5 Reasons to Convert Your PDFs into Online Fillable Forms

Leveraging online fillable forms

Did you know you can create online fillable forms that look exactly the same as your existing work PDFs? In the GoFormz drag-and-drop form builder, you can convert your PDFs into online fillable forms with no code or IT support required! Click here to sign up for a free trial. 

The problem with PDFs

We’ve all been there: what was meant to be a quick form is suddenly complicated by an impossible to use PDF. The file won’t open, information can’t be entered or saved, fields are left blank, and you still need to print it out or find a way to email the document. The problems don’t stop there. There is little that can be done to address incomplete fields, missing signatures, mathematical errors, and other data entry hiccups. To make matters even worse, once the PDF file reaches its final destination, any information included often needs to be scanned, rekeyed, printed, or filed – wasting further time and resources. And if a form is filled out incorrectly, you have to start the process all over again… ugh. 

By converting your PDFs into online fillable forms your business can anticipate a variety of benefits, including better data, significant time and budget savings, and streamlined business processes. These improvements not only help your business operate more efficiently but also more professionally and effectively. And the benefits don’t stop there – check out more ways online fillable forms can improve your business below:

Here are five reasons to convert your PDFs into online fillable forms

1. Save time and improve data entry efficiency
   Your online fillable form fields can be easily configured with a variety of properties to guide data entry and ensure important fields are completed before a form is submitted. For example, an electronic Signature field could be made Required.
   
   Your online fillable forms can also leverage Database fields, allowing users to make selections (from fields like Drop Down menus) or scan Barcodes, and instantly populate corresponding fields with highly accurate data. Instant Calculations can also be added to number fields and Table fields, enabling your digital form to automatically provide accurate totals – no manual math required. Each of these features enables your operation to achieve faster, more efficient data entry, without compromising accuracy.

2. Elevate data integrity
   Conditional Logic, Instant Calculations, and pre-populated fields not only improve efficiency but also the integrity of collected data. PDFs and paper forms provide countless opportunities for human error, resulting in missing information, incorrect data, redundant data, and a variety of other mistakes that compromise the integrity of your data collection. Online fillable forms minimize data entry demands and provide users with the features they need to enter only the most accurate data. This means that once data reaches your back-office, systems of record, and databases, it has already been ‘sanitized’. 

3. Guide data entry and enforce data capture rules
   Your online fillable form fields can be equipped with Conditional Logic and Dynamic Field Properties, allowing form builders to make fields dynamically change color, visibility, and if they are Required, based on the User or input data. For example, a Signature field could be made dynamically Required for users within a particular Group, or if they select a specific Checkbox. These dynamic features guide users through data entry, helping them identify which fields they need to complete, and prompt them to complete Required fields when necessary. 

4. Capture new data types
   Your forms can host a variety of powerful new data types that are difficult to add to PDFs, like Images, Signatures, GPS & Maps, and Barcode Scanning. These new data types bring context to your digital forms and can be seamlessly added directly into your forms. 

5. Access completed forms and input data in real-time
   Finally, submitted forms are instantly available for review and processing, allowing data to be accessed in real-time. Your submitted digital forms are instantly stored in the Cloud and can even be automatically piped to connected systems, like Salesforce, Google Drive, Procore, and more.
   
   Instant access to submitted forms and data not only accelerates your daily processes (like billing, payroll, and customer service) but also allows your business to improve its agility. Better, more frequent data deliveries empower your team to rapidly pinpoint business opportunities and obstacles to productivity and act fast to address them. 

Digitizing your PDFs into online fillable forms is quick and easy, requiring no code or IT support. To get started, check out this guide to converting your PDFs into fillable online forms, or, request a demo of the GoFormz platform to speak with a GoFormz expert!