Managing Unsubscribes

Every survey invitation email includes an unsubscribe link in the footer. This ensures contacts always have an easy way to opt out of future survey requests, meeting legal requirements and respecting customer preferences.

The unsubscribe link is automatically generated with a unique token for each send, providing security and accurate tracking of which contact is unsubscribing.

When a contact clicks the unsubscribe link, they're taken to a simple, dedicated page showing:

• A clear "Unsubscribe from Surveys" title
• An explanation: "Click below to stop receiving survey requests"
• A prominent red "Unsubscribe" button
• A note that they can resubscribe by contacting your company directly

This straightforward design removes any confusion about what will happen and makes the process as friction-free as possible—which is exactly what anti-spam laws require.

When a contact clicks the "Unsubscribe" button:

1. The page shows a loading spinner during processing
2. The system updates the contact record, setting unsubscribed = true
3. A timestamp is recorded in unsubscribedAt for your records
4. The contact sees a confirmation screen with a green checkmark

The confirmation message clearly states: "You've been unsubscribed" and "You will no longer receive survey requests from this company."

If something goes wrong during processing, the contact sees an error message and can try again.

The unsubscribe flag immediately affects all sending operations to protect contact preferences.

When you try to create a send to an unsubscribed contact:

• The system checks the contact's unsubscribed status
• If true, the send is rejected with an error: "Contact has unsubscribed from surveys"
• The send is never created, and no invitation is sent

This prevents accidental sends to opted-out contacts, even if you manually select them.

For bulk sending operations:

• The system filters out unsubscribed contacts before creating sends
• Unsubscribed contacts are counted as "skipped" in the bulk send summary
• You'll see a report showing how many contacts were excluded due to unsubscribe status
• Only contacts who haven't opted out will receive invitations

This automatic filtering means you can safely include entire contact lists in bulk operations without worrying about accidentally contacting opted-out individuals. See Bulk Sending for more details.

The unsubscribe check also applies to automated sends from sequences and workflows:

• If a contact unsubscribes while in a sequence, future steps are automatically skipped
• The sending is cancelled with reason "contact_unsubscribed"
• No further survey requests are sent to that contact
• You'll see the cancellation in the send's event history

This ensures your automation respects preferences without requiring manual intervention.

Check a contact's unsubscribe status in several places:

• On the contact's detail page, you'll see an "Unsubscribed" indicator
• The unsubscribedAt timestamp shows when they opted out
• In the contacts list, you can filter to show only unsubscribed contacts

This visibility helps you understand which contacts have opted out and plan your communication strategy accordingly.

Contacts cannot resubscribe themselves through an automated link—this is intentional to prevent accidental resubscription and meet compliance requirements. However, you can manually resubscribe a contact if they request it:

1. Open the contact's profile
2. Edit their preferences
3. Clear the unsubscribed flag
4. Save the changes

Important: Only resubscribe contacts who have explicitly requested it. Resubscribing without permission violates anti-spam laws and damages trust.

For more on managing contact preferences, see Contact Preferences.

Never try to hide or complicate the unsubscribe process:

• The link is automatically included in every email—don't remove it
• The unsubscribe page is intentionally simple and clear
• One click is all it takes—no login, no forms to fill out

Making it easy to unsubscribe actually builds trust and improves engagement with contacts who do want to hear from you.

The system processes unsubscribes instantly, but you should also:

• Avoid manually overriding unsubscribe flags
• Train your team to respect opted-out status
• Never resubscribe contacts without their explicit permission

Track how many contacts are unsubscribing:

• High unsubscribe rates may indicate survey fatigue
• Consider reducing send frequency if you see spikes
• Review your survey length and relevance to your contacts

Remember that "unsubscribed" only applies to automated survey requests:

• You can still email unsubscribed contacts manually if there's a business reason
• One-on-one communications aren't affected by the unsubscribe flag
• Personal outreach for specific issues or requests is still appropriate

However, always respect the spirit of the opt-out—if someone doesn't want to hear from you, overwhelming them with other types of messages isn't the answer.

The unsubscribe system helps you comply with anti-spam regulations including:

• CAN-SPAM Act (USA): Requires clear unsubscribe mechanisms in commercial emails
• Canadian anti-spam regulations: Requires consent and easy opt-out for commercial electronic messages
• GDPR (EU): Supports the right to object to processing

However, the unsubscribe system is just one part of compliance. You're still responsible for:

• Obtaining proper consent before adding contacts
• Including accurate sender information in emails
• Honoring unsubscribes within legally required timeframes (already automated)
• Maintaining records of consent and preferences

For more on consent tracking, see Contact Preferences.

For developers and integrators:

• Unsubscribe URLs use the format: /unsubscribe/[token]
• Each token is unique per send for security
• The API endpoint is: POST /api/public/unsubscribe/[token]
• The system updates the contact record directly
• All unsubscribe events are logged for audit purposes

This architecture ensures unsubscribes are processed reliably even if your contact's email client or browser behaves unexpectedly.

If you encounter issues with the unsubscribe system:

• Check the contact's detail page to verify their current status
• Review the send's event history for details about cancellations
• Look at Delivery Tracking to see why sends were prevented
• Contact support if contacts report they're still receiving emails after unsubscribing

By respecting unsubscribes and making the process transparent and easy, you'll build stronger relationships with the contacts who do want to engage with your surveys.