Questionnaires

What is it?

A questionnaire is a TrustShare feature that suggests and auto-generates answers to incoming security assessments directly from your TrustCloud. Its intelligence algorithm uses ML and NLP to automatically match questions to controls and policies in your program, as well as questionnaires you’ve answered in the past.

When you answer questionnaires with TrustShare, your responses are directly linked back to your TrustCloud artifacts, so that you are always aware of when you are out of compliance with the commitments you are making.

This feature also comes with a built-in module to answer “standard” questionnaires such as SIG, CAIQ, and VSA in an automated fashion.

Importing a New Questionnaire

Steps to add a questionnaire to TrustShare:

1. Navigate to “Questionnaires” that are “In Progress.”
2. Click on the “New Questionnaire” button in the upper right-hand corner
3. Choose to import a new questionnaire via our white-glove import, self-serve import, or select a standardized template from our library

White-glove Import

Choose ‘white-glove’ import to allow TrustCloud’s white-glove service team to format your questionnaire to ensure TrustCloud AI is able to read your questionnaire. With this selection, provide information about your questionnaire, attach your questionnaire file, and let TrustCloud handle the rest!

NOTE: This typically takes about 2-3 hours but can take up to 48 hours depending on the size and complexity of each request and the number of requests already in queue.

Self-serve Import

Choose ‘self-serve’ import to format your questionnaire using the provided template so that TrustShare AI is able to read your questionnaire. Download the template, transfer your questionnaire into the provided columns (if applicable) based on the guidance, and upload into TrustCloud! TrustCloud AI will begin answering any questions without an already provided answer, and processing will be completed within minutes!

NOTE: If self-serve import is selected, all questionnaire formatting will be self-service. This includes transferring responses back into the original file when you are ready to export or share the questionnaire.

Standardized Questionnaire

Choose a ‘standardized questionnaire’ from the template library, like the CAIQ or SIG. Select a template and submit. TrustCloud AI will immediately begin answering questions using information from your TrustCloud program!

 

Import Processing Status

When a questionnaire has been imported, it will typically go through the following steps before it can be accessed for completion:

1. In Queue – Your questionnaire has been placed in a queue for the white-glove service team. Once they begin formatting your questionnaire, the status will update to “Processing”.
2. Processing – Your questionnaire is being formatted by the white-glove service team so that the AI can read it and provide answers to the questions from your program!
3. AI Powered Answering – TrustCloud AI has begun answering your questionnaire!
4. Ready for Review – TrustCloud AI has reviewed your questions and provided responses. You are now ready to begin the review process!

*Note: if you choose to import a questionnaire via the self-serve flow or choose to import a standardized questionnaire from our template library, you will bypass step 1 and 2 of the processing steps.

Questionnaires In Progress

On the Questionnaires In Progress page, you can upload a new questionnaire and see a list of all of the previously uploaded/in progress questionnaires in your TrustShare. Each questionnaire card provides high level details about the questionnaire, such as:

1. Company Name
2. Due Date
3. Created On Date
4. Number of Questions
5. Completion Status
6. Due Date
7. Last Updated Date and Time

Questionnaire Workflow

As a TrustShare user completing a questionnaire, you are presented with four separate tabs of question categories. These categories are as follows:

1. Pre Filled by TrustCloud
2. Needs Answers
3. Needs Approval
4. All Questions

Answering and Approving

Questions Prefilled by TrustCloud

TrustCloud AI has answered these questions. These responses may still require review before you approve the answer, especially at the beginning. As you interact with the responses (by accepting the provided response or by sending the question back to “Needs Answers” via “Request Changes”), the system will make more intelligent responses.

Questions That Need Approval

The questions in the “Needs Approval” tab are answered by your team, and they need to be approved by an authorized individual or SME.

Approving Answered Questions

As an approver, you need to review any answers provided to ensure that they align with your organization. You can identify any answers that need approval by selecting the “Needs Approval” status (a list of questions that need review). Each provided answer requires your approval before placing it in the “Approved” category.

Editing an Answered Question

As an approver, you can make any necessary changes to an answer that is submitted for approval.

1. On the question panel, click on the “Edit Answer” button
2. Click on “Approve” button to approve the edits.

Requesting Changes to an Answered Question

As an approver, you can request changes to a provided answer. You can place the question back in the “Needs Answers” category and attach a comment to the question for additional guidance or feedback.

Questions That Need Answers

For the “Needs Answers” questions, the AI either did not find a match for, or found a low confidence match, as a suggestion for your review.

