Participant Import Template
The Participant Import Template can be downloaded from the Participant Library when you select Import. There is a mix of mandatory columns and recommended columns in the template. If you don't want to include all recommended headings, you can remove them from the file.
What information needs to be entered?
ID (recommended)
Most CRM's and the majority of HR/payroll systems will assign a person's system record with a unique identifier such as an employee number, customer number, membership ID etc. Using a unique ID helps ensure AskYourTeam can differentiate between participants that might have the same name, and helps when updating a participant's email, mobile number, or name, should someone get married.
First name (required)
This is the first name of the participant. The first and last name columns are mandatory, so the import process will fail if there is no first name for a participant.
Last name (required)
This is the last name of the participant. The first and last name columns are mandatory, so the import process will fail if there is no last name for a participant.
An email address should be unique and have the format of yourname@example.com
You must include this information if you want participants to receive their survey invitation by email. If email and mobile are both blank, the participant will be treated as a passcode participant.
Mobile
Mobile numbers should be in the recommended format of +64211234567. Make sure to change the country code as needed.
You must include this information if a participant is to receive their survey invitation by SMS and not via email. If mobile and email are both blank, the participant will be treated as a passcode participant.
Gender (recommended)
The demographic options for gender are:
- non-binary
- female
- male
- another gender
- prefer not to say
AskYourTeam strives to be an inclusive organisation. Gender identities are complex and for many people, describing themselves as just a man or just a woman has always been inadequate.
Why only 5 gender identities?
AskYourTeam reports require a demographic group to meet a minimum threshold before displaying results. If we list all gender identities, this would likely result in no reports being generated for minority gender identities.
If you don't want to use our gender options, please remove our column header.
To add your own gender options, you can:
- add a column with a different header in your import file, along with the relevant option for each participant, or
- add the new category and options in your Demographic Library and let participants select which option they identify with during the survey.
Date of Birth (recommended)
Format Date of Birth as: dd/mm/yyyy. A participant's birth date will automatically group them into one of the default age ranges used for reporting.
Any time the participant is added to a new survey, their age range will be re-validated and assigned to the correct range at the time of the survey.
If 'Age' is set up as a self-reporting demographic in a survey, the participants will be asked to select the age range that they fall into. No Date of Birth will be stored for these participants.
AskYourTeam's default age range options are:
- Less than 18 years
- 18-25
- 26-35
- 36-45
- 46-55
- 56-65
- 66+
If you don't want to use our age range options, please remove our column header.
To add your own age range options, you can:
- add an age range column with a different header name in your import file (like 'Age group'), along with the relevant option for each participant, or
- add the new category and options in your Demographic Library and let participants select which option they identify with during the survey.
Start date (recommended)
This is the date the participant started with your organisation as an employee, a member or a volunteer. Format the start date as: dd/mm/yyyy. The date will automatically group the participant into one of our default Length of Service default options used for reporting.
If 'Length of Service' is set up as a self-reporting demographic in a survey, the participant will be asked to select the Length of Service range. No Start Date will be stored for these participants.
AskYourTeam Length of Service default options are:
- Less than a year
- 1-2 years
- 3-5 years
- 6-9 years
- 10+ years
If you don't want to use our age range options, please remove our column header.
To add your own Length of Service options, you can:
- add a length of service column with a different header name in your import file (like 'Years of service'), along with the relevant option for each participant, or
- add the new category and options in your Demographic Library and let participants select which option they identify with during the survey.
Language
Enter a supported language locale into this field so the participant can take the survey in their language. If left blank, this will default to English.
Language locales available are:
- en - English
- mi - Te Reo Maori
- ar - Arabic
- fr - French
- es - Spanish
- es-CL (Chile)
- es-MX Spanish (Mexico)
- zh-CN - Chinese
- pt-BR - Portuguese (Brazil)
- ar - Arabic
- to - Tongan
- sm - Samoan
- th - Thai
- hi - Hindi
- pa - Punjabi
- ro - Romanian
- fil - Filipino
- vi-VN - Vietnamese
- id - Indonesian
⚠️ Not all surveys support these languages. Please contact our Customer Success Team to check if these languages are available for your survey.
Level (recommended)
This column identifies participants at the Executive level (Senior Leadership level) within your organisation. It is used to generate the Alignment Report and allows you to compare management's responses to those of the rest of the organisation. Enter "Executive" next to any participants who are part of the Executive team in your organisation.
People Leader
This column is useful if you want to give Leaders access to their team's survey results. The People Leader field automates permissions by reporting lines so that leaders see the results of their direct and indirect reports. In the import template, use the leader's ID (from column A) in the People Leader column.
Adding new demographics to your file
You can add new demographics to your import file by entering the category name in the top row and then the Demographic Option for each participant. When you import your file, the new demographic category and options will automatically be added to your Demographic Library.
If a participant belongs to more than one option, you need to separate them in the cell with semi-colons; this action will set up the demographic as a 'multi-select' – one where the participant can select multiple options.
Example:
Ethnicity is a good Demographic Category to set up as multi-select, because participants may identify with more than one option. If a participant identified as both Dutch and European, you would add this demographic information in your participant import file like this: Dutch;European.
💡 Did you know? If you've already set up the new demographic as single select in the Demographic Library, semi-colons will not be accepted in the import. You need to select the multi-select checkbox in the Demographic Library before importing multi-select demographic data.
If the demographic category already exists but you want to add a new demographic option, you can enter the new option next in the appropriate participant's cell. When you import your file, this will automatically be added to your Demographic Library as an option.
Example:
If 'Marketing' is a new Demographic Option and participants are imported with this value, 'Marketing' will be automatically added to your 'Department' category in the library.
💡 Did you know? You can't edit or add demographic options to AskYourTeam recommended demographics: Age, Gender, Length of Service and Level.