Forms Automation Software Guide
Forms automation software is a powerful tool for streamlining the process of collecting data from multiple sources and compiling it into a manageable form. It allows users to create, manage, and distribute forms quickly and efficiently, saving both time and money. The software can be used for a variety of purposes, including surveys, customer service inquiries, customer feedback forms, legal documentation, event registration forms, and much more.
Forms automation software works by automating the process of collecting data from multiple sources — such as customers or website visitors — in order to compile it into an organized format. It uses algorithms to interpret user responses in order to populate fields with the appropriate data. This eliminates manual input or double-entry processes that often take up large amounts of time and resources. The software also keeps track of valuable information by creating tickets that can be used for future reference or recall.
In addition to its ability to streamline data collection processes, forms automation software features many other useful features. For example, it enables users to customize the look and feel of their forms by adding custom logos or designs along with suggestions for easy access points for users such as drop-down menus or check boxes. This customization makes it easier for customers or website visitors to submit their information quickly and accurately so that businesses have access to reliable information that they can act upon accordingly. Additionally, most modern forms automation platforms offer advanced analytics capabilities so that users may better understand how visitors interact with their form submissions over time in order to make informed decisions about how best optimize their form flows moving forward.
Overall, forms automation software provides a great way for businesses of any size to quickly collect accurate information from multiple sources without needing manual labor hours devoted solely towards entering this data into an organized format - ultimately resulting in improved productivity and cost savings across the board.
How Does Forms Automation Work?
If you want an automated process to create digital versions of the paper forms that you already have, then this is called form automation. Client-facing documents, internal company records, contracts, surveys, work orders and applications can all fit into this category.
Forms automation software allows you to perform paperless form creation, management and authorization. Handwriting is not necessary if forms are automated. The forms you create can easily be electronically.
"Enterprise forms automation" is when a forms management system is put into place by an entire company. Regardless of your business's size, there is a forms automation software vendor that will cater to you.
Electronic forms often bear a resemblance to the physical forms they are based on, although significantly less work is involved. Forms automation software is employed across a wide range of sectors and business functions.
Forms automation software can be by HR groups used to collect information on employees. In healthcare, it is commonly used for collecting patient information. In retail and customer service, forms automation software is used to produce invoices and support tickets, respectively.
What Are the Benefits of Using Forms Automation Software?
As a key business tool, forms are vital for the collection and storage of easily analyzed and interpreted data. Here are a few advantages of using forms automation solutions:
- Timely processing: Businesses can process electronic forms at a more rapid pace than paper ones. The data analysis process can be significantly sped up as a result.
- Rules-based data entry: Being able to implement advanced rules for various form fields is quite beneficial to businesses. This prevents users from leaving important form fields blank or with incorrect inputs.
- Simpler file sharing: The process of collecting data is able to be entirely digitized thanks to electronic forms. As a result, businesses are able to save on storage, posting and printing expenses.
What Are Features of Forms Automation Software?
- Digital Signature: This software allows your clients or customers to sign your digital forms electronically. This speeds up the review and validation process that some forms must go though.
- Offline Access: This feature can be particularly useful for remote teams, whose submitted information will be immediately updated once they again have internet access.
- Improved Inspection and Audit: Business users can send inspection data to any relevant recipients and systems with this software application.
- A Smoother Workflow: Once the flow of documents has been automated, businesses can become a bit more streamlined and productive.
- Centralized Storage: Users will have a much easier time locating and categorizing documents since these forms will be securely stored in one centralized place.
- Autofill: Prefilling various fields is a popular feature when it comes to forms automation software.
- User Permissions: Depending on an employee's role, Administrators can choose whether to grant them access to confidential forms. This ensures that such forms are only accessed by authorized personnel.
- Data Collection and Analysis: Forms automation software can collect data from forms filled out by customers, employees, or other stakeholders. This data can then be analyzed by the software so that trends and useful insights can be identified.
- Automated Routing: Forms automation software can also be used to automate routing of completed forms. This is especially helpful when dealing with a large volume of paperwork, as it takes away the burden of manual routing for each form.
- Dynamic Document Generation: The software can generate documents based on pre-defined templates, which may include features such as automatic updates whenever changes are made to a form. This ensures accuracy in the documents generated and helps save time.
- Payment Integration: Many forms automation solutions integrate payment systems into their platform, allowing customers to easily pay online via credit card or other payment methods.
- Security Compliance: The security measures built into many forms automation packages ensure compliance with various national and international regulations regarding data privacy and protection.
- Automated Reminders: The software can be used to send automated reminders to customers or employees when their forms are overdue, ensuring that all forms get completed in a timely manner.
- Advanced Reporting and Dashboards: Many forms automation solutions also offer advanced reporting and dashboard features that allow you to quickly gain insights into your data. This is especially helpful for tracking the status of submitted forms or identifying trends in customer feedback.
- Customizable Workflows: Forms automation software can be customized to match the specific needs of each organization, making it easy to create and manage complex workflows for various types of business processes.
