Year: 2022

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[Webinar] Formdational 105: Smart Forms

[Webinar] Formdational 105: Smart Forms

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We’re talking about all the ways you can “Get Smart” with your forms in the fifth session of our Formdational series! In this class, we’re demonstrating the use of formulas and calculations, troubleshooting, conditional notifications, and more. Watch the webinar to learn how to “Get Smart” with automated processes and dynamic forms.

What you’ll learn

In the session, our Knowledge team demonstrated how to use advanced form building techniques to make your forms even more dynamic. You’ll learn about:

  • Formulas and calculations
  • How to automate processes
  • Troubleshooting
  • Conditional notifications
  • And much more!

After this webinar, you’ll know about all the different techniques you need to make smart forms.

Keep learning about web forms

Interested in learning more form building techniques, so you can get the most out of your data collection? Start by watching one of our on-demand webinars.

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How Forms Can Impact Your Cart Abandonment Rate

How Forms Can Impact Your Cart Abandonment Rate

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With the holiday shopping season already in full swing, there’s one main concern that a lot of online retailers experience this time of year: cart abandonment. In the digital world, this means that people spent time browsing your online store, picked out a few items, and made it to the checkout page, but never completed the transaction.

Getting so close to making a sale without actually completing the transaction is frustrating. And it can be difficult to pinpoint exactly why this shopping cart abandonment occurs. What is it that’s turning people off from your website and causing them to abandon your web form?

Unfortunately, shopping cart abandonment is common, but there’s a lot of research into why people leave websites without buying. Let’s look into why this happens so frequently and what parts of the checkout process could be optimized for form completion.

What drives shopping cart abandonment?

Shopping cart abandonment often isn’t the result of one factor. There are multiple interlocking factors that cause people to either complete a purchase or abandon an online form. Before you can fix a shopping cart abandonment problem, you have to understand why it’s happening.

Let’s go over a few recent insights on what influences users to buy online (or not).

According to the Baymard Institute, an e-commerce and online user experience research organization, shopping cart abandonment across industries is nearly 70%. In additional research conducted by the institute, 48% of respondents cited extra fees such as shipping costs as the primary reason they didn’t complete an online purchase.

Other reasons users abandon their online shopping cart include complicated checkout processes, having to create an account to make a purchase, concerns over data security, limited payment options, page load times, and having to add personal or payment information more than once. 

For 58% of users who abandoned a checkout form, they stated they were simply browsing and never intended to make a purchase. It’s estimated that shopping cart abandonment costs retailers trillions in revenue. On the other hand, if companies optimized the checkout process to be aligned with user needs, they could recover $260 billion in lost orders.

The common thread that runs through many of the statistics is that users hate anything that makes it harder for them to achieve their objective. And it’s costing retailers. The good news is that by minimizing these points of friction with more seamless processes, you can better ensure that users complete checkout forms and officially make a purchase.

Form design can be simple or confusing. It can reduce friction or add friction to the user experience. Though it’s not the only thing that trips users up in the checkout process, it’s still a factor, and one that you can control. 

Having insight into what users dislike most about the checkout process (duplication of information, too many form fields, poor security) gives you insight into what elements of your forms might need updating.

While you can and should implement changes like guest checkout and transparent shipping costs, there are specific changes you can make to your forms to help minimize shopping cart abandonment. Here are five tips to make your forms easier to fill out and reduce friction across the checkout process.

1. Incorporate form prefilling

If you’ve ever had to enter your information twice during one online shopping session, you know how frustrating this experience can be. No one appreciates the extra work, and it doesn’t make your organization look good. 

While users can enable form prefill settings on their own devices, you can help out, too. Form prefilling from your own database eliminates the need for users to re-enter their information from one form to another.

2. Minimize form fields

The average checkout form has just 11 form fields. You likely don’t need to collect as much information from a respondent as you think. Only asking for relevant information on a form is also a data privacy best practice, so be sure to delete all unnecessary form fields.

Another way to minimize fields is to use conditional logic, so only certain fields show on a form based on how a respondent answers a question. Users will only see what fields are relevant to their situation, keeping the form simple and clean no matter who is completing it.

