Example polls
Paste any of these into the message box in Slack.
Choice poll. Round one. Multiple picks allowed, so you learn which tools have support at all.
/poll "Which project trackers are worth a two-week trial?" "Tracker A" "Tracker B" "Tracker C" "Keep what we have"
Free
Survey (4 questions). Round two. The post-trial survey, anonymous, closing after three days.
/poll "Tracker A trial feedback" "Two minutes, anonymous. Answer for the tool you trialled." anonymous close after 3 days --- "How easy was it to get started?" "Very hard" "Hard" "OK" "Easy" "Very easy" scale --- "Did it handle your real day-to-day work?" "Yes" "Mostly" "No" limit 1 --- "Would you keep using it?" "Yes" "Only with changes" "No" limit 1 --- "What got in your way?" short text optional
Premium: surveys (several questions), closing automatically
AnonymousClose automatically: after 3 days
Choice poll. The final pick. One vote each, a reminder, and a fixed close.
/poll "Which tracker should we adopt?" "Tracker A" "Tracker B" "Stay on our current tool" limit 1 close after 2 days remind 1 day before closing
Premium: vote limits, closing automatically, reminders
Limit votes: 1 per personClose automatically: after 2 daysReminder: 24 hours before closing
Round one, the shortlist
Before anyone trials anything, ask what to trial. List two to four candidates plus "Keep what we have". That last option matters: if half the team is happy with the current tool, you want to know before you spend a month migrating.
Allow several picks here. You are finding out which tools are worth anyone's time, not choosing the winner.
Round two, after the trial
Send the trial survey when the trial ends, not halfway through. Ask about the things that decide adoption: how fast people got started, whether it handled their real work, and whether they would keep using it. One rating question per tool, plus one free-text question for blockers, is enough.
Keep it anonymous. People are polite about the tool their manager picked to trial. Anonymous answers tell you what they actually think.
The final pick
End with a single-choice poll that closes on a schedule: limit 1 and close after 2 days (both Premium). One answer per person makes the count clean, and a fixed close stops the decision from drifting.
Post the result with your reasoning, especially if you pick against the vote because of cost or security. A decision people disagree with but understand lands far better than a silent override.
The mistake people make
Asking "Which tool do you prefer?" before anyone has used them. You get votes for the brand people have heard of. Trial first, vote second.
Questions
Should the final vote be binding?
Say up front whether it is. If cost, security or contract terms can overrule it, tell people before they vote, not after.
Can I see who voted for which tool?
Only if the poll is not anonymous. For the shortlist and the final pick, named votes are fine and help you follow up. For the trial survey, use anonymous so the feedback is honest.
Can I export the survey answers?
Yes. On Premium, the poll creator can export results to CSV from the poll settings.
Used by
Related
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