Integrating SmartInterview with Sphinx Online

Introduction

SmartInterview's AI-powered vocal interviews can be combined with Sphinx Online surveys to add qualitative depth to your quantitative research. This guide covers integration with both Sphinx products:

• Sphinx iQ3: the full-featured desktop + online suite

• Sphinx Declic: the lightweight online survey tool

Each has different capabilities, so the recommended integration approach differs.

Which Sphinx product are you using?

Integration with Sphinx iQ3

Sphinx iQ3 offers full HTML control, giving you two options:

Option A: Widget (embed SmartInterview inside your Sphinx survey)

The respondent stays within the Sphinx interface. A SmartInterview question appears inline as an embedded widget.

Step 1 - Get your embed code

In SmartInterview, go to Builder > Widget:

1. Select the "Sphinx" theme to match the visual style (adapt the color if needed)

2. Copy the embed code:

<iframe
  src="https://www.smartinterview.ch/fr/embed/YOUR_SURVEY_ID?hideHeader=true&hideLogo=true&theme=sphinx&user_id=RESPONDENT_ID"
  width="100%"
  height="600"
  style="border: none;"
  allow="microphone; camera"
></iframe>

<iframe
  src="https://www.smartinterview.ch/fr/embed/YOUR_SURVEY_ID?hideHeader=true&hideLogo=true&theme=sphinx&user_id=RESPONDENT_ID"
  width="100%"
  height="600"
  style="border: none;"
  allow="microphone; camera"
></iframe>

<iframe
  src="https://www.smartinterview.ch/fr/embed/YOUR_SURVEY_ID?hideHeader=true&hideLogo=true&theme=sphinx&user_id=RESPONDENT_ID"
  width="100%"
  height="600"
  style="border: none;"
  allow="microphone; camera"
></iframe>

allow="microphone; camera" is required for vocal questions.

Step 2 - Insert in Sphinx iQ3

1. Add a Text / Multimedia question

2. Open the HTML source editor (<> button)

3. Paste the iframe code

4. Replace RESPONDENT_ID with your Sphinx respondent variable (e.g. {ID_RESP})

Step 3 - Match the style

The ?theme=sphinx parameter automatically applies the Sphinx visual identity:

• Golden buttons (#d4a534)

• Gotham font

• Transparent background

The SmartInterview question blends seamlessly into your Sphinx survey.

Advantages:

• Zero navigation away from Sphinx — the respondent stays on the same page

• Fully integrated experience

• All Sphinx routing and quotas continue to work normally

Limitations:

• Requires Sphinx iQ3 (HTML editor access)

• Some Sphinx iQ3 hosting configurations may restrict iframes — test before going live

Option B: Redirect (link from Sphinx to SmartInterview)

The respondent is redirected to SmartInterview for the AI interview, then comes back.

Sphinx iQ3 survey  →  SmartInterview (AI vocal interview)  →  Sphinx iQ3 (next section)

Sphinx iQ3 survey  →  SmartInterview (AI vocal interview)  →  Sphinx iQ3 (next section)

Sphinx iQ3 survey  →  SmartInterview (AI vocal interview)  →  Sphinx iQ3 (next section)

See the Redirect setup section below — the steps are the same for iQ3 and Declic.

Integration with Sphinx Declic

Sphinx Declic does not support custom HTML or iframes in its question editor. You have two strategies:

Strategy 1: Redirect from Declic to SmartInterview (Recommended)

Design your structured questions (scales, MCQ, matrices) in Sphinx Declic. At the point where you need an AI vocal question, redirect the respondent to SmartInterview, then bring them back.

Sphinx Declic survey  →  SmartInterview (AI vocal interview)  →  Sphinx Declic (end / next section)

Sphinx Declic survey  →  SmartInterview (AI vocal interview)  →  Sphinx Declic (end / next section)

Sphinx Declic survey  →  SmartInterview (AI vocal interview)  →  Sphinx Declic (end / next section)

This is the simplest and most reliable approach. See the Redirect setup section below.

Strategy 2: Build in Sphinx Declic, embed as widget in SmartInterview

If you prefer to keep your Sphinx Declic survey as the "main" questionnaire, you can embed it inside a SmartInterview question instead of the other way around.

