If you’ve already designed great-looking and functional web forms, you might be wondering what your next steps are, especially when it comes to form management. In the FormAssembly Welcome Class series, Lead Customer Success Manager Katrina Garza explores the many options you have when it comes to processing forms, setting notifications, and managing responses. Read the recap or catch up on the full recording within FormAssembly’s help documentation.
Introduction to Processing Options
After you’ve invested time in the Form Builder designing forms, you’ll also want a way to process them. FormAssembly offers a number of customizations found under the ‘Configure’ button beside each form in your library. Hover to the ‘Processing’ option to uncover a full page of options. If you’re an Enterprise user, the Processing page will offer the ability to put forms behind an authentication process like CAS, LDAP, and SAML.
Form Availability Options
As a part of each form’s processing options, you have the ability to set parameters on who can access each form and for how long. If you’re working a strict deadline or registration cut off, this feature establishes an end date for response collection. You can also set limits on the number of responses collected, ensuring that you don’t run into the issue of an overbooked event.
Save & Resume and Review Responses
Under Optional Processing Features, you’ll notice that you have the ability to allow respondents to save and resume as part of form management. This feature is especially important if you have a lengthy form that may require users to spend more time completing it. You also have the ability to give respondents a chance to review their final responses before they submit, so that they can check for accuracy.
E-Signature
This feature allows the respondent to submit their form and put in an electronic signature. Once they submit the form, an email is sent to confirm once more that they are the individual who signed. Administrators can view a complete e-signature record that shows the full process, from the initial signature to the two-step verification sent via email. For a more detailed look at the setup of e-signatures, head over to the help documentation.
Notification Options
Once your processing options are set, you can configure notification options, which are accessible from the form library or the left sidebar. These settings allow you to set up a personalized message that respondents see right after form submission. If you’d rather send users to a different website, you can also implement a redirect link instead of a thank you page.
The Field Editor
If you’d like to set up a more complex redirect, such as taking your respondents to another form based on their responses in an initial form, you can use formulas and ‘if-then’ logic to direct them to the appropriate next step. When doing so, you’ll make use of FormAssembly’s Field Editor to set up different fields and aliases. The Field Editor makes many merge field options possible and allows you to implement creative strategies for gathering unique responses.
Form Aliases
At the very bottom of the Notifications page, there is an option to see the list of all available aliases for a given form. This list displays the merge fields that you can merge into automatic emails and notifications to a form manager or respondent. Generic aliases are available for every form, but the field aliases at the bottom of the list are unique to individual forms you create and can be merged into email notifications.
Whether you’re setting up processing or notification options, don’t neglect to click the large Apply button at the bottom of each page, to ensure that your settings are saved. This is an integral final step when it comes to proper form management.
Form Responses
To manage responses, hover over the arrow button beside an individual form in your main forms list. At this stage, managing responses has less to do with form setup and more to do with how to use and interpret the data that’s being collected from your respondents.
Once you’re on the Default Report page, there are many key pieces of information for you to view, including the number of responses collected, average response time, and completion rate. The Display Responses menu allows you to view all responses and filter by column, which can be a benefit during the reporting process.
Exporting Response Data
Once you’ve selected specific response columns to export (or if you’ve left every column on the report), you can select a download option in the upper righthand corner. Exporting to a CSV file is by far the most popular option, allowing you to filter and manipulate the data as you would on a normal Excel spreadsheet. Other options are available for more advanced HTML, embedding, and file attachments.
These features are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to personalizing your web forms with processing tools, notification options, and download settings. Make sure to tune in to the full class recording to see more, and sign up to attend future classes hosted by our excellent Customer Support team!
Still have questions about getting started? Check out the Form Building in 8 Minutes post for starter steps.
