How Proactive Surveys Work When Targeting by Device
This article explains how proactive surveys behave when a device is used as part of the target audience criteria. It clarifies why targeting by device does not result in multiple surveys being sent to the same person and when device information is actually relevant. The key principle to understand is that proactive surveys are always user-based, even when device data is involved in targeting or reporting.
One survey per user – even when targeting by device
When proactive surveys are targeted using device-based filters (for example laptops or computers), the survey logic still works at the user level:
- Survey recipients are grouped by user
- Each user can receive only one proactive survey within the allowed frequency
- Having multiple devices does not increase the number of surveys sent
If a user owns multiple devices, they are still considered a single survey recipient. This ensures that users are not over-surveyed simply because they have more than one device assigned to them.
Device count and device age do not affect survey sending
The proactive survey itself:
- Does not ask about a specific device
- Measures the user’s overall experience, not feedback about one individual hardware item
Because of this:
- It does not matter how many devices a user has
- It does not matter if the user has just received a new device
- Changes in devices alone do not trigger additional survey sends
As long as the user matches the target audience criteria, they are eligible for the survey once, regardless of their device inventory.
Why reports and survey audiences may show different numbers
It is common to see differences between:
- Device-related reports (which list devices)
- Proactive survey audiences (which count users)
This happens because:
- Reports often count devices (one row per asset)
- Proactive surveys count unique users
As a result, reports may show higher numbers when multiple devices are assigned to the same user, while the proactive survey correctly sends only one survey per person.
When device information does matter: data enrichment
Device data becomes relevant after the survey is sent when survey responses are enriched or widened with device attributes, such as:
- Device model or manufacturer
- Operating system
- Install or delivery date
In these scenarios:
- One device needs to be linked to the survey response for context
- Typically, the latest or most recently installed device is used
This improves reporting and analysis by reflecting the user’s current device environment, without affecting how surveys are targeted or how many are sent.
Key takeaways
- Proactive survey targeting is always user-based
- Only one survey per user is sent, even when devices are used as filters
- Device quantity or device age does not impact survey sending
- Device data is mainly used for enriching results and analysis, not for determining survey volume
If deeper device-level insights are required, device data can be added to the survey responses for analysis — while still keeping the proactive survey experience simple and user-friendly.