# Automate sending with Autopilot

**Category:** [Surveys](https://help.totalctrl.app/hc/totalctrl/totalctrl-help-center/en-US/categories/surveys-1)
**Updated:** 2026-08-19

## What Autopilot does

Autopilot keeps a survey running on its own — sending it to contacts by email, showing it as a web widget, or both. Configure it from the **Distribute** page of an active survey.
## Choosing a channel

- **Email** — sends the survey to an audience on a recurring schedule.
- **Web widget** — shows the survey to visitors on your site.
- **Both** — combines email and widget.

## Email setup

Set a recurrence interval (1–365 days), a subject line, a from-name, and an email body. Pick your audience: an entire CRM list, contacts with a specific CRM tag, all CRM contacts, or a manually managed list. Use **Sync** to pull the latest matching contacts from CRM, and **Send now** to trigger an immediate batch for testing. Every email includes a one-click opt-out link.
## Web widget setup

Choose the on-screen placement, a delay before it appears (0–300 seconds), the trigger event, whether to require visitor identification, and a suppression window (so the same visitor isn't re-prompted for a set number of days).
## Tracking

Autopilot maintains a contact list per survey showing each contact's status and when they were last sent the survey. Sends and responses then appear back in [View and analyze results](view-and-analyze-results), filterable by source.

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## Related Articles

- [Analysing Survey Results](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/articles/analysing-survey-results)
- [Create a survey](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/articles/create-a-survey)
- [Surveys overview](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/articles/surveys-overview-1)
- [Publish and distribute a survey](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/articles/publish-and-distribute-a-survey)
- [Automating Surveys with Autopilot](https://help.totalctrl.app/en-US/articles/automating-surveys-with-autopilot)

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