Why should you put forms in the cloud?
In your career as a field manager or field officer, you might have visited hundreds of other home services, small businesses, job sites. There’s one thing in common is that you have been too busy in collecting information on paper or on your computer with Microsoft Word or pdf.
Does this describe you?
The good news is that there are easy ways to take care of all your forms and document chores even when you’re on the go. One of them is Trexa cloud forms. It’s a game changer for millions of small businesses around the world. And it’s perfectly suited to busy contractors and small home services businesses.
If you want your business to work smarter and faster, cloud eForm software is a wise investment. Working in the cloud will give you better results in form filling, easy access to forms anywhere from any devices and improve collaboration with your team.
So let’s roll up our sleeves and take a look at what you stand to gain from digital forms in the cloud.
Who belongs in the cloud?
The first thing we should get straight is just who will benefit from putting their paper in pdf forms in the cloud. The short answer is anyone. Form filling is a bit tedious process and time-consuming, but as a digital form experts we can tell you, it’s all just a simple game if you implement the correct digital solution.
If you have a business where you deal with paper or pdf forms on a daily basis then cloud solution is for you to convert your paper or pdf forms and collect and manage data in an effective way.
Problems with traditional form filling
Paper-based forms are rapidly being substituted with electronic forms (eForms). Even paperwork-heavy industries such as real estate and healthcare are taking firm steps towards a paperless environment. This shift became necessary as organisations realised the risks they’re up against, including:
POSSIBLE DATA LOSS DUE TO THE VULNERABILITY OF PAPER
I know people whose offices have flooded from a leaky sink not caught over the weekend, people whose offices completely burned down in a fire and people whose computer and other equipment was stolen. These things really do happen and it’s unfortunate to lose so much information so easily.
LACK OF SPACE BECAUSE OF GROWING NUMBER OF FILE CABINETS
You have to physically store them for so long! Most of us keep records for seven years (or longer, if you see children/teens) and it’s really difficult to tell whether or not you plan to move at all in the next seven years. This can also make things difficult to track after multiple moves.
TIME-CONSUMING, LIMITED COLLABORATION AND EDITING CAPABILITIES
Using paper records can be more time-consuming than using a computer to complete paperwork. This applies to both your clients as well as yourself and any employees/associates. In some ways, sharing documents can be easier with paper but it can also be more difficult if you need to fax or scan things that would’ve otherwise already been uploaded electronically.
HIGH ASSOCIATED COSTS OF PAPERS AND PRINTERS
A major disadvantage of using paper assessments is the high cost associated with the process. The number of personnel involved as well as the printing, distributing, scanning, rekeying, filing and archiving is very costly. When institutions move to an online system these significant costs can often be reduced by at least 50 percent.
If these issues have been bothering you, maybe it’s time for you to go paperless with eForms.
Top eight reasons to make the move to form filling in the cloud
ACCESS FROM ANYWHERE
All your records are easily housed in one place. You simply log in and voila, everything you need! If you have internet access, then you can access your full records from any location.
DATA SECURITY
Cloud solution like Trexa comply with the best in industry security and privacy standards. While we’re all concerned about hackers, and that is certainly something to keep in mind, a good eForm solution will provide excellent security. This security will be far beyond what you could create for yourself, either using paper or keep notes housed on your computer.
IMPROVE EFFICIENCY
Electronic forms effectively streamline business processes and improve overall efficiency. As most information is not limited to sheets, capturing and moving it into core business systems is faster and more affordable.
eForms lower operating costs and cycle time. On average, they can save 15 minutes and $5/form. However, these amounts cover filling paper forms and processing them only. The time and money spent on storing forms aren’t included.
IMPROVING DATA ACCURACY
eForms ensure the accuracy of data during collection and submission to cloud. While collecting data, eForms may be configured to be pre-filled with default values. That way, users only need to confirm this information. eForms also come with drop-down menus and validations on fields, further limiting user error.
As for data submission, field and form-level validation capabilities ensure that data is accurate and complete before storing it in databases. However, the biggest benefit of eForms is eliminating the need to have data entered manually from paper forms. Therefore, chances of data entry errors and data loss are greatly reduced.
ELIMINATING PAPER
E-forms are more than just an electronic version of a paper form. They promptly capture, verify, approve and integrate data with the critical business systems used to run organizations. When information is automatically captured and distributed without a paper form, to begin with, business processes are streamlined, efficiency is improved, costs are cut and your organization becomes a little greener.
AUTOMATED WORKFLOW IMPLEMENTATION
Once submitted, e-forms can implement an automated workflow based on an organisation’s business rules. forms can be distributed to the appropriate individual or department for review, sales orders can be sent to a manager for approval and then on to distribution for delivery, credit applications can be sent to the appropriate manager in the finance department for immediate review and approval. Automated workflow is seamless, quick and ensures accountability.
PROVIDE ACCESS ON MOBILE DEVICES
The holy grail of electronic forms and mobile capture is not only eliminating paper but being able to process information anywhere in the world. The best of breed applications let you access forms from any mobile device.
If you feel ready for those advantages, and more for your organisation, you have your work cut out for you. The first thing you need to do is properly plan how to replace your paper forms with electronic ones and next is to get the free trial of Trexa eForms and start your digital journey.
