Setting up effective LLM surveys for brand monitoring (Feb 2026 Update 4)

Abhord Quickstart Guide (2026 Refresh)

This refreshed edition focuses on faster setup, clearer cross-LLM comparisons, and tighter feedback loops from insight to action. It reflects updated model-mix guidance, improved entity resolution, and new scheduling/cost controls now available to all workspaces.

What’s new in this edition

• Updated model-mix recommendations: sample at least 4 distinct LLM families to reduce bias.
• Improved entity resolution: better handling of brand synonyms and product-line variants.
• Streamlined projects: templates for Brand Perception, Buying Journey, and FAQ Coverage.
• Scheduling and budgets: run surveys on a cadence with cost caps and alerting.
• Interpreting results: clarified definitions for mentions, sentiment, and share of voice with confidence scoring.

1) Initial setup and configuration

1. Create your workspace

• Go to New Workspace, name it (e.g., “US Consumer – 2026”), set default locale(s) and time zone.
• Invite collaborators with roles: Admin (billing + schema), Analyst (surveys + dashboards), Viewer (read-only).

1. Connect LLMs

• In Connectors, add keys or vendor accounts for your target models. Recommended baseline mix:

- Frontier: GPT-4 class, Claude Sonnet-class, Gemini Pro-class

- Open-weight: Llama or Mistral family via your preferred host

• Set per-model rate limits and a monthly budget cap.

1. Define entities and synonyms

• Under Entities, create canonical entries for:

- Your brand(s) and flagship products

- Competitors and key substitutes

• Add common aliases, abbreviations, and misspellings (e.g., “ACME Home,” “Acme Co.,” “ACME Inc.”).
• Map product lines to parent brands for roll-up reporting.

1. Seed your topic/keyword sets

• In Taxonomy, add journeys and intents:

- Awareness (best X for Y), Consideration (X vs Y), Conversion (pricing, coupon, trial)

- Support (refunds, returns, setup)

• Attach example prompts and FAQs you care about.

1. Configure regions and languages

• Pick priority locales (e.g., en-US, es-US). Enable cross-lingual entity matching if you sell globally.

1. Privacy and retention

• Choose prompt/response retention windows. Mask PII in prompts by default.

1. Notifications and alerts

• Turn on weekly digest, anomaly alerts (e.g., competitor SoV +10% WoW), and budget alerts at 70/90/100%.

2) Run your first survey across LLMs

Goal: measure how LLMs answer consumer-intent questions in your category; quantify brand mentions, sentiment