Learn how to create and send employee surveys in Outlook, explore their limits, and discover smarter pulse survey tools for better engagement and insight.
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Access NowEmployee surveys remain one of the most effective ways to understand what’s working, and what isn’t, inside an organization. When designed well, they reveal insights that can strengthen engagement, culture, and communication strategy. Yet for many communicators relying on tools like Microsoft Outlook, survey capabilities are limited to basic opinion polls that capture quick reactions rather than meaningful data.
Just how important are employee surveys?
Gallagher’s definitive 2025 Employee Communications Report lists engagement surveys as being one of the most valuable listening methods, with 76% of communicators using them and 69% of them ranking them as providing high value. On the other hand, the report states that pulse listening remains one of the most divided areas of channel satisfaction. Only 24% of internal communicators said they were satisfied with their pulse survey activity, while 39% were dissatisfied. Still, of those who did use pulse surveys, 60% found them valuable in producing actionable feedback that informed decisions. This is proof that, despite their flaws, these tools are worth the effort when thoughtfully executed.
McKinsey’s Development in the Future of Work 2025 report reinforces this need for structured listening. It reveals that organizations that thrive “anticipate challenges, adapt, and grow,” building “structural and cultural foundations that support adaptability and resilience.” Central to that adaptability is feedback that aggregates development data such as employee insights, skills, and evaluations to inform team staffing, learning, and system design. None of this intelligence is possible without robust survey input from employees themselves.
In short, employee surveys remain indispensable. But how you deliver them determines their value. Outlook polls may be convenient, but to achieve high participation and deep insight, communicators need modern survey tools, like Cerkl Broadcast’s Pulse Surveys, that look and feel engaging, integrate visually into existing channels, and turn feedback into actionable intelligence.
Gallagher’s 2025 US Workforce Trends Report: Talent Benchmarks highlights the critical importance of employee engagement. People are, after all, “at the heart of everything you do.” This is why aligning your business goals with your people strategy is essential. It empowers employees and makes them feel valued and respected.
The report emphasizes the fact that workforce engagement is crucial. It also points out that accurately assessing engagement poses challenges for effective strategy development. This is where well-designed surveys can play a pivotal role. For instance, they can help identify organizational strengths and areas for improvement, while aligning goals with workforce data drives meaningful change and prevents stagnation in engagement levels.
"Effective employee listening and action planning are vital. Utilizing a well-designed survey to gauge engagement levels helps pinpoint organizational strengths and areas needing improvement." Gallagher
Employee surveys can gauge employee sentiment and morale, helping leaders understand how teams and individuals truly feel about their work environment, leadership, and culture. They also serve as a valuable tool for measuring feedback on initiatives, policy changes, or new tools, providing communicators with clear data on what is resonating and what needs refinement or calls for change. Beyond measurement, surveys give employees a genuine voice in shaping workplace culture, showing that their input influences real decisions and improvements.
Regular check-ins further strengthen this feedback loop. By conducting surveys consistently, organizations are able to build trust and demonstrate accountability. Employees see that their opinions are not only heard but acted upon. Over time, this pattern of listening and responding helps identify communication gaps early, ensuring that engagement remains active, transparent, and aligned with organizational goals.
It’s easy to create a survey in Outlook using Microsoft’s built-in tools. For short, single-question feedback requests, Outlook’s standard Poll feature works well. For longer or more detailed surveys, you can connect Outlook to the free Microsoft Forms tool, which allows for multiple questions, branching logic, and more advanced data analysis.
Below we explain both methods — starting with a quick poll, then outlining how to send a survey in Outlook using Microsoft Forms.
In Outlook or Outlook on the web, select New Email to open a message window.
From the message toolbar, choose Insert, and then click Poll, which is displayed as the green Microsoft Forms logo — a small green square with a white checkmark and a stylized “F”. This opens the Microsoft Forms pane on the right.
You can also find the poll via the Options tab > Use Voting Buttons > Poll.
When the Microsoft Forms pane opens, type your question and add up to six multiple-choice answers. You can allow respondents to select one or multiple options. Review your question for clarity before inserting it into your email.
Microsoft warns that if you encrypt an Outlook message that contains voting buttons, message recipients won't be able to see them. That is because the feature isn't supported at this time!
Click Insert poll into email. The poll will embed directly in your message, letting recipients vote without leaving Outlook. Responses are stored in Microsoft Forms, where you can view results in real time or export them to Excel.
Go to forms.office.com and select New Form.
Add multiple-choice, text, rating, or date questions. You can even use branching logic to tailor follow-up questions based on answers.
When your survey is ready, click Collect Responses and choose Copy Link.
