If you’re wondering how to create a pulse survey that genuinely improves the onboarding experience, start with the right questions. Building great questions for onboarding pulse surveys helps keep a finger on new employee engagement at every critical milestone.
Most organizations use **30-day**, **60-day**, and **90-day** checkpoints to gauge onboarding success and surface potential issues early. Running AI-powered conversational surveys lets us dig deeper than static checklists, making employees feel heard and understood from day one.
Let’s get specific: In this guide, I’ll break down the top onboarding pulse survey questions, go through privacy settings, and share proven analysis strategies so you can unlock the full value of every response.
30-day pulse survey: First impressions and initial setup
The **30-day pulse survey** is where we capture those crucial first impressions—new hires’ initial experiences, any setup hiccups, and early wins or struggles. If we spot issues now, we can solve them before they snowball. Here are the five foundational questions I use at this milestone, each paired with an AI-driven probing approach:
How clear is your understanding of your role and responsibilities?
AI probing: If the response signals any confusion, the survey digs for specifics—“Which responsibilities feel unclear to you?” or “Are there particular tasks you’d like more guidance on?”How would you rate the overall quality of your onboarding process so far?
AI probing: If someone rates onboarding poorly, the AI follows up: “Can you share which parts of the process felt lacking or overwhelming?” See more about automatic AI follow-up questions and how these smart probes help us zero in on pain points.How welcomed and included have you felt by your team?
AI probing: If feedback is neutral or negative, the AI explores: “What could help you feel more included or supported by colleagues?”Do you have access to all the tools and resources needed to do your job?
AI probing: If tools are missing, the AI prompts new hires to specify gaps: “Which tools or software do you still need access to?” or “What info would smooth your workflow?”What’s been your biggest challenge since starting?
AI probing: Depending on what they share, the AI will clarify: “Can you give an example?” or “How did you try to address it?”
Keep these surveys brief but conversational—our goal is candid, actionable feedback without adding extra burden. Given that only 12% of employees believe their company does a great job onboarding new hires [4], the questions at this stage are vital for course correction.
60-day pulse survey: Integration and early productivity
The **60-day pulse survey** checks if employees are finding their feet—are they starting to contribute meaningfully and building real connections? Here’s how I structure this round, always using AI probing to get to the heart of each response:
Are your personal goals and expectations aligned with your current responsibilities?
AI probing: If someone points out misalignment, the AI asks, “Which goals need more clarity or support?” or “What’s missing in your current scope?”How would you rate your relationship with your direct manager so far?
AI probing: For weaker ratings, the AI follows up: “What could your manager do differently to support you?”How effective is your collaboration with your team?
AI probing: If collaboration is a problem, the AI asks: “Which aspects of teamwork feel most challenging?” Remember, employees who received team introductions are 49% more likely to collaborate well [5].Have the training and resources provided equipped you for success?
AI probing: When someone mentions gaps, the AI explores: “Was there a specific skill or tool that’s still missing?”What’s your overall job satisfaction so far?
AI probing: With lower satisfaction, the AI prompts: “What’s driving your feeling?” or “Is there a change that would help?”
With conversational surveys, employees respond more naturally—and we’re far less likely to miss early signs of disengagement. Companies with engaged team members outperform lower-engagement peers by 202% [3]. That’s why this survey style is so powerful: it’s interactive, thorough, and genuinely helpful.
Traditional pulse survey | Conversational pulse survey |
|---|---|
Checkboxes & rating scales | Open-ended questions with AI follow-up |
Limited context per answer | Uncovers reasons, specifics, and suggestions |
Often ignored or rushed | Feels like a real conversation |
Insights only as deep as survey design | AI tailors follow-ups to each response |
If you want to build surveys like this, try using the AI survey generator—type what you need, and let the AI map out smart questions and follow-ups.
90-day pulse survey: Long-term fit and retention indicators
At **90 days**, we’re looking for clear signals that hint at retention, growth, or potential flight risk. These questions go deeper, and the follow-ups are tuned to spot hidden roadblocks:
How clear is your potential career path here?
AI probing: If there’s any doubt, the AI asks: “What steps would help make your growth trajectory more visible?” or “Are there career moves you want but don’t see yet?”Do you feel like you fit well with the company culture?
AI probing: If the fit is shaky, the AI explores: “What feels off or out of place?”How would you rate the performance feedback you’ve received so far?
AI probing: When feedback feels lacking, the AI asks: “What kind of feedback or recognition would be most helpful?”What growth opportunities do you see here?
AI probing: If someone says none, the AI probes: “Which specific development areas are you interested in?” Employees with personalized onboarding plans are 19% more productive in their first 90 days [10].On a scale from 0-10, how likely are you to recommend this company to a friend?
AI probing: Here’s where the AI shines: for promoters (score 9-10), it explores what’s working. For detractors (0-6), it asks: “What would make you more likely to recommend us?”
If someone expresses uncertainty about growth, the AI will always follow up: “What specific opportunities or projects would keep you engaged?” These insights aren’t just for curiosity—HR can act before people disengage or disappear. Regular 90-day conversations increase retention by 23% [8], and Specific’s best-in-class conversational UX makes feedback easier for everyone involved.
Setting up anonymity and frequency controls
Anonymity isn’t just a checkbox—it’s essential for honest, actionable employee feedback. Specific gives you full control: you can set surveys as fully anonymous (no identity attached), pseudonymous (responses are tagged for trend analysis but not linked to individuals), or identified (where follow-ups might include direct check-ins). Choose what fits your culture best, and configure it seamlessly when creating a survey.
And because every probing reply makes this a true conversational survey, employees feel like they’re chatting with a person, not filling out a form. That leads to richer, more truthful stories.
On frequency, recontact periods (like “no more than once every 30 days”) protect people from fatigue. Set up global frequency rules in your survey builder so an employee isn’t over-surveyed across multiple touchpoints. For example, you might schedule 30-day check-ins to trigger exactly on Day 30 with a flexible 3-day window, making it automated but respectful of people’s time.
These controls strike a balance: we get recurring, valuable feedback without burning people out—a major reason why strong onboarding programs can boost retention by up to 82% [1].
Analyzing pulse survey data by team and region
Segmented analysis is non-negotiable if you want to move from insights to action. The big picture is helpful, but what really matters is spotting patterns within teams, offices, or even tenure buckets. Here’s how I do it:
Filter survey data by department, location, or start date, letting you observe unique trends or problem areas.
Slice conversations to uncover hidden pain points or breakout wins.
Use AI-powered analysis tools to chat directly with survey data—this is where the AI survey response analysis shines.
Some useful prompts for deeper analysis:
Show me onboarding challenges specific to the engineering team
Compare 30-day satisfaction between US and European offices
What are the top concerns for remote vs. in-office new hires?
By running multiple analysis chats, you let each department lead, HR manager, or executive drill down on their own questions—and you can easily export highlights for leadership slides or HR dashboards. Most importantly, these insights guide focused interventions. No more blanket fixes; only the teams or regions struggling actually get targeted support.
Start measuring employee engagement today
Great onboarding pulse surveys are the secret sauce behind higher retention and stronger productivity. Thanks to AI-powered creation, it’s easier than ever to build smart, personalized surveys that adapt to every stage of the onboarding journey.
Ready to launch your own conversational survey? Create your own survey and customize questions within seconds—you’ll never go back to static forms.
If you’re not running these pulse surveys, you’re missing early warning signs of employee disengagement and retention risk. Now is the time to turn feedback into retention success—before you lose the people you just hired.