Automated Feedback Requests let you schedule feedback in advance so it’s sent automatically at the right time. They’re useful for recurring processes like onboarding, regular check-ins, or gathering feedback around 1:1 meetings.
This guide covers what to prepare, where to find automations and templates, and how to configure an Automated Feedback Request.
Before you create an automation
Taking a few minutes to plan will help you create meaningful, targeted feedback requests.
1. Clarify your goals
Consider:
What questions do you want to ask? Automated Feedback Requests use Anytime Feedback templates, so make sure you have the template you need before setting up the automation.
Who is the feedback about? For example, a manager could give feedback about a new hire, or a new employee could share feedback about their onboarding experience.
Whose input do you need? This could include teammates, direct reports, or the employee’s manager.
Who should see the feedback? Decide whether responses should be visible to the employee, anonymous, or confidential.
2. Create or review your Anytime Feedback template
To find your Anytime Feedback templates:
Go to Feedback > Company > Templates.
Scroll past the 360 Feedback templates to the Anytime Feedback templates section.
Create a new template or review an existing one to make sure it includes the questions you want to use.
Note: You’ll need to create your Anytime Feedback template before creating the automation. The template is required when you configure the feedback request.
3. Check employee profile data
Automations rely on information stored in employee profiles, depending on the trigger and filters you choose.
Make sure:
Each relevant employee has a Hiring Date set if you plan to use a hiring date trigger.
Department or Location is filled in if you plan to filter employees using those fields.
You can update employee profiles individually or by CSV import. See Adding and Updating Employees.
Note: An employee’s hiring date must be entered in their profile. It isn’t automatically set to the date they were added to Small Improvements.
Create your automation
Open Automations
Go to Settings > Automations.
Click + New Automation.
Choose Feedback Request.
Choose the trigger
Choose what should trigger the Request. The timing options depend on the trigger you select.
Regular schedule
For a recurring automation, choose when it should start and how often it should repeat.
Set the Start date and time.
Under Frequency, choose how often the automation should repeat.
If applicable, select the day of the week.
Optionally, set an End date.
This is useful for collecting feedback on a consistent schedule.
Employee hiring date
Use the hiring date trigger to send feedback at a specific time after an employee is hired.
Enter a value under How long after hiring?
Select the unit of time, such as Days.
Continue to the next step.
For example, entering 90 Days schedules the automation based on 90 days after the Hiring Date in the employee’s profile.
Note: This trigger relies on the Hiring Date stored in the employee’s profile. Make sure hiring dates are accurate for employees included in the automation.
Meeting with a manager
Use a meeting trigger to send a feedback request before or after an employee has a meeting with their manager.
Choose whether the request should be sent Before a Meeting with a Manager or After a Meeting with a Manager.
Enter how long before or after the meeting the automation should run.
Select the unit of time, such as Hours, Days, or Weeks.
Click Next.
Sending the request before a meeting can help gather input in preparation for the conversation. Sending it afterward can help capture feedback and reflections while the discussion is still fresh.
Note: The automation will run within the time range shown on the screen before or after the meeting, rather than at an exact time.
Define who is included
Choose which employees the automation applies to. You can:
Restrict by Department
Restrict by Location
Exclude specific employees
This can be useful when different teams have different onboarding or feedback processes.
Tip: Start light. You can begin with a focused group, such as one department, and expand your automations later if helpful.
Configure the feedback request
Set the title and introduction
Add a clear title and introduction so reviewers understand what the feedback is about and what you’d like them to focus on.
Under What is this feedback about?, enter a title for the feedback request. This is the title reviewers will see.
Under Introduction, add a message for reviewers. Use this space to provide context, explain the purpose of the request, or include instructions that will help them give useful feedback.
Tip: Use a clear, descriptive title. You can search by title or topic in Anytime Feedback Insights, making it easier to find and review feedback later.
Select reviewers
Choose who should be asked to provide feedback about the employee who triggered the automation. You can select one or more reviewer groups:
Employee – The employee who triggered the automation.
Reports – The employee’s direct reports.
Team – Other employees who report to the same manager.
Manager – The employee’s direct manager.
Secondary Manager – The employee’s secondary manager.
Management Chain – All managers in the employee’s management chain, including their direct and secondary manager.
Select the reviewer groups that best match the purpose of your feedback request.
Note: Reviewers are determined by the reporting relationships in employee profiles when the automation runs. Make sure these relationships are up to date so the feedback requests are sent to the right people.
Select the questionnaire
Select a Feedback Request Template.
Click Next.
If you need to create or edit a template first, go to Feedback > Company > Templates and scroll below the 360 Feedback templates to find Anytime Feedback templates.
Set visibility by role
Choose how much of the submitted feedback each role can see:
Everything – The feedback and its author are visible.
Anonymous answers – The feedback is visible, but the author is hidden.
Nothing – The feedback remains confidential.
Choose the visibility settings that fit the purpose of your feedback process.
Set timing and reminders
Decide:
When submitted feedback should be released:
Immediately after submission
After the deadline
How long reviewers have to respond.
When reminder emails should be sent.
Tip: A focused response window can help keep feedback timely and relevant.
Launch or save your automation
Once you’ve finished configuring the feedback request:
Give your automation a clear, descriptive Name.
Review the trigger, participants, questionnaire, visibility, and timing.
Choose whether to Launch the automation immediately or Save as Draft to activate it later.
If you save the automation without enabling it, you can activate it whenever you’re ready:
Go to Settings > Automations.
Find the automation you want to activate.
Turn on the Enabled toggle.
You can also use the Enabled toggle to pause an active automation without deleting it.
Tip: Saving an automation without enabling it is useful when you want to finish the setup now but start sending feedback requests later.
Frequently asked questions
How often do automations run?
How often do automations run?
The frequency depends on the trigger you choose. Regular schedules can run weekly, every two weeks, monthly, or quarterly. Hiring date and 1:1 triggers run based on the relevant date or meeting.
Are new employees added automatically?
Are new employees added automatically?
If a new employee meets the criteria you’ve configured for an active automation, they can be included when the relevant trigger is met. Make sure their employee profile contains the information your automation relies on, such as their hiring date, department, or location.
What happens with a 90-day hiring date trigger?
What happens with a 90-day hiring date trigger?
The automation uses the Hiring Date stored in the employee’s profile to determine when to send the request. For a request scheduled 90 days after hiring, the employee’s profile needs an accurate hiring date.
Should I combine multiple departments into one automation?
Should I combine multiple departments into one automation?
You can include multiple departments when they follow the same feedback process. If departments need different questions, timing, reviewers, or visibility settings, separate automations can make them easier to manage.
Tip: Start with only the automations that are useful for your current process. You can add more as your feedback workflows develop.
Can I request feedback from specific people?
Can I request feedback from specific people?
Automated Feedback Requests select reviewers based on roles and relationships, such as the employee’s manager, reports, team, or management chain. Use the reviewer settings that best match whose perspective you want to collect.