

  • Confirm notifications@herefish.com is whitelisted as a safe sender.

  • Make sure the survey or chat is active and tied to a valid entity type.

Why didn't I receive the weekly CSV?

  • Verify the setting is enabled with at least one recipient email address.

  • Wait until after Monday 11:00 AM ET for delivery.

  • Check spam or quarantine folders.

I sent a survey to update candidate contact information. Which phone number field will this update in Bullhorn ATS?

When a candidate updates their phone number using a survey question, this will only update the mobile field in Bullhorn ATS. If a mobile number already exists for that Candidate, completing the survey will replace the existing field value with what they input for that question.

Can I update the survey color scheme to match my company branding?

Yes. Survey color schemes can be updated to match your internal branding. Visit your Company Settings page to make these adjustments.

What file types are supported for Resume Upload in surveys?

The Bullhorn resume parser supports the following file types: .pdf, .doc, and .docx. This is controlled by Bullhorn and cannot be changed through Bullhorn Automation.

For best results, resumes should be lightly formatted, without images, headers, footers, columns, or tables.

What happens when a candidate uploads a resume through a survey?

If the email address parsed from the resume matches an existing Bullhorn Candidate record, the resume will be added to the Files tab for that record. If the email address is different, Bullhorn will create a new candidate record and assign ownership to the Unassigned User.

Can Chatbot engagements be used by recipients who need screen readers or keyboard navigation?

Yes. Chat EngagementsClosed Using Automation to interact with Candidates and Clients. Typically done through Survey and chatbot. have been enhanced based on compliance best practices. Chats can be completed by users who need screen readers or require keyboard navigation. Two suggested screen readers are JAWS and VoiceOver. For the best survey and chat experience, use one of the supported browsers: Firefox, Chrome, Safari, or Edge.

Does testing a survey or chat always send a message?

No. Testing from the Engagement editor opens a preview. Testing from the Send Engagement step sends a real test message.

Are survey or chat results always saved during testing?

No. Results are only saved when testing from the Send Engagement step.

Does this testing behavior apply to both survey and chat engagements?

Yes. Survey and Chat engagements follow the same testing rules.

Can I test the same survey or chat multiple times?

Yes. You can test engagements as many times as needed before activating your automation.

Where can I view NPS responses across all my engagements?

NPSClosed Net Promoter Score. A metric used to measure customer satisfaction, loyalty, and enthusiasm. response details can be found on the Dashboard. The Recent NPS Responses card shows the cumulative NPS across all automations and engagements. This can be filtered by candidate, sales contact, or contractor. It also shows Additional Comments in full detail along with the score the commenter provided.

You can also view NPS details by opening a specific NPS engagement and clicking View Metrics.