Responses - Formbricks

Responses are the core data collected by Formbricks. A response represents a user’s answers to a survey, along with metadata about when, where, and how they responded.

What is a Response?

A response is created when a user interacts with a survey. It contains:

Answer Data: The actual responses to each question
Metadata: Browser, device, location, referrer, etc.
Contact: The user who responded (if identified)
Status: Completed or partial (abandoned)
Timestamps: When started, updated, and finished
Tags: Labels for organization and filtering
Variables: Custom data passed from your app
Hidden Fields: Additional context (UTM params, experiment variants, etc.)

Responses are stored in an environment and linked to a survey and optionally a contact.

Response Lifecycle

Response Created

When a user opens a survey, a response record is created with status finished: false. This happens even if they don’t answer any questions yet.

Answers Recorded

As the user answers questions, their responses are saved to the data field. For in-product surveys, answers are sent in real-time. For link surveys, answers are batched.

Response Completed or Abandoned

Completed: User reaches the end and submits (finished: true)
Partial: User abandons mid-survey (finished: false)

Response Analyzed

View in the dashboard, filter by attributes, export to CSV, or send to integrations via webhooks.

Response Data Structure

Each response has the following structure:

{
  "id": "clx1234567890",
  "createdAt": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z",
  "updatedAt": "2024-01-15T10:32:00Z",
  "surveyId": "clxsurvey123",
  "finished": true,
  "contact": {
    "id": "clxcontact456",
    "userId": "user-123"
  },
  "contactAttributes": {
    "email": "sarah@example.com",
    "plan": "pro"
  },
  "data": {
    "question1": "Very satisfied",
    "question2": 9,
    "question3": ["Feature A", "Feature B"]
  },
  "variables": {
    "firstName": "Sarah",
    "plan": "pro"
  },
  "meta": {
    "url": "https://app.example.com/dashboard",
    "userAgent": {
      "browser": "Chrome",
      "os": "macOS",
      "device": "Desktop"
    },
    "country": "United States"
  },
  "tags": [
    {"id": "tag1", "name": "Feature Request"},
    {"id": "tag2", "name": "Priority: High"}
  ],
  "ttc": {
    "question1": 5,
    "question2": 3,
    "question3": 8
  },
  "language": "en"
}

Key Fields Explained

data (Response Data)

The actual answers to survey questions. Keys are question IDs, values are answers.Value types:

String: Open text, single choice ("Very satisfied")
Number: Ratings, NPS (9)
Array: Multiple choice (["Option A", "Option B"])
Object: Matrix questions ({"row1": "col1", "row2": "col2"})

Example:

{
  "nps_score": 9,
  "nps_reason": "Great product and support!",
  "used_features": ["Analytics", "Integrations"]
}

meta (Metadata)

Contextual information about where and how the response was collected.Fields:

url: Page URL where survey was shown
source: Survey source (“link”, “app”)
userAgent: Browser, OS, device
country: User’s country (if IP geolocation enabled)
ipAddress: User’s IP (if capture enabled)
action: Trigger action that showed the survey

Privacy note: IP addresses are only captured if explicitly enabled in survey settings.

variables (Custom Variables)

Dynamic values you pass to personalize the survey. These are also saved with the response.Use cases:

Personalization: firstName, companyName
Context: currentPlan, trialDaysLeft
Segmentation: experimentVariant, featureFlags

Example:

formbricks.setContact({
  userId: "user-123",
  attributes: {
    firstName: "Sarah",
    plan: "pro"
  }
});

Variables are available in response data for analysis.

ttc (Time to Complete)

Time spent on each question in seconds.Example:

{
  "question1": 5,  // 5 seconds
  "question2": 12, // 12 seconds
  "question3": 3   // 3 seconds
}

Use cases:

Identify confusing questions (high TTC)
Optimize survey length
Detect rushed responses (very low TTC)

tags (Response Tags)

Labels you apply to responses for organization.Common tags:

“Feature Request”
“Bug Report”
“Priority: High”
“Needs Follow-up”
“Addressed”

Apply tags manually in the dashboard or automatically via webhooks/API.

contactAttributes (Snapshot)

A snapshot of the contact’s attributes at the time of response. Useful if attributes change later.Example: User was on “free” plan when they responded, but upgraded to “pro” later. contactAttributes preserves the original “free” value.