To send the survey in Outlook, open a new message and paste the Forms link into the body of your email. Add a short introduction explaining the purpose of the survey and encouraging participation. Recipients can open the form in their browser, complete it, and submit instantly. Results appear automatically in Microsoft Forms for easy review and export.
Quickly garner feedback to track effectiveness of employee communication
Despite being simple to use, Outlook polls aren’t designed for strategic internal communication. They’re best suited for quick, one-off questions rather than organization-wide engagement initiatives. While they make it easy to gather a snapshot of opinion, their functionality, design, and targeting options are too limited to produce meaningful insight.
Below we explain some of the main constraints internal communicators should be aware of.
Outlook polls look plain and lack visual identity. There’s no way to add logos, fonts, or company colors. The basic layout can feel impersonal, which can make employees less inclined to participate. When surveys fail to reflect your organization’s look and tone, they risk blending into inbox clutter and generating lower response rates.
Every recipient receives the same poll, regardless of department, location, or role. There’s no option to tailor questions to specific audiences or to segment responses for deeper analysis. This one-size-fits-all approach limits the ability of communicators to uncover insights relevant to different parts of the organization.
While you can see responses in Microsoft Forms, Outlook polls don’t integrate with broader analytics tools. That means you can’t correlate survey data with employee engagement metrics, communication performance, or behavioral insights, leaving valuable context out of your reporting.
Because the design is static and unbranded, Outlook polls tend to feel transactional rather than conversational. The reality is that employees often skip or ignore them, viewing the polls as impersonal or irrelevant to their work. This inevitably leads to lower completion rates and missed opportunities to gather authentic feedback.
While Outlook polls offer convenience, Cerkl Broadcast is designed specifically for internal communicators who need branded, data-driven, and repeatable ways to engage employees. Its built-in Pulse Survey Element transforms how feedback is gathered—making surveys visual, interactive, and fully measurable across every channel.
Cerkl Broadcast’s Blast Survey Element lets communicators add quick, branded surveys directly inside any email. There’s no need for external links or separate tools. Recipients can respond instantly and effortlessly from within the message itself, creating a seamless and engaging experience.
Surveys can be customized with company colors, fonts, and logos to reflect your brand identity. This cohesive design makes the survey feel like a natural part of the email, not an afterthought, increasing trust and participation.
For more detailed information, have a look at our overview on the Broadcast Pulse Survey Element.
Track engagement and survey results directly within Broadcast Insights. You can monitor response rates, view participation trends, and correlate survey data with other communication metrics like opens, clicks, and acknowledgements, all from a single dashboard..
Users can schedule Pulse Surveys to recur or run as part of ongoing campaigns, allowing communicators to measure changes in sentiment over time. This makes them ideal for assessing employee engagement before and after key initiatives, policy updates, or leadership communications.
Quickly garner feedback to track effectiveness of employee communication
Both Outlook and Cerkl Broadcast are designed to collect employee feedback. However, only one is designed for communication strategy, not just convenience. The table below highlights the core differences in features, audience targeting, and engagement potential between the two platforms.
Employee surveys are most effective when they’re thoughtfully designed and consistently delivered. Whether you’re collecting quick feedback through a pulse survey or running a broader engagement initiative, small improvements in design and strategy can dramatically increase participation and the value of the insights you collect.
Here are a few best practices that suggest how to make the most of your internal employee surveys, whatever format they take.
Brevity drives response. Aim for one to three focused questions that capture clear, actionable feedback. Short surveys respect employees’ time and reduce survey fatigue, helping you maintain steady participation across repeated pulses.
A branded survey looks professional and immediately signals that it’s a trusted, internal communication. Consistent colors, fonts, and logos reinforce your organization’s identity and build credibility, encouraging employees to engage rather than ignore the message.
Send surveys only to the groups who can meaningfully respond, whether that’s a department, region, or to those tasked with a specific role. Targeting increases relevance and reduces noise, leading to better data quality and higher response rates.
Always close the feedback loop. Summarize key findings and communicate what will be done with the results. Sharing outcomes further builds transparency and trust, demonstrating that surveys lead to real change rather than disappearing into a data void.
Use follow-up questions or recurring pulse surveys to track shifts in sentiment and engagement. This helps internal communicators and leaders identify trends, evaluate whether initiatives are working, and adjust strategies to sustain progress.
Employee surveys don’t have to be time-consuming or complicated. With the right tools and a clear strategy, internal communicators can quickly gather insights that improve engagement, strengthen culture, and build two-way trust. Whether you’re just starting out or refining an established listening program, using a consistent, well-designed template ensures your surveys are short, relevant, and visually aligned with your brand.
Kick-start your next feedback campaign with Cerkl’s Employee Pulse Survey Template.
Quickly garner feedback to track effectiveness of employee communication
Quickly garner feedback to track effectiveness of employee communication
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