3. Break up long forms

Nothing feels more intimidating than having to scroll down a checkout page just to get to the bottom of a form. If your form requires more information than usual from a respondent, be sure to break your form into multiple pages. Multi-page forms help reduce overwhelm and help ensure that a user will complete your form, even if it’s long. 

Another simple way to reduce friction on long forms is by adding a progress bar to each page. The fewer respondents feel like they need to guess how long it will take to complete a form, the more likely they will be to get to the end and hit submit.

4. Offer multiple ways to pay

It may not seem like a major point of friction, but limited payment options can lead to shopping cart abandonment. While not a high number, it is good to know that 9% of users will not follow through with a purchase if they don’t see their payment method of choice. 

Giving your users the option of how they pay is smart. Many people choose to use PayPal to make online purchases these days, but it’s a best practice to offer alternatives like Authorize.net and Stripe. The easier it is for a customer to make a payment, the less likely they will be to abandon the checkout form. 

5. Enhance form security

The past several years have brought an increase in both data attacks and privacy concerns. The 2022 Adobe Trust report found that 84% of consumers felt keeping data safe could help rebuild trust in an organization. However, only 41% of organizations prioritize data privacy and governance.

Let your users know that you’ll prioritize data security and privacy as they shop on your site and make purchases. Be sure to add validated security seals that showcase your priority and commitment to keeping consumer data safe. It’s also important to ensure the forms themselves are secure and maintain compliance with data privacy regulations.

Optimize web forms for conversion

A form isn’t just a way of collecting information. It’s a hurdle your customers have to cross to take a specific action, like making a purchase or signing up. Even if you don’t see your forms as difficult to complete, your users might still view them as a hassle, which could increase friction and negatively affect sales. To ensure you’re optimizing your online forms and improving conversion rates, read our eBook, 4 Steps to Better Web Forms.

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FormAssembly Successfully Completes SOC 2 Type II Examination

FormAssembly Successfully Completes SOC 2 Type II Examination

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FormAssembly, a leading enterprise data collection platform, today announced the company has received the Systems and Control (SOC) 2 Type II compliance. Achieving this standard through an in-depth independent audit serves as third-party industry validation and demonstrates FormAssembly’s ability to not only implement enterprise-level security for customers’ data but also prove compliance over an extended period of time.

This independent audit conducted by A-LIGN validates that FormAssembly security practices and controls meet the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Trust Service Principles and Criteria for System and Organization Control. 

What is a SOC 2 Type II audit?

SOC 2 Type II is an auditing procedure that ensures service providers meet a standard degree of security control in areas including organization and management, communications, risk management, and monitoring of controls. 

SOC 2 is based on the criteria of Observability, Procedures, Communication, and Policies, and has specific Trust Service Principles based on the five trust principles developed and maintained by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA):

  • Security – The system is protected against unauthorized access, both physical and logical.
  • Availability – The system is available for operation and use as committed or agreed.
  • Processing integrity – System processing is complete, accurate, timely, and authorized.
  • Confidentiality – Information designated as confidential is protected as committed or agreed.
  • Privacy – Personal information is collected, used, retained, disclosed, and disposed of according to set guidelines.

SOC report types: Type I vs. Type II

  • SOC 2 Type I –  issued to organizations that have audited the controls are suitability designed and implemented.
  • SOC 2 Type II – more rigorous and is only issued to organizations that have successfully passed an audit of their controls when dealing with sensitive and confidential information over a specific period of time.

Why does it matter?

Our SOC 2 Type II compliance demonstrates our commitment to protecting the sensitive data of our customers in regulated industries and their end users by adhering to one of the most stringent compliance frameworks worldwide. FormAssembly users can rest assured knowing that data security and privacy are top priorities for our company, and we will continue to maintain this mindset now and in the future.

Our commitment to data stewardship

At FormAssembly, we have achieved several certifications that demonstrate our commitment to being good stewards of the data in our care. Along with completing the SOC 2 Type II Audit, we are ISO 27001:2013 certified, PCI DSS level 1 certified, and FedRAMP Ready. Our policies, procedures, and standards also reference best practices of FFIEC, GLBA, HIPAA, NIST, NYDFS, and the Privacy Act 1988. Together, these certifications and standards show our company has the protocols and controls in place to minimize risks involving the data our customers entrust to us.

