Form making software revolutionizes business processes

Introduction

Legacy paperwork and manual data entry are inefficient. According to a McKinsey report, a Fortune 500 insurance company spent $35 million annually managing paper forms. By adopting form software, they achieved $15 million in savings and productivity gains.

Form building tools are transforming how companies digitize forms and workflows to improve efficiency. As companies race to digitally transform operations, adoption of form software has exploded across industries like HR, finance, field services and more. This article will explore the major impacts and benefits of form building technology, examining key use cases and considerations when evaluating solutions.

Problems with Paper Forms

Before the advent of form software, most companies relied on paper forms and documents to capture information and route it for approval. However, paper-based forms come with major downsides:

• Prone to human error during manual data entry - Illegible handwriting and mistakes like transposed numbers lead to inaccurate data capture. Reporting and analytics suffer from bad data.
• Difficult to track, store, find, and analyze paper documents - No way to digitally search paper forms makes retrieval tedious. Hard to meet compliance rules.
• No automation - forms must be physically routed for signatures - Lack of workflows and system integration slows processes enormously.
• Expensive to print and mail paper forms - Printing, sorting, mailing forms has significant costs. Postage and paper add up.
• Lack of visibility into form completion rates and bottlenecks - Impossible to identify stuck or delayed forms without digital tracking. Hard to optimize.

Data Accuracy Issues

Manually entering handwritten data from paper forms leads to multiple accuracy issues:

• Illegible handwriting leads to incorrect data capture like mistaking a 3 for an 8. Data quality is suspect.
• Difficult to verify and validate data quality without cross-checking paper.
• No error checking during manual entry means mistakes go unnoticed.
• Hard to spot mistakes without laboriously reviewing paper docs.
• Leads to bad data and reporting inaccuracies that impact decisions.

Tracking & Retrieval Challenges

Digging through filing cabinets to find paper forms becomes a nightmare. According to AIIM, knowledge workers spend 5-15% of their time searching for information:

• No way to digitally search paper documents makes retrieval tedious.
• Easy to misplace forms during physical routing between people.
• Difficult to identify form status and completion without checks.
• Hard to meet compliance rules such as retention policies.
• Unable to flag forms that are overdue or stalled somewhere in process.

Lack of Process Visibility

Paper forms prevent insights into bottlenecks and performance. For example, it's impossible to track the average time to complete an expense report without digitization.

• No metrics on individual form turnaround times for benchmarking.
• Can't identify performance bottlenecks without tracking capabilities.
• Hard to optimize workflows without visibility into processes.
• Tough to improve forms when issues are unknown.
• No audit trail showing form routing and hand-offs.

Benefits of Form Software

Modern form building tools address these pain points by digitizing forms and enabling automation such as:

• Replaces paper forms with digital forms - Forms accessible anywhere online.
• Automates data capture through smart fields - Guided digital filling with validation.
• Streamlines routing and approvals with workflows - Automated sending, reminders, escalations.
• Provides analytics and dashboards - Insights into individual form and process performance.
• Integrates with back-end systems via APIs - Direct data capture into databases.

Increased Data Accuracy

Digitizing form filling and data capture improves accuracy. According to an Aberdeen Group study, companies achieved 98% accuracy using smart forms versus 80% with paper:

• Guided form filling minimizes incorrect data entry.
• Validation and error checking prevent submission of bad data.
• Digital capture eliminates legibility issues of handwriting.
• Data mapped directly into back-end systems avoids re-entry.
• Reporting with consistent, high-quality data from forms.

Faster Processes

Automating workflows and approvals accelerates form routing. A McKinsey study found that automated workflows are over 90% faster than paper-based processes:

• Workflows route forms automatically based on rules.
• Real-time notifications when forms need approver action.
• Mobile forms allow on-the-go completion from anywhere.
• Parallel approvals speed up traditionally bottlenecked processes.
• Forms integrated directly into core business systems.

Process Insights

Analytics provide unprecedented visibility into form operations:

• Dashboards display individual form performance metrics.
• Identify and optimize slow, inefficient processes.
• Audit trails provide compliance visibility.
• KPI monitoring to continually improve forms and workflows.
• Data to support business decisions on workflows.

Use Cases and Applications

Form software delivers value across many departments. Here are top solutions tailored for each:

• HR forms like onboarding, PTO requests, performance reviews with solutions like BambooHR and Paylocity.
• Finance forms such as expense reports, purchase orders via tools like Expensify, Bill.com.
• Field service forms for work orders, inspections, checklists using platforms like ServiceTitan, Jobber.
• Healthcare forms like patient intake, assessments with DrChrono, SimplePractice.
• Construction forms for safety, inspections, issues tracking through HCSS, Stack.
• Government forms like permit applications, registrations with solutions like CityGrows, OpenCities.

Popular HR Forms

HR relies heavily on forms for core processes:

• New employee onboarding paperwork.
• Time off requests and approvals.
• Employee development plans.
• Performance review forms.
• Reimbursement request forms.
• Employee exit paperwork.

Common Finance Forms

Finance deals with high form volume:

• Purchase requisitions and purchase orders.
• Expense reports.
• Budget change request forms.
• Payment vouchers.
• Travel authorization forms.
• Invoice processing paperwork.

Field Service Use Cases

Field services are a perfect use case:

• Equipment inspection forms.
• Work orders and associated workflows.
• Job safety checklists.
• Installation and maintenance forms.
• Inventory management forms.
• Site inspection forms.

Key Considerations When Choosing Form Software

With many form building tools available, key evaluation criteria include:

• Integration capabilities with existing systems like CRM, ERP, HRIS. Look for pre-built connectors.
• Configurable approval workflows with escalations, reminders, conditional logic.
• Embedded analytics for monitoring KPIs and identifying bottlenecks.
• Options for form design and customization - drag-and-drop, mobile, etc.
• Compliance with regulations and security standards like SOC 2, ISO 27001.
• Quality of technical support and customer service. Look for 24/7 chat, phone, and email options.

Key Integrations

Look for native integrations with:

• CRM, ERP, accounting software like Salesforce, SAP, NetSuite.
• HRIS, applicant tracking systems like Workday, Lever, Greenhouse.
• Document management systems like Box, Dropbox, SharePoint.

Form Design Options

Key form design and build capabilities:

• Drag-and-drop form builder.
• Mobile responsiveness.
• Conditional logic and branching.
• Image uploads and drawing.
• Custom styling and branding options.

Workflow Features

Smart workflow functionality like:

• Parallel vs sequential routing rules.
• Conditional approvals based on data.
• Real-time notifications.
• Custom approval chains.
• Deadline reminders and escalations.

Conclusion

In summary, form software replaces inefficient paper forms with streamlined digital experiences. Key benefits are increased data accuracy, faster processes, and unparalleled visibility into operations.

Use cases extend across every department, with significant potential to optimize HR, finance, field service and other workflows. When evaluating tools, look for powerful form design, automation, and analytics balanced with ease of use.

Form building technology enables organizations to digitally transform critical business processes through accelerated data capture, workflows, and actionable insights.

DevHunt helps teams discover and evaluate the latest form software and automation tools. Learn more about their unique platform for launching developer tools.