Types of Forms Automation Software
- Form Creator Software: This type of software allows users to quickly and easily create forms with customizable fields, drop-down menus, and other interactive elements. Forms can be saved for future use or sent out electronically for easy completion and submission.
- Document Management Software: This type of software enables users to store electronic documents such as contracts, invoices, and agreements in a secure digital repository. The software also allows for quickly accessing previously stored forms and easily adding new documents to the system.
- Workflow Automation Software: This type of software is used to automate repetitive tasks such as document approvals, notifications, notifications of changes made to stored documents, tracking customer data across multiple sources, etc. It helps streamline processes by automatically routing information between different departments while reducing time spent on manual data entry.
- Data Extraction Software: This type of software allows users to extract data from scanned documents or forms in order to make them more accessible and easier to work with. It is a great tool for quickly processing large amounts of information without having to manually enter each piece of data into a database or spreadsheet.
What Are the Benefits of Forms Automation Software?
- Increased Efficiency: Forms automation software streamlines the process of completing and submitting forms, reducing the time wasted on manual paperwork. By automating the form-filling process, users can quickly fill out multiple forms with a few clicks. This saves businesses hours of administrative work and helps them focus on their core operations.
- Improved Accuracy: Automated forms typically have validation checks built in that help validate data before it is submitted. This ensures accuracy and prevents errors from entering into the system, resulting in accurate records that can be easily accessed at any time.
- Reduced Costs: By eliminating manual data entry processes and increasing efficiency, companies are able to reduce costs associated with labor and lost time. Additionally, automated systems typically come with built-in security protocols to safeguard against unauthorized access or manipulation of sensitive information.
- Greater Security: Forms automation software offers an additional layer of security by allowing administrators to set up user accounts and limit access to certain areas or features of the system. This helps ensure that only authorized personnel have access to certain information, thus minimizing risk exposure in case of hacking attempts or other malicious activities.
- Enhanced Productivity: Since automated forms take less time to complete than traditional paperwork, employees are able to focus more on productive tasks that require their expertise as opposed to mundane data entry tasks. Additionally, automated forms also eliminate mistakes caused by human error which further increases productivity levels within a business environment.
- Improved Analysis: Automated forms can also be used to generate data-driven insights and trends, allowing businesses to make informed decisions and optimize their operations. This helps them identify areas of improvement, enabling them to take corrective action in a timely manner.
How Much Does Forms Automation Software Cost?
The cost of forms automation software can vary greatly depending on the complexity and scope of the project. Generally speaking, forms automation software is offered in packages that are grouped by how many users or "seats" it supports. Smaller projects might only require a single user package which typically start at around $1500/year and increase depending on the features included, while larger projects may require multiple users and could cost as much as $10,000/year or more. Additionally, some forms automation software companies charge additional fees for extra services such as customizing existing templates or setting up complex logic flows. For these types of services you can expect to pay anywhere from $100 to over $1000 depending on the complexity of your project requirements. If you plan to use forms automation software for a long period of time, some vendors offer discounts when signing up for multi-year agreements, so be sure to ask about those options when discussing pricing with potential vendors.
What Should You Take Into Account When Buying Forms Automation Software?
Number of forms vs. level of automation: You will find some forms automation solutions that limit your number of monthly forms but offer high levels of automation and customization. Other forms automation solutions, however, are exactly the opposite. They limit your available custom fields as well as your automation capabilities, but they will allow you to generate and share as many forms as you need each month. You must decide whether your business requires higher levels of customization or higher form volume on a monthly basis.
Deployment types: Your business can either deploy forms automation software on premise or on the cloud, depending on the nature of the data you are collecting. Although the cloud option is easier to scale and has a smaller upfront investment, a third-party server will be hosting your business data. Some users are not comfortable with this, especially when sensitive medical and account information is involved. In this situation, on-premise deployment might be a better option, as your own in-house servers will hold all the data.
Trends in Forms Automation Software
- Increased Automation: Forms automation software has advanced to the point that it can now automate much of the tedious manual labor associated with completing and submitting forms. This includes automatically collecting data, filling out fields, and even submitting forms directly to the necessary authorities.
- Improved Accuracy: Because forms automation software is automated, it reduces the likelihood of human error in form submissions. This ensures that all forms are accurately filled out and submitted on time to avoid costly penalties or fines for late filings.
- Better Efficiency: By automating many aspects of form submission, organizations can save both time and money compared to manual processes or outsourcing form preparation or submission tasks to specialized vendors. This improved efficiency allows businesses to focus more resources on other high-value tasks instead of mundane paperwork.
- Enhanced Security: As businesses increasingly switch from paper-based systems to digital solutions, security is a major concern when transmitting sensitive information over networks or via email. Forms automation software provides robust security measures such as encryption algorithms, authentication protocols, and user access control lists to ensure that only authorized personnel can view or access confidential records or documents related to a particular form submission process.