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[Expert Panel] The Future of Remote Culture & How to Adapt Post Pandemic

[Expert Panel] The Future of Remote Culture & How to Adapt Post Pandemic

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These days, most of us are no strangers to a hybrid or fully remote work environment. The “new normal” doesn’t feel all that new anymore as many companies continue to offer flexible options for their employees. But how has this shift to working from home affected company morale? Are companies putting effort into maximizing positive remote culture now? And what does adapting to post-pandemic work really look like?

Watch our on-demand virtual roundtable session to hear our Director of Talent & Culture, Joey Owens-Barham, and other organizational leaders share insights about working from home, how to maintain a strong company culture in times of uncertainty, and the future of remote work. 

What you’ll learn

In the roundtable discussion, panelists discussed their experiences over the past several years in fully remote, hybrid, or in-office work environments. The panelists also dove into topics covering the benefits and challenges of working from home, what the future of remote work culture looks like, and how companies can adapt in a post-pandemic world. You’ll learn about:

  • Tips for maintaining a strong remote culture
  • Advice for retaining remote employees
  • Pros and cons of working remotely
  • Changes in the future of remote work

About our panelists

Joey Owens-Barham, Director of Talent & Culture, FormAssembly

Joey Owens-Barham is an experienced people specialist, operating as the Director of Talent & Culture at FormAssembly. He leads a small team that focuses on ensuring that the company attracts, retains, and empowers departmental teams to achieve their full potential. Joey has prioritized initiatives such as fostering a healthy remote culture, organizing annual employee reunions, and spearheading the company’s transition into an open PTO policy. Joey has also helped significantly grow FormAssembly’s team by strategically building a 130-member international team. When speaking on a strong remote culture, Joey believes that trust, empowerment, and impact are integral to maintaining a successful team. Aside from leading and uplifting his team at FormAssembly, Joey is an active member of the Society of Human Resources Management. 

Ryan Chartrand, CEO, X-Team

Ryan Chartrand is the CEO of X-Team, providing high-performing, on-demand teams of developers to the world’s leading brands including Kaplan, Fox Broadcasting, Riot Games, Beachbody, Coinbase, Sony, and more.  With over 15 years of experience, Ryan is an expert at managing remote teams, and building brands and products for major media, hospitality, and entertainment companies. He has previously led business development and marketing strategies for X-Team International, operating as a front-runner in growing multi-million dollar accounts. Today, Ryan leads X-Team’s strategic roadmap, vision and culture.

Julia Gluck, People Operations Leader, Cloud for Good  

Julia Gluck is a seasoned professional with 10+ years of people operations experience building various programs from the ground up for high-growth companies and mid-sized startups. Currently serving as the HR Business Partner at Cloud for Good, Julia is focused on driving the business forward by creating an exceptional employee experience by being a transformational agent, business partner, and culture champion. Julia believes smart decision-making requires research and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data. She looks for gaps in programs, processes, and policies and brings recommendations to leadership so that the business continues to move forward in an ever-changing environment. In addition, Julia is hyper-focused on ensuring the business meets its people-centric goals by leaning into her core belief — companies are only as good as their people. Exceptional people build exceptional cultures and exceptional companies.

John Lee, Software Engineer, Expensify

John has been a part of Expensify’s ever-expanding engineering team for over six years in San Francisco and more recently, New York City. The computer engineering expert has also worked heavily in educating others to develop their technological skills. Dealing with a remote-first world with internal practices and hiring has given him skills and experience- creating fostering environments for any employee to “Get Shit Done”, wherever they are.

Browse on-demand webinars

Interested in expanding your FormAssembly knowledge and use cases? Learn something new today at the link below.

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Registration Form Tutorial: How We Use Our Own Product for VIP Program Registration

Registration Form Tutorial: How We Use Our Own Product for VIP Program Registration

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Update July 2022: After several years of using Salesforce Chatter, our VIP Group has found a new home in a Slack Workspace. Though we’ve transitioned to Slack the sign up process and above use cases have not changed. Want to be a part of the VIP group in Slack? Fill out the form here for an invitation to our collaborative and exclusive workspace!

Have you ever heard the expression “We eat our own dog food?” Well, it basically means that a company utilizes their own product, and that’s exactly what we do at FormAssembly!

