Forms, Forms, And More Forms
Wouldn’t it be nice when you can open your email, click print and have everything you need in front of you from a potential client? No more getting hand cramps while on the phone trying to get all the information that you need, or having an ineligible copy that your assistant is trying so desperately to read.
Last month, Bits & Pieces, featured an article on creating PDF’s. I mentioned at one point PDF created forms, forms that you create in Adobe Acrobat and either email to individuals or place on your website. In this article I will provide some information on what to consider when deciding between these three types of forms:
1. Word Created Forms
2. PDF Created Forms
3. Web-based FormsWord Created Forms
Even forms created in Adobe start as forms created in Word or another word processing software. You are able to add different types of fields such as check boxes, drop-down boxes, and text fields, (in Vista you can now add radial dots).
When you finish developing the form, always lock the form to editing. This prevents anyone from reformatting the document and only allows you to fill in the form fields. Now remember, anyone with Word can open this document and unlock it. It is better to password protect it (if you click the lock symbol in your toolbar, the form is not password protected).
There are no drawbacks to using a Word created form. Word is a commonly used software program. However, if people do not know how to use the auto-forms, it may become an issue. Another example of an issue that may come up is if you are using Vista, anyone with an older version of Windows will not be able to open the document. Therefore it’s safer to save as a 97-2003 version, which Vista gives you the option to do. Even MAC’s are more compatible with Word nowadays.
Adobe Created Forms What can I say about these forms? The first thing, do not assume that when you PDF a form created in Word the fields carry over. They don’t! You have to recreate all the form fields again. With LifeCycle Designer (a built in software with Acrobat Professional), it can read a document and pull any fields, although in my experience, it rarely detects them.
This is a nice version to use because virtually every operating system has a version of PDF reader software on it. Remember however, not everyone has Adobe Professional or Acrobat, which is different from Reader, and will not give them the ability on longer forms, (ex. The first time client contact form. To save the document during the time they are filling it out, stop, and then come back to the form at a later time.) In this situation, I would recommend creating a form in Word using tables, text fields, and check boxes. This will give the PDF version the illusion of lines and only check boxes, if they decide to print up the form and send it in via fax or mail.
Always make the Word and PDF versions available to recipients. This will give them the option on which form they want to fill out. As some may want to email and others may want to handwrite the form and fax back to you.
Web-based Forms We encounter these types of forms daily. When signing up for newsletters, online shopping, or even logging into your web-based email account.
There are different ways these forms are used. Larger companies use these forms for everything from Human Resource related to public domain forms. These are normally linked into a large database that compiles and stores the information, leaving a computer to do the work. Smaller companies tend to use the email method. When you fill out a form such as the one created on Robin Getman’s “Contact Robin” page, the results are emailed directly to her. She then prints up the information and re-enters it where it needs to go. You also have the ability to set up an auto-reply (maybe a thank you note for taking out the time to fill out the form); with these forms and a copy can also go to them as well. These forms are all created by using HTML. A “language” of code used in website design.
I hope this article helps in your decision in which forms you will use in the growth of your business. These items will only help run your business smoothly and efficiently.
Tags: form development, Jennifer Marah, MN, Virtual Assistant