Within each question, you can:

1. Log your answer
2. Add additional comments
3. Add attachments (which will be included in the questionnaire zip file when exported)
4. Save response as a draft
5. Use matches from TrustCloud in your response (suggestions): You are presented with previously provided answers and matched controls so that you can easily import the information to eliminate redundancy and maintain consistency across questionnaire responses.
6. Submit your answer. After submitted, the question is placed in the “Needs Approval” category

Suggested Matches

Suggested matches are presented on questions if TrustCloud AI doesn’t have high confidence in the match. To find suggestions, you can click on “See other matches” or simply scroll to the bottom of the answer panel to locate the “Suggested Matches”. Suggested matches are a combination of possible related controls (pulled from TrustOps) or previous answers to a questionnaire in your program.

1. If you want to utilize a matched suggestion for your answer, click the plus sign icon to add a response to auto-fill the response and comment boxes.
2. If a suggested match is incorrect, please remember to down-vote by selecting the thumbs down icon. This information is relayed to the data science team to better understand why a match was incorrect and use this feedback to train the AI.

Searching For A Match

If the suggested matches are insufficient, you can also search your program for an appropriate response or control.

To search for a match,

1. In the “Suggested Matches” section, click on the “Search for past answers or controls” search box.
2. Search for the keyword, and possible results will be displayed.
3. You can include your response to the selected question.

All Questions

The “All Questions” tab contains a complete list of the questions within the imported questionnaire, regardless of status. You can bulk assign questions to your team-mates for completion! This view also gives you a quick reference point for the status of all questions.

Re-Opening a Question to an Approved Answer

As an Approver, you can reopen approved questions.

To reopen approved question,

1. Select an approved answer within the “Approved” category.
2. Click on “Re-Open” at the bottom of the question.
   This places the question back in the “Needs Answers” category, retaining the previously provided response for modification.
   

Exporting Answers

To export the questionnaire,

1. Click on “Export Answers” on the “Questionnaires” page.
2. Select from available options:
   • Original Format – This typically takes 2-3 hours but can take up to 48 hours, depending on complexity of the original file. All of the provided responses will be placed into the original questionnaire file so that you can return it to your prospects/customers. Original format is only offered if white-glove import is selected.
   • No Formatting – An Excel file containing a plain text list of the questions and answers is provided.

Export to Original Format Processing Status

If you have requested for the white-glove service team to handle your import, you can also request for them to handle exporting your responses into the original questionnaire format! These requests will go through the following steps to completion:

1. Export in Queue – Your questionnaire has been placed in a queue for the white-glove service team. Once they begin formatting your questionnaire, the status will update to “Processing”.
2. Export Processing – Your questionnaire is being formatted back into its original file by the white-glove service team!
3. Export Ready – The questionnaire (and any attachments) have been sent in a zip file via email to the user who requested the export!

Sharing a Questionnaire With Your Prospect/Customer

If you are ready to share your questionnaire with your prospect or customer, make sure that the user with whom you intend to share the questionnaire has accepted your TrustShare invitation and is listed as an active user.

To share a questionnaire,

1. Click on “Share” from the questionnaire menu.
2. Select the active user(s) that you want to share the questionnaire with. The TrustCloud white-glove import team will begin the process of exporting your questionnaire into its original file format.

NOTE: This typically takes about 2-3 hours but can take up to 48 hours depending on the size and complexity of each request as well as the number of requests already in queue.

Once the questionnaire is back in its original file format, the respective prospect/customer is notified via email for their review! They can log into your TrustShare portal to download the completed questionnaire files.

Stop Sharing a Questionnaire

To stop sharing a questionnaire, there are three ways to do this:

1. Click on the questionnaire menu and click on the “Stop Sharing” button to remove access for all users.
2. On the company details page, go to the “Shared Questionnaires” section and click on the “Stop Sharing” button to remove access for all users.
3. On the company details page, go to the “Shared Questionnaires” section and click on “Edit Permissions” to remove access for individual users.

Marking a Questionnaire Complete

If all necessary answers are provided/approved and the questionnaire is complete, you can mark the questionnaire as complete. Click on the three dot menu on the questionnaire and click on the “Mark as Complete” button. The questionnaire will be placed in the “Complete” category.

Complete Questionnaires

Questionnaires that are marked as complete can be viewed in the “Complete” questionnaire bucket. Here you can search, view, and re-open any complete questionnaires. You can also archive or delete any of the listed questionnaires.

Archived Questionnaires

Questionnaires that are outdated can be archived into an “Archived” questionnaire bucket. You can search for and view any archived questionnaires.

Chrome Extension

TrustShare’s Chrome extension helps simplify and streamline the process of completing security questionnaires, reducing your workload and increasing the accuracy and consistency of responses, even when you’re working outside of the TrustCloud application!

To use chrome extension,

1. Install the extension
2. Log in
3. Search keywords to access information in your TrustCloud!

You can access the extension from here.

To install the extension,

1. Navigate to the Chrome App store (link provided above)
2. Click on the “Add to Chrome” button
3. Once the extension is installed, pin the extension to your toolbar for easy access