Quick, opt-in feedback from known contacts
Use messaging tools forPost-service ratings, event feedback, staff pulse surveys. Choose a provider that handles templates, DLT and opt-outs for you.
Survey app · Channels
Bharat Survey does not send WhatsApp or SMS surveys in version 1. Here is why, and what works instead
A WhatsApp survey in India looks cheap: one message, thousands of replies. In practice it reaches only people who opted in, answers come from whoever holds the phone, and political use runs into platform and regulatory limits. Bharat Survey does not offer WhatsApp or SMS survey sending in version 1. We run in-person surveys on an offline Android app, where each interview carries consent, location evidence and review. This page explains the trade-offs so you can choose well.
- No WhatsApp or SMS sending in v1
- WhatsApp Business API needs opt-in and approved templates
- Commercial SMS in India needs DLT registration
- In-person surveys give location-verified records
Home #17 · Intro & consent
Hello, I am Ram Kumar. This survey is run by Sample Organisation. Purpose: to learn about amenities in your area. It is voluntary, and you can say no at any time.
Consent v2 · 09:44
Agreed — start surveyDeclined
Location evidence
Survey #BS-0412
- In areaInside approx. boundary
- Accuracy±12 m
- Time09:42 · fresh fix
- Mock GPSNot detected
- Interview length11 min
Added to accepted count
Opt-in rulesMessage templatesDLT registrationSelf-selection biasWho holds the phoneIn-person interviewsLocation evidenceConsent recorded
Our view
How it works
Organisations send WhatsApp messages at scale through the WhatsApp Business Platform, usually via a business solution provider. Meta's policies require that people have opted in to receive messages from the business, and business-initiated conversations must start with a pre-approved message template. Meta charges per conversation or message according to its current pricing for India.
A survey then runs as a chat flow or a link to a form. Response rates depend heavily on whether recipients know and trust the sender.
Where WhatsApp surveys work well
Customer feedback after a service, where the customer shared their number and expects the message. Short internal pulse checks with staff. Follow-up with programme participants who agreed to be contacted.
Where they struggle
People without smartphones or data, older and rural respondents, and any study where you need a representative sample or proof of who answered.
Check before you start
- Documented opt-in for each number
- Approved message templates
- Current Meta pricing for India
- Data protection notice under the DPDP Act
SMS
Registration
DLT entity registration
Under TRAI's commercial communication regulations, businesses sending SMS register as principal entities on an operator's DLT platform.
Identity
Headers and templates
Sender IDs and message templates are registered in advance. Unregistered content can be blocked by operators.
Consent
Promotional vs service messages
Message categories carry different consent and timing rules. A survey invitation must fit the category it is registered under.
Decision aid
| Question | WhatsApp or SMS survey | In-person survey on Bharat Survey |
|---|---|---|
| Who can be reached | People with the phone, opt-in and data | Anyone at the door, including non-smartphone users |
| Who answered | Unknown: whoever held the phone | Interviewer records respondent after consent |
| Where the answer came from | Unknown | Location checked against assigned area |
| Representative sample | Hard; self-selected responders | Possible with a sampling plan |
| Cost per response | Low | Higher |
| Speed | Hours | Days, depending on field teams |
| Available from Bharat Survey | Not in v1 | Yes |
Software
Surveys where proof of the visit matters
Use Bharat Survey forHouseholds, villages, wards, booths, shops and facilities, where you need to know the interview happened and where.
Survey 3/6 · AmenitiesOffline
How is drinking water in your area?
- Comes regularly
- Comes sometimes
- Rarely / never
- Don't know
✓ Section saved on phone · autosave
BackNext
Political use
WhatsApp survey political campaign use
Meta's business messaging policies restrict political content, and campaign communication during elections is also subject to Election Commission rules. Requests for whatsapp bulk messaging political outreach, meaning mass messages to voter numbers, are something we do not offer, and we do not recommend it.
We also do not offer ai personalised video messaging political products, such as synthetic candidate videos addressed to individual voters.
- No bulk sends
- No synthetic personalised videos
- No voter number databases
Outside area · 14.2 km away · in review
Online survey political: why reach is not a sample
An online poll shared in party groups measures the opinions of people in those groups. For decisions about booths and issues, a sampled door-to-door survey with trained surveyors and verified visits gives numbers you can defend.
- Sampling by booth or ward
- Consent before questions
- Review before counting
3,000
Target homes
2,184
Visits
1,962
Completed
1,871
Accepted
Daily accepted surveysLast 12 days
Not the right fit if
- You need WhatsApp or SMS survey sending now
- Your respondents are opted-in customers with smartphones
- Speed matters more than knowing who answered
- You want bulk political messaging (we do not support it anywhere)
A good fit if
- Household and booth surveys with proof of visit
- Respondents without smartphones or data
- Studies that need a sampling plan
- Offline field teams on Android
FAQ
Straight answers to the questions people ask most about this topic.
Will Bharat Survey add WhatsApp surveys?
It is not in version 1 and we have not committed a date. If we add a messaging channel, it will be for opt-in feedback use cases, and it will not include bulk political messaging.
Can we send a survey link by WhatsApp ourselves?
Not to a Bharat Survey form. Version 1 does not create public self-completion links. Forms run inside the Android app, operated by enumerators or staff.
Are WhatsApp polls in groups reliable?
They show the views of people in that group who chose to answer. They are useful for engagement, not for estimating opinion in a ward, constituency or customer base, because the respondents are self-selected and unverified.
What does an in-person survey cost compared with SMS?
More per response, because people travel and interview. Pricing for software seats and for field services is on quotation, based on sample size, areas and timeline.
India Nationwide, Hindi-first
Tell us who you need to hear from and what decision the data supports. We will say honestly whether in-person fieldwork is worth it.