Import responses using the Response Import app

SurveySparrow lets you import responses (via CSV file) to a survey, so you can sync pre-existing data and ensure your data is complete. However, you can only import 1000 responses at a time, and the native response import feature only lets you import responses for the following question types:

Multiple Choice
Picture Choice
Text input
Rating
Opinion scale
Email
Yes or No
Number

If you need to import more responses in one go, or wish to import responses from other question types, SurveySparrow also has a Response Import app to upload responses (via CSV file). The app can import up to 25,000 responses in a go and supports the following question types:

Question types	Expected Format and Sample Response	Remarks
NPS Score	Integer	Limit: 0-10
CES Score	Integer	Limit: 0-7
CSAT Score	Integer	Limit: 0-5
Opinion scale	Integer	Limit: 0-12
Rating	Integer	Limit: 1-5
Group Rating	Integer	Limit: 1- Max Steps
Number	Integer	Any valid integer
Slider	Integer	Limit: 0-given Range
Constant Sum	Integer	Response for each option should be in separate column
Picture Choice	String - ‘choice1’ Pipe ( \| ) separated string in case of multi selection - ‘choice1\|choice2’	String should match one or more in case of multi selection of options of the question
Matrix	String - ‘point1’ Pipe ( \| ) separated string in case of multi selection - ‘point1\|point2’	Response for each statement should be in separate column String should match one or more in case of multi selection of options of the question statement
Multi choice	String - ‘choice1’ Pipe ( \| ) separated string in case of multi selection - ‘choice1\|choice2’	String should match one or more in case of multi selection of options of the question
Multi choice Other option	String - in the Multichoice as pipe ( \| ) separated values, or in a new column	-
Rank order	Pipe ( \| ) separated string - ‘order2\|order1\|order3’	String should match all options of the question
Drop down	String - ‘dropdown1’	String should match one of options of the question
Text	String - ‘hello’	-
Email	String - ‘[email protected]’	Valid email
Yes No	String - either 'Yes' or 'No’	-
Phone Number	String - ‘+919876543210 ’	Response has to include country code
Website	String	String should be a valid url
Contact form	String	Response for each option should be in separate column
Consent/Agreement	True, Agree	-
DateOnly	String- “DD/MM/YYYY” or “MM/DD/YYYY” or “YYYY/MM/DD”	The format should be the same as created in the question.

The app can import responses to surveys of the following types:

Classic (Classic Form)
Chat (Conversational)
CX surveys (NPS, CES, CSAT, and their Chat variants — NPS Chat, CES Chat, CSAT Chat).

Note: For CX surveys mapping Contact Properties is mandatory — the import will fail if no contact property is mapped.

Before you begin, prepare the CSV so that each column represents a respondent detail, response property, survey question, variable, or contact property that you want to import.

1. Open account settings, then select Apps and Integrations.

2. Select Create a Custom app.

3. Enter an App name and App label. Keep the app status active and select Select all under Scope.

4. Click Save to create the app.

5. Copy the access token shown after the app is created and save it securely. The token is displayed only once. Do not share it publicly.

6. Open the survey to which you want to import responses, then open the Results tab, followed by the Responses tab.

7. Click on the three-dot icon next to Enrich. When the drop-down menu appears, hover over

8. Paste the access token into the API Key field and click Save.

9. Click on the grey box to upload your CSV.

10. After the file is uploaded, open the Map Fields tab. SurveySparrow automatically maps columns when their headers match existing questions or properties. Review every row, especially rows marked as not mapped. For each unmapped column, use the first dropdown to choose the field type, then use the next dropdown to select the exact destination field. Available field types can include Question, Variable, Response Property, Contact Property, and Submission ID. Leave a column unmapped only when you do not want to import it.

11. When all required columns are mapped, select Finish Import.

12. Wait for the import to complete. The Imports page shows the import status, entries created, errors, logs, and the time of the last import. Review any errors before starting another import. Click on Start New Import to start another one.

Note: Creating vs Updating responses

By default, every row in the CSV creates a new response.
To UPDATE an existing response instead, map a column to the response property "Submission ID". Rows that have a Submission ID will update the matching existing submission instead of creating a new one.
Response Properties / Created At and the import channel are ignored when updating; only answers, variables, and contact details are updated.

These are the response properties supported by the app:

Response properties	Type	Remarks
Created At	String	Ex - "30 March 2024", “March 30 2024”, “2024-03-30T00:00:00.000Z” When you map a column to Created At, select the timezone the CSV dates are in (defaults to your account timezone). Values are converted from that selected timezone to UTC for storage and shown back in your account timezone. A value that includes its own offset (e.g. 2024-03-30T00:00:00.000Z or +05:30) is treated as an absolute instant and the selected timezone is ignored. Accepted formats include YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss, DD/MM/YYYY, MM/DD/YYYY, 30 March 2024, and ISO 8601.
Browser	String	Any string, ex - Chrome
Browser Language	String	Any string, ex - en-GB
Tags	Array of strings	["Tag1", "Tag2"]
IP Address	string

These are the variable types supported by the app:

Variable name	Type
String	String
Date	MM-DD-YYYY
Number	number

These are the contact properties supported by the app. All passed contact properties data should match the data type of the contact properties.

Contact properties	Type
Language	String
Dropdown	String from the options
Email	Email
…Rest	String

That’s it! With the Response Import app, you can bring existing responses into SurveySparrow and keep your survey data in one place. This makes it easier to analyze past and current feedback together, generate more complete reports, and uncover better insights. Try importing a response file to see how it works for your surveys.

Troubleshooting import issues (based on common cases) • If the imported responses show “success” but don’t appear in the Responses section immediately: wait for the responses to populate and check again later. • Field values not mapping correctly even though the import succeeds: ensure the values in your CSV match the survey’s configured answer options exactly (character-by-character). Even minor differences such as separator characters, spacing, or formatting can cause mapping failures. • Records fail to import because they contain no survey responses: only rows that contain survey responses can be imported; rows without responses will fail.

Feel free to reach out to our community in case of any questions.