Completed vs. Partial Responses

Completed Responses (`finished: true`)

User reached the end of the survey and clicked submit. Characteristics:

All questions answered (unless optional)
finished: true
Counted in completion rate
Included in response count by default

Partial Responses (`finished: false`)

User started the survey but didn’t complete it. Reasons for partial responses:

User closed the survey mid-way
Survey auto-closed (timeout)
User abandoned the tab/page
Technical error

Value of partial responses:

Identify where users drop off
Understand question difficulty
Recover some data even if incomplete

Tip: Filter by finished: false to analyze drop-off patterns. If many users abandon at Question 3, it might be confusing or too intrusive.

Viewing Responses

Navigate to a survey and click the Responses tab.

Summary View

Aggregated view of all responses:

Response count and completion rate
Question breakdown: Charts and visualizations for each question
Timeline: Responses over time
Response rate: Displays vs. responses

Individual Responses

Table view of individual responses: Columns:

Response ID
Contact (if identified)
Status (Completed/Partial)
Created date
Tags
Custom attributes

Click a response to see:

Full answer details
Metadata (browser, location, etc.)
Time to complete per question
Contact profile (if linked)

Filtering Responses

Filter responses to analyze specific segments:

Filter by Completion Status

Completed only: finished: true
Partial only: finished: false
All responses: No filter

Filter by Contact Attributes

Example: Show only responses from Pro plan users

Attribute: plan
Condition: equals
Value: pro

Filter by Response Data

Example: Show only NPS detractors (score 0-6)

Question: NPS Score
Condition: less than or equal to
Value: 6

Filter by Tags

Example: Show only responses tagged “Feature Request”

Tag: Feature Request

Filter by Date Range

Example: Show responses from last 30 days

Date: Last 30 days

Combine Filters

All filters use AND logic:

Attribute: plan equals "free"
AND
Question: NPS Score <= 6
AND
Date: Last 7 days

Result: Recent detractors on the free plan—perfect for a churn prevention campaign.

Tagging Responses

Tags help you organize and categorize responses.

Manual Tagging

Click a response
Click “Add Tag”
Select existing tag or create new one
Tag is applied immediately

Bulk Tagging

Filter responses (e.g., NPS ≤ 6)
Select multiple responses
Click “Add Tag”
Apply tag to all selected

Automated Tagging (via Webhooks)

Use webhooks to auto-tag responses based on logic: Example: Tag all NPS detractors automatically

// Your webhook endpoint
if (response.data.nps_score <= 6) {
  formbricksApi.addTag(response.id, "NPS Detractor");
}

Exporting Responses

CSV Export

Steps:

Go to Responses tab
Apply filters (optional)
Click “Export to CSV”
Download file

CSV includes:

All response data
Contact attributes
Metadata
Timestamps
Tags

Use cases:

Import into Excel/Google Sheets
Analyze in BI tools (Tableau, Power BI)
Share with non-Formbricks users

API Export

Fetch responses programmatically:

GET /api/v1/environments/{environmentId}/responses?surveyId={surveyId}

See API Reference for details.

Webhook Integration

Send responses to external tools in real-time: Popular integrations:

Slack: Notify team of new responses
Notion: Create database entries
Zapier/Make/n8n: Connect to 1000+ apps
Your CRM: Sync to Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.

Setup:

Go to Settings → Integrations
Add webhook URL
Choose trigger (response created, updated, finished)
Formbricks sends response data to your endpoint

Response Metadata Deep Dive

User Agent Parsing

Formbricks automatically parses user agents: Detected fields:

Browser: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, etc.
OS: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
Device: Desktop, Mobile, Tablet

Use cases:

Identify mobile-specific issues
Filter responses by device type
Understand browser compatibility

Geolocation

If IP capture is enabled, Formbricks detects country: Privacy note: Formbricks does not store precise location (city/coordinates), only country-level data. Use cases:

Regional feedback analysis
Localization insights
Time zone considerations

Referrer & URL

For in-product surveys, Formbricks captures:

URL: Page where survey was shown
Referrer: Previous page (if available)

Use cases:

Understand context (e.g., survey shown on pricing page)
Identify high-value feedback sources
Track campaign effectiveness

Analytics & Insights

Response Rate

Response rate = Responses / Displays Example: 50 responses from 500 displays = 10% response rate Benchmarks:

Link surveys: 5-15% typical
In-product surveys: 20-40% typical (much higher!)

