Thinking about Google Forms or Wufoo for your local government workflow? Think again.

Stop dealing with all these paper forms and don’t settle for a form tool that can’t handle government work. CityGrows can help! (Photo courtesy of Dvortygirl)

Need to quickly get a form up online? Maybe you have a permit process that you’re trying to digitize, or want a job application that candidates can submit from a website. You might think about using Google Forms or a similar form app like Wufoo or SurveyMonkey. But if you do, you might actually end up just making a digital version of an inefficient paper process, and increasing your workload instead of streamlining it!

Now, don’t get me wrong. Google Forms can be great; I’ve used all those tools a number of times. They are inexpensive or free and can be great for collecting information. But they don’t work for processes.

More than just filling out a form — how government really works

Think about what you’re trying to do with most government forms. They aren’t the sum of what you’re trying to do. Instead, those forms are usually the beginning of a process.

Let’s take one common form: a business registration/ DBA. What does the process traditionally look like?

1. First, the business needs to get the correct application form. If it’s on a website, they download it and then fill it out, or they may have to go into an office and complete it. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might have to submit additional documents as well. With a paper form, they’d either mail in all these documents, or have to bring them in in person.
2. The county clerk or other local official checks the form to make sure it’s been completed correctly and enters the data into a recording system, taking valuable staff time. (If we’re talking a mailed form, and there’s an error it can take weeks to find out something’s been missed, and get it back in the mail.)
3. The applicant pays the registration fee (either in person or via a check in the mail, or by mailing a credit card authorization form). Not so secure!
4. The clerk approves the application, stamps the form, and mails the certification to the applicant.
5. The applicant then has to publish the announcement in a newspaper.
6. The newspaper mails the documentation to the clerk for filing.

The process could take anywhere from 30 minutes to several weeks…and requires staff time for data entry and tracking. That was the actual process in Inyo County, California, and it was a real burden for rural residents who had to drive up to 100 miles to their county administration.

But what would it have been if the county used Google Forms or Wufoo?

1. The business would complete the form online. Depending on the tool and setup, they might be able to upload any documentation through the tool or they might need to email it separately. This part is definitely better! The forms tool notifies the staff that an application has been received via email. (Some cities have fillable PDFs online, that then send the form as an email attachment to a staffer. This isn’t much better than paper, especially when someone has to data enter the form again!)
2. The county clerk or other local official goes through their email to be sure that they received everything and then needs to check that the form is completed correctly.
3. If there are any issues, they need to email or call the applicant and they must resubmit the entire form again. If the application is fully completed, the clerk needs to contact the applicant and direct them to pay the application fee, through a different system.
4. In some towns and counties, the applicant must mail a check to the office, which the clerk then needs to collect and process. Other governments have their own separate online payment system, which isn’t integrated at all with the form software. And when a payment comes through that way, it’s hard for governments to reconcile where it came from. And let’s hope the payment comes through with the correct amount — otherwise they have to start all over again.
5. Once they find out payment’s been made, the staff approves the application, enters all the information into a separate database, stamps the form, and then mails the certification to the applicant.
6. The applicant then has to publish the announcement in a newspaper.
7. The newspaper must send the documentation to the clerk, which the clerk needs to process manually.

These supposedly easy online tools have added more complications and probably saved the applicant some time, but increased the administrative burden on staff.

Google Forms, Wufoo, SurveyMonkey are certainly easy to set up. The problem is that when you have to use them for anything complex, they force government employees to do more work. They’re not built for processes and the special functions of government like reviews and approvals. And let’s face it, most of the work governments handle is complex.

Now see how much smoother the same process is with CityGrows:

1. First, the business reviews the guidelines and submits the necessary information through an online form via their computer or smartphone. With CityGrows, you can’t advance past a given step if it’s not completed and the data’s not in the right format. That means far fewer errors.
2. The county clerk or other local official gets a notification that there’s a new application, signs on to CityGrows and checks the information. If they have a question or need something to change, they can message the applicant right from the CityGrows app — but because of the way the system’s set up, they usually don’t have to. The system automatically notifies the applicant that they’re good to pay their fee.
3. The applicant pays the registration fee online. The system lets the staff know the fee’s been paid.
4. The clerk signs off (right on the CityGrows platform) and the applicant gets another notification that they can download their business registration.
5. The applicant then has to publish the announcement in a newspaper (we feel like this part of the process is ripe for innovation, too!).
6. The newspaper logs on to CityGrows and uploads the proof of publication.

The process goes faster, is more transparent to everyone involved, and requires staff to spend less time on data entry and correcting errors. That means more time to do the real work of government — helping constituents.

The CityGrows Advantage

Unlike those other tools, CityGrows enables you to handle every part of the process from within CityGrows. No more switching between databases, entering information from one system to another. CityGrows handles everything from the initial form to payments and approvals. Just look at the real Fictitious Business Name registration form for Inyo County.

How does that process compare to what your city or county has to go through to do the same thing?

Want to help your government move forms online, without creating more work? Sign up for CityGrows now!