Import onboarding questions
If you already sign staff up with a Google Form, a Word or PDF questionnaire, or a spreadsheet of past answers, you don’t need to retype it. Herding Cats reads the questions, matches each one to what it already asks, and shows you the whole list to check before anything changes.
Only admins can import questions.
Where to find it
- Staff Directory → Bulk invite → Import from a form or survey (top right).
- Company → Custom fields → Staff tab → Import questions from a Google Form or survey.
- The Add your staff step of the setup checklist on your dashboard.
Bring the questions in
There are two ways in. Both lead to the same review screen.
Paste a Google Form link
Paste the link people use to fill in the form — it starts with https://docs.google.com/forms/ or https://forms.gle/ — and press Read form. Herding Cats only reads the questions. It never submits anything.
If the form is private. Google only shows some forms to people who are signed in: forms limited to your organization, forms that collect verified email addresses, and forms with a file-upload question. For those you’ll see This form is private. Either open the form’s Settings → Responses and turn off Restrict to users in… (or make a copy anyone with the link can open), then paste the link again — or upload the form instead (next tab).
If the form is closed. Google hides the questions of a form that isn’t accepting responses. Switch Accepting responses on for a minute, read the form, then switch it back off.
Upload your onboarding survey
Drop a file on Upload your onboarding survey, or choose one. Up to 10 MB.
| What you have | What Herding Cats does |
|---|---|
| A PDF, Word (.docx) or text file of your questions | Reads the questions, their help lines, answer types and choices. A plain numbered or bulleted list works best. |
| A spreadsheet of past responses (CSV or Excel .xlsx) — for example the Google Sheet your form fills | The header row is the questions. The answers are only used to work out each question’s answer type and choices. |
| A Google Form page you saved (.html) | Reads it exactly like a link. Open the form the way staff fill it in, then use your browser’s File → Save Page As (Webpage, HTML only). |
Old .doc and .xls files aren’t supported — open them and save as .docx or .xlsx first.
Or paste the questions
You can also press Or paste the questions as text: one question per line, with any answer choices underneath starting with a dash.
The file is read and thrown away; it isn’t kept. Answers in a response spreadsheet are never saved and never shown — a choice only appears if two or more people gave that answer.
Check every question
The review screen lists every question from your form, in order, with its type and whether your form required it. For each one you’ll see what it Becomes:
- A Herding Cats question — phone, home address, shirt size, dietary needs, date of birth, Known Traveler Number, frequent flyer numbers and so on. Herding Cats switches it on for your onboarding and keeps its own name for it.
- Already part of onboarding — legal name, nickname, email, home airport, positions and time off are always handled, so there’s nothing to add.
- Your question — one of your own custom questions with the same name. It’s reused, never copied, so importing the same form twice adds nothing.
- A new question — everything else becomes one of your own questions, with the right answer type: text, number, Yes / No, or a dropdown with the same choices in the same order.
- Can’t import — grids, file uploads, pictures, videos and section titles, with the reason. Herding Cats also never imports Social Security, bank, card or driver’s license numbers.
Change anything you like: pick a different destination, rename a new question, change its answer type or choices, or choose Don’t import.
Helper text
Forms often pack instructions into the question itself — LAST NAME (exactly as it appears on your government ID). Herding Cats splits that into a short question name and helper text, the line staff see under the question. Every row shows its helper text, ready to edit or clear.
Questions that belong together
Some groups of questions are really one Herding Cats question. Each group shows as one row with a choice:
| Your form asks | Herding Cats suggests |
|---|---|
| First, middle and last name | The Legal name question, with helper text asking for the full name exactly as it appears on their ID |
| Street, city, state and ZIP code | The Home address question, which finds the address as staff type it |
| Several airline frequent flyer numbers | The Frequent flyer numbers question, with a box for each airline |
| Emergency contact name, relationship and phone | One Emergency contact question |
Prefer your form’s way? Pick Keep as separate fields and each one becomes its own question.
A row may say Suggested — for example a question with an unusual name matched to a Herding Cats question, or a shorter name. Those were suggested automatically; check them before you import.
When you’re happy, press Import. The button shows how many questions will be added.
After the import
You’ll see what was added, what was already there, and anything that couldn’t be imported.
- Herding Cats’ own questions you switched on apply to invitations you send from now on.
- Your new questions show up for everyone who hasn’t finished onboarding yet.
- If your company runs more than one brand, all brands share one set of onboarding questions for now.
Change helper text later
- Staff Directory → Bulk invite → Onboarding questions lists every question onboarding asks, step by step, with its helper text. Admins can add or edit helper text on any question there. It starts with your cover page, the welcome staff read before the first question, with a link to edit it.
- Your own questions’ helper text can also be edited on Company → Custom fields → Staff.
Good to know
- Your own questions are always optional for staff, even if your form required them. The review screen tells you which ones were required.
- Herding Cats doesn’t have a “tick all that apply” or date answer for your own questions yet. Those become text answers, with the choices or the date format in the helper text.