I'm a sole practitioner no staff and looking to get online forms instead of sending Word/Excel documents to clients to complete. It's basic information requests for example when taking on a new client, details to set up a new company, details for VAT registration applications etc. I'd just like to have a simple online form which is quicker and easier for clients to use.
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Not something we currently do but sounds like a good idea.
If I was to start looking at this I'd be thinking of something like Google Forms for the basic idea and then research alternatives that feel more tailored/professional. We do use DocuSign for e-signatures and I'm sure that includes sending forms to clients.
I've been playing with Jot Form - https://www.jotform.com/
Brilliant bit of free software, loads of templates which you can then customise and all of the data can be extracted as a .csv file which can be imported into whatever software you are using.
Yes you'll need to put effort in to customise them to your style, logo and each form can have a number of controls, such like if someone ticks a Yes box, it then opens up other questions, etc.
Client Engager. The forms automatically update into the software when the clients complete them.
There's a few easy/free tools, like Google/Microsoft forms. Do be careful re sensitive data though.
Or many CRMs/practice management tools will have this functionality. Typically also then be behind a username/password, so better for sharing sensitive data.
Whichever form you eventually choose, make sure you store any data safely and provide a privacy policy which details what you will do with the data, how long you will store it etc. GDPR legislation and the Data Protection Act provide information on the rights of individual's data and their access to it which you must comply with.
I use Fillout forms linked to Airtable where I store the details (like a CRM). Once they book a call / session / become a client that all links to Active Campaign as a flexible mailing list (& other stuff).
Still working out best automated way but both AT & FO I use are the free versions.
A session with a good tech VA should get you sorted in the short term but also with an eye on what you might want to do in the future to keep things streamlined & easy.
We have used Formdesk for many years for new starter forms. It requires a fair amount of customisation but is very powerful. They offer a free trial and provide exceptional support.
Here's one of our simplest forms: https://formdesk.com/jk/newsub
One of our bigger clients uses Jotform for the same purpose.
Cryptpad forms are pretty good. Cryptpad is an encrypted online collaboration suite which is an alternative to Google-Microsft docs/drive etc. It's free til you use over 1GB in the Drive.
The forms feature allows conditional sections and a wide range of question formats.
No probs with GDPR with Cryptpad - unlike Google and their ilk. As soon as a client puts data into one of Google's forms it makes multiple mirror copies then sells your client's answers (including their name if they've entered it) on to myriad data brokers. Scary!
Cryptpad is barely known in the UK but it's big in the EU - the EU Commission supports it as part of its digital sovereignty push.
