Mobile Forms Allow You to Capture New Types of Data, Like GPS and Photos
Originally published on 12/01/2015
Using mobile forms? Check out this hidden trick to streamline your form-filling experience
Looking to convert a PDF to a fillable form? With GoFormz, it’s simple to take your existing paper documents and turn them into fully functional mobile forms—no reformatting required. Just upload your PDF, and GoFormz lets you overlay digital fields, checkboxes, and more, instantly transforming it into a smart, fillable form you can complete on phones, tablets, and computers. Learn how to convert PDFs to fillable forms.
Unlike traditional paper forms, mobile forms allow you to collect new data types directly from your device. For example, your mobile form can automatically capture the current time, date, and GPS coordinates, saving you from having to look up or manually input this information. You can also take photos using your device’s camera and embed them directly into the form—something impossible with paper.
Many of our customers use GoFormz to digitize and enhance their forms. For example, a contractor doing a job site estimate can log the time and location of their visit, snap photos of the site, and even sketch or annotate directly on the images to highlight specific areas. This creates more detailed and accurate documentation without extra effort.
Customer Success Stories with New Data Types
These capabilities of mobile forms—automatic data capture, embedded photos, and in-field annotations—lead to time savings, fewer errors, and richer information. Here are a few ways customers are winning with new types of data capture:
WBI Energy
WBI Energy needed a digital solution to resolve problems arising from their paper-based system, such as notable delays and on-site error detection issues. The solution needed to centralize information flow, maintain consistency among inspection teams located in different places, include GPS tracking functionality, provide real-time access to data, and support offline data capture. By integrating GoFormz with Smartsheet, WBI Energy streamlined their communication and data collection while minimizing the potential for errors and delays through GPS tracking of specific assets. Learn more here >
“We had to sift through information, find a mistake, place that project in service, find the issue, locate where it was buried, dig it up, and then x-ray the ditch to verify everything checks out…now we’re finding those problems before that pipe even goes into the ditch!”
Chemtrade Logistics
With no digital solution in place before GoFormz, Chemtrade needed a way to digitize their pre- and post-loading checklists without drastically changing their original processes. Their pen and paper methods of tracking railcar inspection could cause disruptions if railcars were shipped without adequate signage, with no visual aids to prove all parameters were met during pre-shipment loading checks. Thanks to GoFormz, Chemtrade was able to enhance their documentation process with visual aids using Image fields and streamline user adoption by digitizing their existing paper forms. Learn more here >
“A customer now might contact us two months in the future and say the placard is missing. We can then go back, pull up that PDF, and present the condition of the railcar showing the placard was present before it left the site.”
Are you ready to get started with mobile forms? Whether you want to digitize a timesheet template or expand into the realm of digital data collection, explore how GoFormz can revolutionize your procedures and streamline your processes to thrive in the modern landscape.
