The respondent ID feature allows you to pass a unique identifier into your survey link so responses can be matched back to records in your CRM or customer database. This is commonly used when sending surveys to your own audience via email.
Respondent IDs are added to the survey URL and captured with each response.
How respondent IDs work
When a respondent opens a survey using a personalised link that includes a respondent ID:
the ID is captured alongside their survey responses
the ID appears in exports and results data
responses can be matched back to your CRM or database using that ID
Attest does not validate or generate respondent IDs. The ID is provided by you and passed through the survey link.
What you need before you start
To use respondent IDs, you’ll need:
a live Attest survey
access to your email or marketing platform
a unique identifier stored in your CRM (for example, a contact ID)
basic familiarity with merge tags or personalisation fields
If you plan to analyse responses using customer attributes, you should also upload your own audience data to Attest. See How to add your own audience data for more detail.
Adding a respondent ID to your survey link
To track individual responses, you’ll need to append a customer ID / query string to your survey URL that includes a placeholder for your CRM/customer ID.
To append a customer ID to your survey URL in your email campaign, you need to use merge tags. You can use this in any email platform like Hubspot, Pardot, MailChimp etc.
Example of the link your respondents will use with a merge tag placeholder:
Replace {{crm_id}} with your platform’s specific merge tag (e.g., %%ID%% for Pardot, *|ID|* for Mailchimp).
Using the personalised link in emails
You can include the personalised survey link anywhere in your email, such as:
a text link
a button CTA
When the email is sent, each recipient receives their own version of the link with their unique ID embedded.
Testing before sending
Before sending your campaign, test the setup using your email platform’s preview or test mode.
Check that:
the merge tag resolves to a real ID
the survey opens correctly
the respondent ID appears in the URL
This helps catch issues before the survey is sent to your full audience..
Viewing responses with respondent IDs
As respondents complete the survey:
their responses are stored with the respondent ID
the ID appears in exported data
You can use this ID to join survey responses back to your CRM records for analysis or follow-up.
Things to be aware of
Use non-sensitive identifiers only. Do not include personal data in survey URLs.
Keep field names consistent between your CRM and survey data.
Respondent IDs are captured passively and do not affect survey flow or logic.