- More Flexibility: Many forms automation software solutions are easily customizable – allowing users to add additional features like electronic signatures, payment processing functions, integration with existing systems such as accounting packages – making the system more flexible according to their needs without having to purchase additional hardware or software licenses and incur extra costs in the process.
- Mobile-Ready Forms: Many forms automation solutions vendors are beginning to offer mobile-oriented forms services via apps. Business can begin taking advantage of options like mobile form creation and distribution.
- Graphic-Rich Forms: The user experience when it comes to electronic forms is constantly being improved. Some vendors now offer forms automation solutions with rich graphical elements like animations, interactive content and visual charts. These graphic-rich forms have a lower rate of abandonment than traditional text-heavy forms.
What Are Your Deployment Options When It Comes to Forms Automation Software?
There are several deployment options for forms automation software. It is important to choose your business's ideal deployment option before you start looking into potential vendors. Before your forms automation software can be deployed, make a decision between these options:
- Subscription license or perpetual license? Long-term periodic payments are preferred by some businesses, while an upfront lump sum is ideal for others. As a side note, you will likely notice tiered pricing when researching various subscription license software vendors. Their prices for forms automation software will change based on your number of users, If you are intending to distribute your electronic forms to a large number of users, then you can expect to pay higher fees on a monthly or annual basis.
- On-premise or cloud-based? Although cloud-based forms automation solutions are quite convenient, it is worth taking into account that cloud storage is something that some forms automation software vendors will charge additional fees for.
- Integrated suite or best-of-breed? Best-of-breed will suit users who only need forms automation capabilities and are not looking for additional functionalities. An integrated suite, however, is ideal for businesses like retailers and marketing companies, as they often desire, on top of forms automation, additional applications for e-commerce, content publishing and social networking.
What Integrates With Forms Automation Software?
Forms automation software can typically integrate with a variety of types of software to create a more streamlined workflow. For example, customer relationship management (CRM) software is often used to capture and store customer data when forms are filled out by customers. Email marketing tools such as Mailchimp can be used to send automated emails when new forms are received. Workflow management systems like Zapier and IFTTT can also be used to trigger automated actions based on form entries. Finally, document management systems like Google Drive and Dropbox can integrate with forms automation software for simple storage and retrieval of form data.
Who Uses Forms Automation Software?
- Businesses: Forms automation software can help businesses streamline their processes and reduce paperwork, freeing up time so they can focus on other tasks.
- Educators: Forms automation software can help educators collect feedback from students and quickly access data to better understand student needs.
- Healthcare Organizations: Forms automation software simplifies patient surveys, intake forms, and medical records management, making it easier for healthcare organizations to keep track of all necessary information.
- Government Agencies: Governments use forms automation software to simplify the process of collecting taxes, managing voter registration information, issuing licenses and permits, and providing services.
- Nonprofits: Nonprofits often use forms automation software to easily collect donations and manage volunteers’ availability.
- Banks & Financial Services Companies: Banks use forms automation software to automate loan applications, onboarding documents for financial advisors, customer account openings/closings, and more.
- Insurance Companies: Insurance companies utilize forms automation software to easily manage policyholder applications, claims processing times, policy renewals/expirations—all while remaining compliant with industry regulations.
- Human Resources Departments: HR departments rely on forms automation software to speed up onboarding processes by automatically collecting required applicant information such as tax forms and background checks.
- Legal Firms: Legal firms use forms automation software to quickly process and store large amounts of documents like contracts, wills, mortgages, and more.
- Retail & Ecommerce Companies: Forms automation software helps retailers automate shipping labels and invoices, track customer orders and preferences, and simplify online checkout processes.
- Customer Service Departments: Forms automation software is used to quickly respond to customer inquiries and provide more efficient customer service.
How to Choose the Right Forms Automation Software
- Identify organizational needs: Before selecting a forms automation software, it is important to first identify the specific tasks that need to be automated within your organization. This will help you narrow down the list of available options and choose an appropriate tool that will meet your needs.
- Evaluate features: Once you have identified which tasks you need to automate, then it’s time to evaluate the features offered by various forms automation software solutions. Pay special attention to features like ease of use, scalability, flexibility, customization capabilities, security measures and integration options. Make sure the solution you select has all the features required for your organization’s specific needs.
- Assess pricing plans: Different forms automation software vendors offer different pricing plans based on their feature sets and usage levels. Compare these prices across multiple products in order to make an informed decision about which one offers the best value for money based on your needs and budget constraints.
- Try before you buy: Many vendors offer free trials or demo versions of their products so that customers can try before committing to buying the full version of their product. Take advantage of this opportunity by testing out different solutions until you find one that meets all your requirements perfectly and fits into your budget as well.
- Ask for feedback from users: Before making any final decisions on a form automation software purchase, ask other users in similar organizations what they think about various solutions they have used in past or are currently using now. This will help provide valuable insight into how well each product performs in real-world scenarios and how easy it is to use from an end-user perspective as well as a system administrator point of view if needed.