In this registration form registration form tutorial use case, we’re going to look at how our own company utilizes our Salesforce Prefill Connector to validate user data and automate invitations to our VIP Program.

The FormAssembly VIP Program is a diverse community of dedicated FormAssembly innovators and users. We manage this program through FormAssembly, Salesforce Chatter, and Pardot.

Registration form tutorial: step-by-step instructions

When a person is nominated by FormAssembly to become a FormAssembly VIP, they are first approved and nominated by a FormAssembly representative using a Salesforce button.

First, a FormAssembly representative will locate the nominee’s Contact record in Salesforce. Then, they will nominate this person using a button from the top right of the Contact record in the dropdown where other buttons are, as shown below:

​This will open a FormAssembly form that is prefilled with this nominee’s information for the representative to verify before submitting for nomination, as shown below:

If you’re not sure how to set up a Salesforce button to populate a form with data, head over to our knowledge base for a step-by-step tutorial. Then head back to this registration form tutorial.

When the verification form is submitted for the VIP nomination, a few different things happen. First, the Salesforce Submit Connector on the form looks up and adds a completed Task in Salesforce linked to the Contact record. This outlines the representative’s nomination of this person in the activity history when reviewed by other colleagues using Salesforce.

Second, the HTTPS connector on this verification form sends the submission to Pardot by way of a Pardot Form Handler configured with the HTTPS Connector in Salesforce. Once the form is submitted and the Pardot Form Handler receives the submission, Pardot will fire an auto-responder email to the nominee with the next steps on how to set up their VIP access.

This completes the first part of the VIP Program registration form tutorial that sets up the nominee and invitation. From here, the process is in our nominee’s hands, and we have a quick and easy process utilizing FormAssembly and Salesforce Chatter next.

Next, we will want to look at what the nominee goes through and what happens when they join. In this process, we will utilize a prefilled FormAssembly form placed in the VIP invitation email that was set up in the first part of this post. This will sign up a FormAssembly VIP to our private Salesforce Chatter Group, The FormAssembly VIP Program.

Our next form is set up just like a standard stay-in-touch contact form. If you aren’t familiar with how stay-in-touch contact forms work, they’re just like the prefill forms we went over before.

We can rest assured the right information is in place for signing them up to the chatter group itself already because we are using the Salesforce prefill connector to find the same record we used for the invitation in the first place. This stay-in-touch form, however, is recipient facing and will allow them to correct it if it happens to be out of date or incorrect.

Once our respondents submit the form, not only does the Salesforce connector handle the Chatter group invitation, but Salesforce automates the next part as well from that invitation record setup.

After our VIP nominee has signed up from our initial invitation, they will get an activation email from our Salesforce org that walks them through the setup process for their FormAssembly VIP Program username. This is typically their email unless their email is already in use by another Salesforce username they have in place.

But how does this happen?

In our FormAssembly form Salesforce submit connector, we have the standard matching steps to update their contact record in our system if they happen to change any information. Structure last in the connector—we have a step that takes the VIP sign-up email address and sets up the Chatter Object record, “CollaborationInvitation.” This is the Chatter Group invite email in Salesforce API terms.

This object record requires us to only set up a Chatter Group ID (Shared Entity ID) for knowing what group to send the invitation from in case you have several, and the email to send it to (Invited Email). The Chatter Group ID can be retrieved by navigating to the Chatter Group you want to invite from and copying the 18-digit ID from the URL bar.

Once the registration form is submitted, the Chatter Group invitation is sent using the form information, and then Salesforce handles the rest. The CollaborationInvitation record that is created sends the recipient a Salesforce-generated email that leads them through the process of setting up their own Chatter username for our FormAssembly VIP Program. 

Here is a video of that process that we provide with our invitations to help the recipient. Along with the video to help, we encourage communication to marketing@formassemblycom on the registration form’s thank you page in case anything isn’t clear or something has seemingly gone wrong with the signup process as they move forward.

Once the VIP nominee has signed up with the Salesforce Chatter group for our FormAssembly VIP Program, they can then log in and participate in conversations with other VIPs.

Our Marketing team then receives a Salesforce email notification that the registration form signup was successful, completing the process for everyone.

If you’re already using FormAssembly and are interested in our VIP program, head over to our blog to read more about how it works and what it’s all about.

