Pulse survey examples can transform how you gather quick, focused employee feedback throughout the year. With this guide, I’m sharing a set of pulse survey templates examples, all built in Specific, for objectives like onboarding, change management, and quarterly check-ins.
Each example includes tailored question sequences, practical delivery options, and smart targeting strategies that help you collect the most actionable insights.
Onboarding pulse survey templates
Onboarding is a high-stakes moment for any employee. Get it right, and you’ll boost engagement and retention from day one. That’s why effective onboarding pulse surveys matter—they help you pinpoint what new hires need, before small frustrations turn into bigger issues. Did you know that organizations with a strong onboarding process improve new hire retention by 82% and productivity by over 70%? [1]
Example 1: Day 1 onboarding survey
Objective: Assess how a new hire’s first day landed—emotionally and practically.
How would you rate your first day with us?
Did you receive all the resources and access you expected?
Is there something that would have made today easier or more comfortable?
Example 2: Week 1 onboarding survey
Objective: Check how the new hire is settling in and uncover missed connections or hurdles.
How comfortable do you feel taking on your current responsibilities?
Have you had a chance to meet with your assigned mentor or onboarding buddy?
What’s been your biggest challenge so far?
Example 3: Month 1 onboarding survey
Objective: Reflect on the full onboarding experience and spot patterns to improve it for future hires.
How well do you understand your role and what’s expected of you?
Do you feel like you’re part of the team and company culture?
What’s one thing we could change to help new hires get up to speed faster?
Targeting Rules: Trigger surveys after day 1, day 7, and day 30—exclusively for new hires so only those in the onboarding phase get them.
Follow-up Behaviors: If someone points to missing resources or unclear info, the AI will ask about what specifically is missing and offer to flag it for HR. Specific’s automatic AI follow-up questions make these deeper probes seamless, surfacing what most forms would miss.
Delivery Choices: For onboarding inside internal tools (like HRIS or training apps), I prefer an in-product survey widget—it’s natural and non-intrusive. For remote or distributed teams, a conversational survey page with a link sent via email feels friendly and convenient. Conversational Survey Pages let you run these without IT.
Quarterly check-in pulse survey examples
Quarterly pulse surveys give you a regular read on employee sentiment, so you’re not just reacting—you’re proactively managing engagement. When employees feel listened to on a consistent basis, companies are 4.6 times more likely to improve performance and see stronger retention [2].
Example 1: General satisfaction check-in
Purpose: Measure overall satisfaction and identify potential warning signs before they escalate.
How satisfied are you overall with your current role?
Do you feel recognized and appreciated by your team or manager?
What support or resources would improve your work right now?
Example 2: Goal alignment check-in
Purpose: Make sure individual efforts connect to company objectives.
Do you understand how your work ties into our organization’s main goals?
Have you received clear feedback on your contributions this quarter?
Are there any roadblocks to hitting your objectives?
Targeting: Surveys are scheduled on a quarterly basis using automated triggers, but with a “recontact period” so you don’t survey team members that answered a similar check-in a week ago. No survey fatigue means higher quality insights.
Follow-up Behaviors: AI analyzes each answer in real time—if someone shares high engagement, it asks what’s working best. If someone indicates frustration, the AI digs deeper into what’s off and suggests next steps or support resources. Get more on AI-powered follow-ups.
Delivery Methods: When you want those honest, in-the-moment reads, the in-product widget is unbeatable. For more reflective or sensitive topics, link-based surveys sent via email give employees space to reply thoughtfully. The data? Run it all through AI survey response analysis—you’ll spot sentiment trends fast and with clarity.
Change management pulse survey templates
During organizational changes, effective pulse surveys let you spot anxiety, resistance, or confusion before momentum stalls. Employees who feel heard during change are 2.5 times more likely to embrace new initiatives [3]. Here are examples of how to run the right survey at every change stage.
Example 1: Pre-change readiness
Timing: Before change rolls out—capture initial reactions and preparedness.
How aware are you of the upcoming changes?
Do you feel you have enough information to prepare?
What support would help you feel ready for what’s ahead?
Example 2: Mid-implementation feedback
Timing: As the change takes effect—uncover early roadblocks and quick wins.
How is the change impacting your daily work right now?
Have you run into any unexpected issues or challenges?
What’s one thing we could adjust immediately to make this transition easier?
Example 3: Post-change adoption
Timing: After launch—reflect on the effectiveness and emotional landing of the change.
How comfortable are you with the new processes or tools we’ve introduced?
Did the change solve the problems it was intended to address?
What would you recommend for future change initiatives?
Targeting Rules: Pulse surveys can be scoped for all employees or zoom in on specific departments, roles, or even teams most affected by the shift. With in-product conversational surveys, targeting is just a few clicks.
Follow-up Logic: If someone signals confusion or pushback, Specific’s AI probes for what’s unclear or creates a fast lane for feedback to HR. This conversational format isn’t just friendlier—it reliably surfaces problems early. See how easy it is to tweak questions in the AI survey editor.
Pulse survey timing | Purpose |
|---|---|
Pre-change | Assess awareness and gather early feedback on readiness |
Mid-change | Monitor adoption, surface issues as they happen |
Post-change | Evaluate how well changes landed and identify further support needs |
The beauty of a conversational survey is its ability to dig beyond surface-level answers. It draws out specifics and emotions that traditional forms would never catch.
Creating your own employee pulse surveys
With Specific’s AI survey generator, building your custom pulse survey is as simple as describing your goal—really. The AI will handle the question sequences, follow-ups, and even suggest delivery methods.
Here are two prompts you can use to get started:
Create a pulse survey for quarterly check-ins to measure employee satisfaction and alignment with company goals.
Generate an onboarding pulse survey that probes how prepared and welcome new hires feel after their first week.
Customization Options: You can tailor the tone (professional, friendly, concise, detailed), adjust how deep the AI probes with follow-up questions, or set language preferences. Want the survey short and sweet? Just ask for a 3-question check-in. Need a bilingual version? State the languages up front.
Conversational surveys feel less like a form and more like a helpful chat. They drive higher response rates and more honest feedback—which is why they’re perfect for frequent pulse checks.
Keep surveys concise: Aim for a maximum of 3–5 core questions plus AI follow-ups—enough to get depth, but short enough that employees want to participate again next time.
Pulse frequency tips: For onboarding, try day 1, week 1, and month 1. For check-ins, quarterly works best for most teams. For change management, use before, during, and after any major project or policy shift.
Ready to go? Try out a prompt in Specific’s AI survey generator and create your own survey, using these examples as inspiration.