Improve response rate:

Add welcome card with context
Keep surveys short (less than 5 questions)
Show surveys at the right moment
Personalize with user’s name
Offer incentives (if appropriate)

Completion Rate

Completion rate = Completed responses / Total responses Example: 80 completed out of 100 started = 80% completion rate Benchmarks:

Good: >70%
Needs improvement: <50%

Improve completion rate:

Remove unnecessary questions
Simplify question wording
Add progress indicator
Make optional questions truly optional
Test survey flow in development

Time to Complete (TTC)

Average time users spend on the survey. Benchmarks:

Ideal: 1-3 minutes
Acceptable: 3-5 minutes
Too long: >5 minutes (expect drop-offs)

Per-question TTC: Identify slow questions:

High TTC = confusing or requires thought
Very low TTC = skipped or skimmed

Best Practices

Review Responses Regularly

Set up Slack notifications or check the dashboard daily. Fresh feedback is most actionable.

Tag Responses for Follow-Up

Tag high-value responses (“Interview Candidate”, “Feature Request”) and follow up within 48 hours.

Analyze Partial Responses

Don’t ignore abandons! They tell you where your survey loses people.

Segment by Contact Attributes

Always analyze by segment (free vs. paid, new vs. tenured). Aggregated data can hide insights.

Export Regularly

Back up response data monthly. Integrate with your data warehouse for long-term analysis.

Close the Loop

Email users who gave valuable feedback. Thank them and share how you’re using their input.

Respect Privacy

Only capture IP/location if necessary. Follow GDPR and give users control over their data.

Next Steps

Surveys

Learn how to create surveys that collect valuable responses

Contacts

Understand how responses are linked to contacts

Integrations

Send responses to Slack, Notion, your CRM, and more

API Reference

Fetch and analyze responses programmatically

Getting Started

Core Concepts

Documentation Index

​What is a Response?

​Response Lifecycle

​Response Data Structure

​Key Fields Explained

​Completed vs. Partial Responses

​Completed Responses (finished: true)

​Partial Responses (finished: false)

​Viewing Responses

​Summary View

​Individual Responses

​Filtering Responses

​Filter by Completion Status

​Filter by Contact Attributes

​Filter by Response Data

​Filter by Tags

​Filter by Date Range

​Combine Filters

​Tagging Responses

​Manual Tagging

​Bulk Tagging

​Automated Tagging (via Webhooks)

​Exporting Responses

​CSV Export

​API Export

​Webhook Integration

​Response Metadata Deep Dive

​User Agent Parsing

​Geolocation

​Referrer & URL

​Analytics & Insights

​Response Rate

​Completion Rate

​Time to Complete (TTC)

​Best Practices

​Next Steps

Surveys

Contacts

Integrations

API Reference

What is a Response?

Response Lifecycle

Response Data Structure

Key Fields Explained

Completed vs. Partial Responses

Completed Responses (`finished: true`)

Partial Responses (`finished: false`)

Viewing Responses

Summary View

Individual Responses

Filtering Responses

Filter by Completion Status

Filter by Contact Attributes

Filter by Response Data

Filter by Tags

Filter by Date Range

Combine Filters

Tagging Responses

Manual Tagging

Bulk Tagging

Automated Tagging (via Webhooks)

Exporting Responses

CSV Export

API Export

Webhook Integration

Response Metadata Deep Dive

User Agent Parsing

Geolocation

Referrer & URL

Analytics & Insights

Response Rate

Completion Rate

Time to Complete (TTC)

Best Practices

Next Steps