Not a FormAssembly user yet? This registration form tutorial is a great use case to get started with!

Update July 2022: After several years of using Salesforce Chatter our VIP Group has found a new home in a Slack Workspace. Though we’ve transitioned to Slack the signup process the above use cases have not changed. Want to be a part of the VIP group in Slack? Fill out the form here for an invitation to our collaborative and exclusive workspace!

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Become a FormAssembly VIP!

Become a FormAssembly VIP!

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What’s the FormAssembly VIP program?

The VIP Program was created to connect our team with the form-building superheroes that use FormAssembly to the fullest on a daily basis. The insight we gain from loyal customers is what propels us to push the boundaries of what a form creation and data collection solution can do. This community of FormAssembly power users provides members with:

  • A diverse community of dedicated FormAssembly users
  • Exclusive access to various teams and special projects at FormAssembly
  • An outlet for professional networking with fellow customers
  • A place to share feedback, suggestions, and creative ideas

What are the benefits of participation?

  • Show off how you and your organization customize your web forms
  • Network with other users about how to solve common problems and unique workarounds 
  • Serve as part of a go-to group for product testing and market research
  • Earn recognition and be rewarded with FormAssembly swag
  • Be the first to know about upcoming events and exclusive happenings 

Where can I find the VIP Program?

The VIP Program is set up as a Slack Workspace. If you’re new to Slack, no problem! We’ll get you set up as a user and provide access to the workspace where we regularly post polls, announcements, beta test opportunities, and more. You’ll also have access to sub-groups that dive into specific product discussions, use case sharing, and insight from our FormAssembly knowledge specialists.

The big picture

The VIP Program fits into a larger goal at FormAssembly, which is to continually expand our customer-centric initiatives. In an interview with MarTech Series about FormAssembly’s rapid growth in 2018, our CEO and founder said of the VIP Program, “We continue to remain focused on our customers’ needs and doing whatever it takes to help them become better stewards of the data they collect.”

The VIP Program is just one way that FormAssembly hopes to empower users with the best experience possible.

Ready to join?

We’ve made the signup process easy! If you’re interested in becoming a FormAssembly VIP, fill out this form or shoot us an email at marketing@formassemblycom. We’ll send the invitation details your way!

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FormAssembly Wins G2 Summer 2022 “Best Estimated ROI” Award and More

FormAssembly Wins G2 Summer 2022 “Best Estimated ROI” Award and More

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FormAssembly is incredibly excited to announce that we have won several awards in the G2 Summer Report, including “Best Estimated ROI for Enterprise Lead Capture” for the fifth consecutive time. ​​Our other notable badges include “Momentum Leader,” “User Most Likely to Recommend,” “Leader for Drag & Drop App Builder,” and the “Users Love Us” badge.

These awards follow several other recognitions received over the past several years, including receiving a G2s Spring Report award, ranking on the Inc. 5000’s Regionals Midwest list, ranking on the Inc. 5000’s Fastest-Growing Companies list for the fourth consecutive year, and receiving PowderKeg’s Top-Rated SaaS Company award, IndyStar’s 2022 Top Workplace award, and other G2 awards.

The Significance of Winning G2 Awards

G2 is a globally-recognized B2B software review company and the leading source for high-quality and trustworthy reviews of organizations across industries. With over 400,000 verified reviews of 600+ businesses, winning even one award badge is a significant achievement. We are thrilled to be awarded badges in the following categories:

  • Best Estimated ROI for Enterprise Lead Capture (users see ROI in half the average time by using our platform)
  • Momentum Leader for Drag & Drop App Builder & Survey
  • User Most Likely to Recommend for Enterprise Survey
  • Leader – Small business for Drag & Drop App Builder, Lead Capture, & Survey
  • Leader for Drag & Drop app builder, Form Builder, Lead Capture, & Survey
  • Users Love Us badge

At FormAssembly, our team works tirelessly to create the most secure, versatile, and scalable data collection platform for our customers. No matter the industry or use case, our customers can rely on our platform to meet their data collection needs and power mission-critical business processes.

Our G2 awards are a testament to our dedicated team who strives to improve user experiences across departments, from customer success to product, sales, and knowledge. We are honored to receive so many recognitions in the G2 Summer Report and are thankful for customers who trust us to transform their business processes and become better stewards of the data they collect.

