Forms are the age-old tools for collecting data. These constitute fields corresponding to the information one needs for designing the work process. Businesses seeking automation at all levels make use of digital forms to bring sophistication to the processes. Though lots have been said about the obsolescence of the use of forms, these still continue to be the most reliable data collection tool. The reason for this lies in the way forms are being built and used.
Let’s try to understand how the benefits of using forms can be maximized for improvisation in the workflow, leading to a more productive work environment.
a. Coding in-house
Every organization has a different structure, size and work objectives to achieve. Thus, the workflows are unique to each organization. That is why the use of in-house coders is promoted to ensure more effectiveness from the forms. With the use of in-house coding, it becomes easier for users to inculcate organization-centric changes in the form fields so that relevant functionalities can be obtained.
b. Eliminating all paperwork
From filling out the form to storing the information, every stage should be made mechanical with no manual intervention or paperwork. It certainly is of no use if the forms are filled out but the prints of these are taken and stored in manually maintained files. It is sheer abuse of both the designers and the manual power of an organization. So, replacing email requests, etc. with forms can help an organization reduce wastage of man-hours in filing and processing.
c. Making form use simpler
A tool is worth wielding only if it does not require much of the brain and time. So, forms workflow can be used in a much better way if the interface is made simple and user-friendly. If there are provisions made for adding the reviewers and alerting them about the completion of any form, the process of improvising the workflow can be made faster and much easier. Some do recommend the use of Google Forms because of the ease of choosing from a wide range of fields, etc., but the absence of a reviewer alert does add on the job of sending emails to the whole process.
d. Use of tools for faster approvals
Particularly in the case of business-customer interaction, the approval and validation need to be done super quickly. Thus, the use of tools like auto-responders, an e-signature field, conditions reviewing tool, etc. can be considered for extracting the best uses of forms and bringing seamlessness to the workflow.
To conclude, making forms relevant for the present times is one of the feats that organizations conquered by bringing about a flexibility in design and nullifying the need for human intervention. The main idea behind the use of forms is to collect data, keep it secure, and document the requirements for achieving state-of-the-art and time-relevant workflows.
With the help of integrating technological changes in the design and use of the forms, and in the later stage, in the error-free processing of the information, the process masters have been able to retain the relevance of these information-gathering tools in the present times.
