By
Jyoti Tejpal
GPS-enabled Web-based form Building tool Create survey forms for Data collection Reviewing & Sharing Multiple submissions Real-time Top 20 Survey Software 2020
Suits Remote teams to keep in Touch & Collaborate efficiently Free form Builder Trusted by 4 million companies for External (website) & internal (requests) form
Helps SDRs Sales & HR Teams to Establish Fast & True connection with Leads Contacts & Candidates B2B Engagement Tools Allows to Enrich & Verify Business Profile
Forms Automation Software helps in automating the process to create, manage, and process documents electronically. Software serves various business functions in varied sectors. For example, healthcare companies use this software for the collection of patient/visitor information, HR organizations utilizes this software for collection of employee feedback and other business related inputs, retailers viz., shopkeepers and floor managers utilize it for creating invoices, and customer service teams utilize this software for generating customer care support tickets.
Forms are best accessing tool as well as one of the key tools used by businesses for collecting, storing, and organizing data in a format which can be easily interpreted, analyzed whenever some assessment has to be done, and the ready-to-use information can be put to use for wide variety of operations. The following are the advantages you get while using forms automation solutions:
Easy file sharing: Forms automation software helps in digitalization of the entire data collection procedure, allows businesses to get and share forms electronically with many other users at once. It helps in substantial cost reduction as expenditure related to printing, postage, and physical storage of the form gets reduced manifold.
Rules-based data entry: Businesses can pre-set advanced regulations for form fields—like, the “name” field can not be left blank, it is mandatory to write it or age column must be filled using a numeric input—that must be followed for successful submission of forms. Rules-based data entry also helps in creating business intuitive forms which can further trigger various actions depending on respondents’ replies. It can also create a set of data which is more consistent.
Faster processing: Data collected and captured using electronic forms can anytime be processed and retrieved. It is faster than anything recorded via manual paper-based processes. Faster data processing helps in improving the workflow efficiency of departments and teams and helps to speed up the data analysis and utilization process.
Forms creation and design: Helps in creating electronic forms using a form editor and customizable templates.
File storage: Provides a store house for all the forms in a centralized, searchable database.
Process/workflow automation: Helps in defining steps to automate the process of form submission. It starts from link sharing to data collection.
Access controls/permissions: Standard rules and permissions can be set up for assigning creating, editing, and approving access rights to various users.
There is no definite pricing model for forms automation software. A few solutions are offered on per-user, per-month pricing, while the most of them have a monthly subscription fee as per the number of submissions. A premium product that is priced higher which may include additional features, like conditional logic, approval workflows, and custom reporting and scheduling.
Deployment types: Forms automation software can be set up on the cloud or on the premise depending on the type of data collection. The cloud option has a low upfront investment and provides ease of scalability and work, but one thing is for sure, the business data you put up in cloud storage is hosted on a third-party server. This might be a cause of concern if the cloud services are being used for the form collection which consists of sensitive information, like medical and account details. In that case, on-premise storage and handling should be preferred, as the data is stored on in-house servers and much more safer.
Level of automation versus number of forms: Some of the forms automation software give users to design and share an unlimited number of forms every month but it is offered with a limited custom fields and automation, while some others may have a cap/restriction on the number of forms to be filled in a day but they provide more customization and automation capabilities. Thus, it’s necessary to evaluate and choose according to your needs in terms of the number of forms and level of automation you require. You can even share your set of needs with potential sellers and choose a software after getting a better option for yourself that can support all your requirements at the most reasonable cost.
Graphic-rich forms to improve the user experience: Contemporary forms automation software are introducing rich graphical elements, like interactive content, animations, and visual charts. The above listed elements offer to help businesses to design graphic-rich forms instead of text-heavy forms to improve the user experience and decrease the rate of abandonment.
Forms to become mobile-ready: With businesses and processes going more and more mobile, many sellers have even started to provide mobile apps with their set of forms automation software. They have also initiated to provide ability to create mobile forms and sharing them on smartphones via text messages and apps.