How it works:

1. Build your full survey in Sphinx Declic as usual

2. In SmartInterview, create a question with a Redirection layout that points to your Sphinx Declic survey URL (specify URL of the survey and "user-_Id" parameters

1. Or use the SmartInterview rich text editor to insert a link to your Sphinx Declic survey within the question text

When to use this:

• You want SmartInterview to be the entry point (e.g. for vocal questions first, then structured Declic questions)

• You want to use SmartInterview's respondent tracking and AI classification on top of Declic data

Redirect setup (both iQ3 and Declic)

Step 1: Prepare your SmartInterview survey

1. Create your survey in SmartInterview with the vocal/AI questions

1. In Builder > Settings, let "user_id" use null.

2. Configure the Return URL to point back to your Sphinx survey:

   Link example: https://sphinxdeclic.com/surveyserver/p/5EEvzKnPoI#3
   
   (no parameters to specify, only the "page" to redirect to. (here #3)

   Link example: https://sphinxdeclic.com/surveyserver/p/5EEvzKnPoI#3
   
   (no parameters to specify, only the "page" to redirect to. (here #3)

   Link example: https://sphinxdeclic.com/surveyserver/p/5EEvzKnPoI#3
   
   (no parameters to specify, only the "page" to redirect to. (here #3)

3. Copy the Direct link from the "survey home" > 3-dots > Copy link

Step 2: Configure the redirect in Sphinx-declic

In your Sphinx questionnaire:

1. Add a Link element (Layout Type > Redirection)

   

   
   

2. Set the URL to your SmartInterview survey, from copy link

   https://www.smartinterview.ch/fr/eb101e6d-6457-4ac2-8541-3274755e2c1b

   https://www.smartinterview.ch/fr/eb101e6d-6457-4ac2-8541-3274755e2c1b

   https://www.smartinterview.ch/fr/eb101e6d-6457-4ac2-8541-3274755e2c1b

3. All URL parameters are automatically captured by SmartInterview and stored with the response

1. We recommande to add a short explanation such as "For this part of the interview you should clic on the following link and reply with/without your voice to the survey".

Step 3: Configure the return to Sphinx

In SmartInterview Builder > Settings > Redirect URL:

https://sphinxdeclic.com/surveyserver/p/5EEvzKnPoI#3

https://sphinxdeclic.com/surveyserver/p/5EEvzKnPoI#3

https://sphinxdeclic.com/surveyserver/p/5EEvzKnPoI#3

SmartInterview replaces {{param_name}} placeholders with the actual values received in Step 2.

What gets captured

All URL parameters passed from Sphinx are:

• Stored in the respondent transcript

• Available as response-level metadata

• Usable in display conditions (show/hide questions based on parameter values)

• Passed back to Sphinx via the return URL

Matching the visual style

SmartInterview includes a built-in Sphinx theme that matches the Sphinx Online visual identity:

To activate: Builder > Settings > Theme > Sphinx

For widget embeds, add ?theme=sphinx to the embed URL.

Using display conditions with Sphinx parameters

Once URL parameters are captured, you can create conditional logic in SmartInterview:

Example: Show a specific follow-up question only for respondents in group A.

1. Pass the group from Sphinx: ?group=A

2. In SmartInterview Builder, add a Display condition on the question:

   • Field: group

   • Operator: equals

   • Value: A

This allows you to personalize the AI interview based on Sphinx survey responses.

Summary: Which approach to choose?

You have Sphinx iQ3

iQ3 supports custom HTML, so you have two options.

• Option 1 - Widget embed (best experience) Embed a SmartInterview question directly inside your Sphinx iQ3 survey using an iframe. The respondent never leaves Sphinx.

Respondent opens Sphinx iQ3 → answers Sphinx questions → reaches the SmartInterview iframe → records vocal answer inline → continues in Sphinx

Respondent opens Sphinx iQ3 → answers Sphinx questions → reaches the SmartInterview iframe → records vocal answer inline → continues in Sphinx

Respondent opens Sphinx iQ3 → answers Sphinx questions → reaches the SmartInterview iframe → records vocal answer inline → continues in Sphinx

• Option 2 - Redirect (simpler setup) Add a link in Sphinx iQ3 that sends the respondent to SmartInterview, then brings them back.

Sphinx iQ3 → click link → SmartInterview (vocal interview) → redirect back → Sphinx iQ3

Sphinx iQ3 → click link → SmartInterview (vocal interview) → redirect back → Sphinx iQ3

Sphinx iQ3 → click link → SmartInterview (vocal interview) → redirect back → Sphinx iQ3

You have Sphinx Declic

Declic does NOT support iframes or custom HTML. You have two strategies.

