Duplicate an Engagement Activity as a Template

At a Glance

Save time and standardize your outreach by duplicating successful Engagement Activities as reusable templates. When you duplicate as a template, you create a copy in the Templates Library that you and other authorized team members can use to quickly launch new activities with proven structures and questions.

Key requirement: Only Client Admins can duplicate an Engagement Activity as a template. 

Core Steps

To duplicate an Engagement Activity as a template:

1. Navigate to Ask > Surveys > Build select your survey
   
   
2. Locate the Engagement Activity you want to save as a template
3. Click the three-dot menu (⋮) next to the activity
4. Select Duplicate as a Template
   
   
5. In the modal, enter a Title for your template
   
   
6. Click Next. Your template will be created and added to your template library. 
   
   

In-Depth Guide

When to Duplicate as a Template

Consider creating a template when you have an Engagement Activity that:

• Performed well and you want to reuse its structure
• Follows a format you'll use repeatedly (e.g., quarterly check-ins, event feedback)
• Should be standardized across departments or projects
• Contains carefully crafted questions you want to preserve

Accessing the Duplicate Feature

To find activities you can duplicate:

1. From the main navigation, go to Ask > Surveys > Build 
2. Browse or filter your activities list using the Organization, Category, Project, Activity, or Status filters
3. Identify Engagement or Live Engagement activities you have owner or admin access to
4. Click the three-dot menu (⋮) to reveal the option Duplicate as a Template

Note: Only Engagement and Live Engagement activity types can be duplicated as templates. 

Naming Your Template

When the "Duplicate as a Template" modal appears:

• Enter a descriptive Title that helps you and others identify the template's purpose
• Titles can match existing templates or activities—there are no restrictions on duplicate names
• Consider including details like topic, audience, or use case (e.g., "Q4 Resident Satisfaction Survey" or "Post-Event Feedback - Standard")

What Happens After Creation

After clicking Next:

• The template is immediately created and added to the Templates Library
• You can navigate to your template library and open it. It will open the questionnaire builder. 
• From here, you can review the content, make adjustments, or simply close the builder
• The template is now available to you and other authorized users in your organization

Understanding the Details

What Gets Copied

When you duplicate an activity as a template, everything from the original activity is copied, including:

• All questions and their configurations
• Question types and settings (multiple choice, dropdown, text input, etc.)
• Page structure and question order
• Automated helper text settings
• Logic and branching rules
• Question Bank questions and Client Questions
• All settings from the Settings tab
• Scheduled dates (if configured in the original)

What Does NOT Get Copied

The following elements are not included when duplicating as a template:

• Response data - Templates start fresh with zero responses
• Distribution settings - Templates don't include the original activity's distribution configuration
• Activity status - Templates have their own independent status

Important: Dates ARE copied from the original activity. Be sure to update any scheduled dates when using the template to create a new activity.

How Templates Work in Your Organization

Sharing and access:

• Templates are shared across your organization
• Client Admins can see all templates in the organization
• The Templates Library displays who created each template

Editing templates:

• Templates can be edited at any time in the questionnaire builder
• There are no limitations on editing templates
• Changes to a template do not affect activities already created from that template

Using templates:

• Access templates through the Templates Library
• Use "Create from template" to launch new activities based on your saved templates
• Each new activity created from a template is independent

Relationship to Original Activity

• Creating a template does not modify or affect the original activity
• The original activity continues to function normally
• If you archive the original activity, the template remains available
• Archiving a template does not remove or affect any activities created from it

Advanced Scenarios

Managing Template Access

Who can duplicate as a template: Only users with Client Admin permissions on an Engagement Activity can duplicate it as a template. If you don't see the "Duplicate as a Template" option, check your access level for that activity.

Who can use templates:

• Client Admins can access all templates in the organization

Duplicate vs. Duplicate as Template

Zencity offers two duplication options:

Use Duplicate when you need a one-time copy to modify. Use Duplicate as a Template when you want to save a reusable structure for future activities.

Template Versioning

If you need to update a template:

1. Edit the template directly in the Templates Library
2. Or create a new version by duplicating an improved activity as a template with a version indicator in the name (e.g., "Resident Survey - v2")

Activities created from the original template will not automatically update—they remain as they were created.

Important Notes

• Only Engagement and Live Engagement activities can be duplicated as templates
• Templates preserve all questions, settings, and configurations from the original activity
• Response data is never copied to templates
• You must have a Client Admin role to duplicate an engagement activity as a template
• Templates are available to authorized users across your organization through the Templates Library