What Customers Are Saying

FormAssembly has 300+ reviews on G2, including three video testimonials from customers. Here’s what our users say about their experience with our data collection platform:

“I use FormAssembly to integrate with Salesforce. We use it to open Salesforce cases from our constituents. FormAssembly has helped in the automation and improvement of a work process, reducing paper trail and phone calls, allowing for on-time updates and transparency.” – Erik F.

“Number one tool for constituent surveys, data collection, and Salesforce integration. The Salesforce connector is flexible, robust, and awesome. The number of use cases we use it for is too big to list. Customer support is great – although technical issues are rare, the team has always followed up promptly when we’ve encountered a problem.” – Daniel B.

“FormAssembly is incredibly easy to use and comes with extremely robust features like powerful connectors to Salesforce and payment processors and dynamic prefill URLs. We replaced an entire student application system with FormAssembly, use it to facilitate our email preference center which serves more than 600,000 subscribers, and [rely on] it for our internal and external survey needs.” – Amanda R.

About FormAssembly

FormAssembly is a powerful data collection platform that powers business-critical processes for organizations across industries. Our platform offers seamless integrations to common business systems, advanced security and compliance standards, and intuitive, no-code web form and workflow builders perfect for non-technical users. Companies across industries, including healthcare, financial services, government, nonprofit, and higher education, trust our platform to streamline and automate complex data collection processes.

Get an in-depth view of how FormAssembly improves processes while saving organizations significant time, money, and resources by reading our Economic Impact Report linked below.

Explore the Report

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Back to Basics: What is Data Collection?

Back to Basics: What is Data Collection?

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In today’s digital world, data is power. It is the driving force behind how we learn about consumers, make decisions, and deliver results. In short, data has the power to improve virtually every aspect of your business. But data alone isn’t enough. You must be able to efficiently gather and act upon data in the right context. And it all starts with establishing an effective data collection system.

In this post, we’ll define data collection, why it is important for your business, common challenges, best practices, and the benefits for your organization.

What is data collection?

Data collection is the process of gathering data from specific sources to understand a topic better. Across industries, these processes vary widely. It can involve data gathering through surveys or focus groups, interviews, observational research in the field, or tracking website traffic and social media. The three types of consumer data you can collect include:

  • First-party data: Collected directly from customers and prospects, also known as cookieless data collection.
  • Second-party data: Shared by a secondary organization.
  • Third-party data: Sold by an organization not connected to yours.

In the world of business, we collect data mainly from customers and prospects. We use this data in research, analysis, planning, decision-making, predictions, and more. Data collection also happens internally to help day-to-day operations run smoothly. 

Five common data collection methods

Data can be collected in many different ways and across several mediums. The method your organization uses will generally depend on your industry and objectives. Let’s look at some of the common methods of business data collection below.

Method #1: Surveys and polls

Surveys and polls are online questionnaires that customers can complete to provide feedback for an organization. Commonly, these questionnaires help an organization with customer support, product development, marketing, or general business research. 

Method #2: SEO tracking

Search engine optimization (SEO) tools help organizations gather metrics to help with website ranking and analytics. SEO tools provide valuable data an organization can use to improve visitor traffic, rank above the competition, and enhance digital marketing strategies. 

Method #3: Focus groups

Focus groups provide specific information about individuals’ opinions on a topic of interest. Organizations can use these perspectives to gain insights into new product developments. Focus groups also allow organizations to receive feedback on the quality of service, support, or other more nuanced aspects of a business.

Method #4: Website monitoring

Monitoring visitor data on an organization’s website offers many insights about customers and prospects. These insights can include behavior patterns, basic visitor demographics, search keywords, visitor activity and engagement with content, and more.

Method #5: Online forms

Online forms provide an effective and simple way to gather qualitative data from users. Specifically, an organization can collect contact and other demographic information. Virtually all departments can use this data to reach prospects, improve marketing, gather feedback, and more.

Why is data collection important?

Data collection generally occurs at multiple levels and for various purposes within an organization. A customer support team may collect feedback data to learn more about a customer’s experience. A marketing team may use customer data to create targeted campaigns. A sales team may use prospect data to personalize a demo experience. 