Strategy 1 - Redirect from Declic to SmartInterview (recommended) Build your structured questions in Declic. When you need an AI vocal question, redirect the respondent to SmartInterview, then bring them back to Declic.

Sphinx Declic → redirect → SmartInterview (vocal interview) → redirect back → Sphinx Declic

Sphinx Declic → redirect → SmartInterview (vocal interview) → redirect back → Sphinx Declic

Sphinx Declic → redirect → SmartInterview (vocal interview) → redirect back → Sphinx Declic

Strategy 2 - Start in SmartInterview, link to Declic Use SmartInterview as the entry point. The respondent starts with the AI vocal interview, then is redirected to your Declic survey for structured questions.

SmartInterview (vocal interview) → redirect → Sphinx Declic (structured questions) → end

SmartInterview (vocal interview) → redirect → Sphinx Declic (structured questions) → end

SmartInterview (vocal interview) → redirect → Sphinx Declic (structured questions) → end

Not sure? Start here

If you're unsure which approach fits your study, ask yourself:

1. Do I need the AI follow-up + vocal/text question in the middle of my Sphinx survey? 

   → Use Redirect (or Widget if iQ3)

2. Do I want vocal questions first, then structured questions? 

   → Use SmartInterview as entry point with redirect to Sphinx

3. Do I want the simplest possible setup with the fastest set-up? 

   → Consider using SmartInterview alone : it handles both structured and vocal questions in one place

Recommendation

Why SmartInterview alone is the smarter choice

The challenge with Sphinx Declic + SmartInterview

Combining two survey platforms means:

• Respondent fatigue : switching between two interfaces breaks the flow, increases drop-off rates, and confuses participants

• Fragmented data: responses split across two systems, requiring manual merging for analysis

• Maintenance overhead : two platforms to manage, two subscriptions, two sets of credentials

SmartInterview does everything Declic does — and more

The benefits of going all-in on SmartInterview

1. Faster programming

One platform, one interface. Design your entire questionnaire ; structured and qualitative   in a single builder. No redirect configuration, no parameter passing, no cross-platform testing.

Time saved: 50–70% on survey setup compared to sphinx.

2. Zero respondent fatigue

Respondents stay in one seamless experience from start to finish. No page redirects, no visual style changes, no loading screens between platforms. This directly translates to:

• Higher completion rates (typically +15–25%)

• Better data quality : engaged respondents give richer answers

  • 2-3 more codes

• Codification quality : Innosuisse patent on the algorithm.

• Lower cost per complete

3. Deeper insights

SmartInterview's AI doesn't just collect answers — it understands them:

• AI follow-up questions probe deeper based on what the respondent actually said

• Real-time transcription converts vocal responses to text instantly

• Pulse Classifier automatically codes thousands of open-ended responses into topics

• Sentiment analysis reveals the emotional tone behind every response

• Co-occurrence analysis shows which themes appear together

With Sphinx Declic, open-ended responses sit in a spreadsheet waiting to be manually coded. With SmartInterview, they're analyzed in minutes.

4. Richer conclusions

Your final deliverable is stronger because:

• Quantitative and qualitative data live in one place

• AI-generated topics and sentiment are immediately available for cross-tabulation

• Export includes classified responses, topic distributions, and analytics dashboards

• No manual data merging, no copy-paste between systems

5. One subscription, one invoice

Simplify your procurement. One platform, one contract, one support contact.

What about my existing Sphinx Declic surveys?

Coming soon: SmartInterview will support automatic project migration from Sphinx Declic and other platforms. Import your existing questionnaires and respondent data directly : no need to reprogram from scratch.

In the meantime, our team can help you recreate your Declic surveys in SmartInterview in a fraction of the time it took to build them originally.

Ready to try it?

Start building your first SmartInterview survey now:

Login to SmartInterview

No Sphinx. No redirects. No compromise.

Questions? Contact us at info@smartinterview.ai : we'll help you to migrate alll your rojects.

Quick start checklist

• Identify which Sphinx product you are using (iQ3 or Declic)

• Create your SmartInterview survey with vocal questions

• Set the Sphinx theme in Builder > Settings

• Configure the Return URL with {{user_id}} placeholder

• Add the redirect or iframe in your Sphinx survey with respondent ID

• Test the full roundtrip with a test respondent

• Verify URL parameters appear in SmartInterview response data

Need help?

Contact us at info@smartinterview.ai for integration support.