Add and Edit Phone Number Questions in Engagement Questionnaires

Collect contact phone numbers from residents by adding phone number questions to your engagement questionnaires. Phone number questions provide a specialized input field for telephone numbers, enabling direct communication, emergency contact collection, and follow-up opportunities for municipal services and community engagement initiatives.

Quick Steps

1. Navigate to Ask > Surveys > Build select your survey
   
   
2. Drag "Phone Number" from the Content sidebar under "CONTACT"
3. Drop the question into your desired position in the questionnaire
4. Configure question text and validation settings in the modal that opens automatically
   
   
5. Click "Save" to apply changes and see the in-builder preview

In-Depth Guide

Adding a New Phone Number Question

Access the Questionnaire Builder Navigate to the Engage section and go to the Activities listing screen. Find your engagement questionnaire and select "Edit" to open the Questionnaire Builder interface.

Add the Phone Number Question From the Content sidebar on the right, locate "Phone Number" under the "CONTACT" section. Drag the Phone Number element and drop it into your questionnaire at the desired position.

The questionnaire builder will display a drop zone where you can position your new question. Release the Phone Number element when the drop zone appears in your preferred location.

Configure Question Settings Once you drop the Phone Number element into your questionnaire, the configuration modal automatically opens. Enter your question text in the main question field. Write clear questions that explain why you're collecting phone numbers and how they will be used. For example, "Please provide your phone number for emergency contact purposes" or "Enter your phone number if you'd like to receive text from the City."

Add Support Text (Optional) Use the Support Text field to provide additional context about how the phone number will be used, privacy protections, communication preferences, or format examples. This text appears below the main question and can explain the purpose of phone number collection, frequency of contact, or opt-out information.

Configure Validation (Optional) Toggle the Validation setting to enable phone number format verification. When enabled, the system checks that entered phone numbers follow expected format patterns, helping ensure data quality and dialability.

Mark as Required (Optional) Toggle the Required Question setting to make the phone number question mandatory for questionnaire submission. Required questions must be answered before respondents can proceed or submit their responses.

Save Your Configuration After configuring all settings, click "Save" to apply your changes. The modal will close and you'll see an in-builder preview of your phone number question within the questionnaire.

Editing Existing Phone Number Questions

Locate and Select the Question In the Questionnaire Builder, find the phone number question you want to modify. Click on the edit icon on the question block to open the configuration modal and access all editing options.

Modify Question Content Update the question text or support text as needed. Ensure your question clearly explains why the phone number is being collected and how it will be used for contact purposes. Click "Save" to apply your changes and close the configuration modal. Once saved, you'll see an in-builder preview of your updated question.

Adjust Validation Settings Enable or disable phone number validation based on your data quality requirements. Consider that validation helps ensure callable numbers but may cause issues with international or non-standard phone number formats.

Update Required Settings Modify the required question setting based on whether phone contact is essential for your engagement goals or optional for additional communication opportunities.

Reorder Questions Reposition phone number questions within your questionnaire flow using two methods:

• Drag-and-drop: Click and hold the question block, then drag it to a new position. The questionnaire will show drop zones indicating valid placement locations.
• Toolbar: Use the reordering options available in the question's toolbar for precise positioning.

Remove Questions To delete a phone number question, use the delete option in the question's toolbar. The question will be removed immediately without a confirmation prompt.

Question Design Best Practices

Clearly Explain Phone Usage Always explain why you're collecting phone numbers and how they will be used for contact. Specify whether for voice calls, text messages, emergency contact, or specific communications.

Address Privacy Concerns Use support text to explain privacy protections, data handling practices, and opt-out options. Consider local privacy regulations and telephone communication laws.

Consider Communication Preferences Explain what types of communications recipients can expect (frequency, content, timing) to set appropriate expectations for phone contact.

Place Strategically Phone number questions often work best in contact sections or toward the end of questionnaires, grouped with other contact information requests.

Methodology

Phone Number Format Processing The system accepts various phone number formats. When validation is enabled, common format patterns are checked for consistency and basic format compliance.

Contact Data Collection Phone numbers are collected as text strings that can be used for direct communication, emergency contact systems, and follow-up engagement activities.

Validation Error Handling When validation is enabled, invalid phone number formats trigger helpful error messages that guide respondents toward acceptable formats without losing questionnaire progress.

Format Standardization Collected phone numbers can be standardized for communication systems while preserving original entries for reference and verification purposes.

Language Support Phone number questions support multi-language engagement questionnaires when configured. Question text and support text are translated, while phone number validation adapts to regional format expectations.

Edge Cases, Exceptions & Known Issues

Drag and Drop Functionality

• Questions must be dropped in valid drop zones within the questionnaire area
• Dropping questions outside the builder area will not add them to your questionnaire

Phone Number Format Variations

• Different countries use varying phone number formats
• Some phone numbers include extensions or special formatting that validation may not recognize

Validation Considerations

• Strict validation may reject valid phone numbers that don't match expected patterns