Why does your form require me to print it, fill it, scan it and send it back?
A good form is a pleasure to complete; the process is frictionless. Someone sends you a form you click on the link, fill in the form and click submit. Getting a form like this is rare. Generally, the experience is the complete opposite, which is kinda absurd when the form is usually vital for a process to start or complete.
You'd think individuals would put more thought into making easy to complete forms, but they too often seem like an afterthought. How many times has someone emailed across a form with instructions to print, sign and return? Sounds simple enough, but the process quickly turns into a pain in the behind.
Using the wrong files formats to create forms
If you have ever sent a form as a Word document or a PDF, you are making the process of filling in the form incredibly troublesome - because you are using the wrong programs to create a form!
You open the email attachment to discover a form in a Word document, all perfectly spaced ready for you to add the necessary details. And then you start typing…
Immediately the page alignment is lost, lines overrun breaking borders and turning a single page document into a multi-page nightmare. So you waste another 20 minutes trying to correct the alignment issues, change font sizes, and effectively recreate the entire document. You then have to print it off, sign it, scan it back in and then attach it to an email to send back. What a waste of time!
PDF forms are no better either. You still need an app that can overlay your text. And you still need to mess around with font sizes and text boxes to ensure everything is still displayed “just about” right. And you still have to go through the hassle of sending it back too.
Shooting yourself in the foot
So traditional forms are a complete waste of time for your clients - but they are also bad news for you.
Ever had a client ring to say that you screwed up your order? There’s a very good chance that the mistake occurred when you received the paperwork. Because when you use Word, PDF or paper, you still need to get the details back into your computer system, which means that someone has to retype the details and that is where the problems start.
Your forms are annoying for your customers and could even be placing your business reputation at risk.
“An insurance business sent me a form in Word format, that was such a pain to complete and I never sent it back, and they lost my business.”
How to create the perfect form
The secret is to use an entirely online system which saves you and your clients all the hassle - associated with Word and PDF-based forms. Google Forms is an ideal upgrade to existing methods.
Instead of sending your contacts an attachment you send a link to an online form. They complete the form using their web browser in a matter of seconds, ready for you to process. So no more messing around with page alignment, printing or postage.
The form input is then stored securely in Google Sheets, ready for you to do whatever you need with the data. The application even includes basic analytics tools so you can begin to spot trends and opportunities from all the forms completed by all your clients.
Google Forms can be used to quickly and efficiently collect data for any activity too - not just customer order processing. Want to assess employee satisfaction - send a link to your workers.
Anything you need to collect feedback for can use Google Forms. To learn more get in contact.