Without data, or by using poor data collection methods, your organization will struggle to be effective, stay productive, and operate efficiently. This all ultimately affects the bottom line and the ability to maximize profits. Avoiding the following challenges can help ensure your organization maximizes the effectiveness of the data you collect.

Common data collection issues

Organizations face several challenges when collecting data. To overcome these challenges, your organization must first start by identifying the roadblocks that make collecting data difficult. From here, your organization can work toward developing high-quality data collection processes.

Data quality

Data collected can be inaccurate, incomplete, duplicated, or inconsistent. Similarly, it may be irrelevant if an organization does not know the purpose of the data being collected. Data collected will generally need to undergo a data cleaning process to maintain its usability.

Inconsistent standards

Collecting data without standardization can lead to data quality issues. Without standards for capitalization, abbreviations, or spelling, data becomes inconsistent or inaccurate. Creating a standardized data collection process across an organization will help improve data quality.

Manual processes

Manual data entry processes are both a waste of time and increase the risk of error. Paper forms and spreadsheets are disorganized and not scalable, holding your organization back. Proper data collection software saves time, costs, and errors common with manual processes.

>> Want to streamline processes? Download the FormAssembly Workflow eBook to get started << 

Lack of training

Employees who lack proper training in data collection can undermine your efforts. Without a shared understanding of naming conventions and abbreviation usage, they may unintentionally disrupt data standardization, leading to errors like failed account searches and duplicate records. A well-structured data collection training program ensures consistency and prevents these costly mistakes.

No routine audits

Data is always evolving and will naturally deteriorate over time. If no auditing exists, it will be difficult to know which data is accurate and which is outdated or incorrect. Routine data audits ensure the information being collected and stored maintains quality over time.

Data collection best practices

Securely collecting and managing data is the responsibility of everyone in your organization. Whether or not your organization needs sensitive information (such as social security numbers or medical health records), data should always be collected responsibly. Follow these best practices to keep your data collection practices ethical and trustworthy:

  1. Collect only the data you need. Gather just enough data to maintain business processes and goals, and no more. Know how long you need to retain the data for its purposes and purge when necessary. Less data stored for less time reduces the risk and potential harm of a data breach.
  1. Maintain standards for data quality. Set data quality guidelines and processes to help maintain data accuracy. This can involve appointing a data steward to keep databases up-to-date and error free. Maintaining data quality includes routine data cleaning as well.
  1. Comply with data laws and regulations. Know and understand the data privacy regulations that pertain to your organization, industry, and customer base. Maintaining security and compliance standards with these processes helps to avoid data breaches and can help increase customer trust.
  1. Be transparent about your processes. Consumers have a right to know how and why organizations collect their data as well as opt in or out. It is the responsibility of an organization to maintain transparency about these processes and any plans for storing or selling the data.
  1. Follow data governance practices. Set up data governance policies and data stewardship processes to help govern the entire data lifecycle. These establish guidelines for ethically collecting, managing, and using data as well as who is authorized to access certain types of data.
  1. Make data security a priority. To avoid the penalties of data breaches, implement data cybersecurity policies across an entire organization. This should include data backups, data encryption, installing firewalls, training programs, incident reports, and data breach response plans.
  1. Keep employees on the same page. Make sure all employees involved with data understand the purpose of collecting data, standard data collection methods, and their role in data stewardship. This knowledge along with other security best practices can help reduce the risk of data incidents caused by an employee.

The main benefits of data collection

Regardless of your organization or industry, data collection has several key benefits for your business strategy and revenue goals. When collected efficiently and ethically, every department at your organization can use data to its full advantage. Here are the most common benefits of data collection:

  • In-depth understanding of your consumer’s interests, desires, and needs
  • Greater personalization across marketing campaigns and sales strategies
  • Improve employee productivity and minimize wasted time and effort
  • Maintain more personalized and engaging customer experiences
  • Increase cross-departmental collaboration and communication
  • Save on costs related to violations or efforts using bad data
  • Improve decision-making and goal-setting for stakeholders

Not all data collection tools are created equally

Does your organization need a better way to collect data or improve efficiency? Download our checklist below to learn what questions you should be asking about your data collection processes. To continue learning with our Back to Basics series, be sure to check out our data stewardship blog.

Download the Checklist

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Juneteenth: A Time to Celebrate, Commemorate, and Reflect

Juneteenth: A Time to Celebrate, Commemorate, and Reflect

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Juneteenth marks a significant date in American history as the oldest nationally recognized commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States. This date signifies a time to honor the experiences of African Americans, as well as their sacrifices and contributions throughout history.

In this post, we’re celebrating Juneteenth by highlighting a FormAssembly customer that helps mission-focused organizations improve their DE&I efforts. 

About Juneteenth

On June 19, 1865, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas to announce that the Civil War had ended and that slaves were now free. The celebration of freedom was called “Juneteenth” and was passed on through family members and descendants of formerly enslaved people. 

For many years, Juneteenth wasn’t widely celebrated beyond the African American community, and its celebration was stifled in many ways in the decades that followed. The civil rights movement in the 1950’s and 1960’s fueled a resurgence for Juneteenth celebrations, and Juneteenth became a Texas state holiday in 1980. On June 17, 2021, the Biden Administration officially recognized June 19 as a federal holiday by signing the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law. 

Now, the recognition of Juneteenth is spreading nationwide, with more celebrations emerging year after year. Throughout history, today, and in the future, Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in America, as well as the achievements, history, and culture of African Americans.

Customer highlight: Promise54

This Juneteenth, FormAssembly is honored to highlight our customer, Promise54. Promise54 is one of many organizations that dedicates its mission to pushing back against racial injustice and inequality. The organization’s objective is to help mission-driven organizations create cultures of diversity, equity, and inclusion that allows their employees to maximize their impact. 

“Institutionalized oppression, micro-aggressions, discrimination, inequity, and violence still obstruct the path to self-determination and a life trajectory full of choices for people from involuntarily marginalized communities. Race, in particular, remains the strongest single determinant of life outcomes in the US. This can’t continue. Promise54 was formed to enable organizations to deliver on the promise of equity.”

–Promise54

Promise54 offers resources and tools that empower organizations to strengthen DE&I, do better, and become radically human. To learn more, explore some of their resources below:

Beyond Juneteenth

As we reflect on the historical significance of Juneteenth, we must commit as individuals and organizations to work together toward social justice and racial equality. 

Discover more ways to learn and celebrate Juneteenth here. To hear from Black leaders who are blazing trails in the tech industry, check out our blog post, Tech in Black: The Evolution of Diversity in Tech.

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FormAssembly Wins IndyStar’s 2022 Top Workplace Award

FormAssembly Wins IndyStar’s 2022 Top Workplace Award

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As a remote-first company with roots in Bloomington, IN, FormAssembly takes great pride in creating a welcoming, inclusive, and interconnected work environment for over 120 employees across the globe. We are honored to be recognized this year as a Top Workplace by The Indianapolis Star, followed closely behind our PowderKeg Top-Rated SaaS Company Unvalley Award, ranking #22 on the G2 Best Office Product list, and being an Inc. 5000  Fastest-Growing Company for the fourth year in a row.

About FormAssembly’s Culture

Working remotely has several key benefits—flexibility, autonomy, productivity—but can sometimes leave employees feeling isolated. Since FormAssembly is a fully-remote company, we are proactive and diligent about creating a work culture that encourages collaboration, team connectivity, and communication. Our team members across six continents and multiple time zones share these values and goals, working together to create an amazing workplace culture and the leading web form and data collection platform for our customers.

As our company continues to grow at a high rate, we’re excited to be recognized for our positive culture and dedication to employee satisfaction. Our connection and shared core values is due in part to our ability to hire new team members based on talent and personality rather than physical location. While we work remotely, we also take time each year to connect, recharge, and plan for the future at our annual company reunions. Learn more about our 2022 reunion in Phoenix, AZ.

About the IndyStar awards

The Indianapolis Star, the leading news source for Indianapolis, IL, nominates local companies based on an employee survey conducted through employee engagement software company, Energage. This 24-question survey asks questions across several categories related to leadership, company direction, values, communication, work-life balance, and more. Each year, the results of these surveys determine which companies in Central Indiana have top-rated cultures and values. FormAssembly is thrilled to have also made the list in 2019 and 2020.

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FormAssembly is honored to be recognized this year as a top workplace by IndyStar! Please visit our website to read more about our company culture or learn about career opportunities.

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