Electronic Forms Solution - Five Things to Look For When Purchasing


Transitioning to an electronic forms processing application requires altering an organizations current work flow process, but it does not have to take a great deal of time and planning, even if you have little knowledge of the technology. The benefits of updating your system, including bottom-line savings due to minimizing employee time and paper waste, far outweigh the issues that may be encountered during the transition process. Because there are many software developers and brands available today, each offering very different features and formats, I have written this article to assist those in search of revamping their forms processing work flow and point out what they need to look for.

First, it is important to do some research to select the right electronic forms vendor for your particular requirements. Below are several key features to discuss with prospective electronic forms application developers before making a final decision to ensure getting the best value for your investment:

1. Ease of Use and Finding Information - Overall Organization of Database

Electronic form applications vary widely regarding the organization of their supporting database. It is important to understand an applications data retrieval tools and their ease of use before you buy. To this point, an article in the November, December 2008 INFONOMICS magazine titled, Enterprise Content Management Forecast 2009, stated:

"In a recent AIIM survey, 40% of respondents said that finding the information they need to do their job is 'difficult and time-consuming'. The same study asked users how many hours per week they typically spend looking for information. Among AIIM members, 28% reported spending two to four hours per week; 27% reported spending four to six hours per week; and 24 % reported spending eight or more hours-i.e. one full business day-per week, just looking for information."

Spending excessive time and resources to find information is unnecessary with the advanced technology available today. This should not even be of concern so make sure you fully understand how the system and database works and how it is organized before purchasing.

2. Ability to Integrate With Other Systems

A highly recommended feature available with advanced electronic forms applications is the ability to integrate data from the electronic forms application with other corporate systems and databases in the organization. This can become important for many reasons. One scenario would be if an "original" copy of a form is needed, and the form includes an electronic signature, the form can be pulled and printed from the company database OR the forms application database when necessary. This can be very effective for companies with an IT department resistant to installing another new system in the current work flow.

This ability to integrate forms data into existing databases also serves to extend the useful life of older systems and databases, and may enable companies to defer costs for replacing them. Review each application looking carefully for how well it can be integrated with existing systems.

3. Ability to Include Electronic Signatures

A major concern of company executives and forms managers is security. Having the organizations forms available via the computer is beneficial, but without including an electronic signature, the user will still have to print, manually sign, and return the form which will then have to be manually filed and managed in some sort of filing system; completely defeating the purpose of purchasing electronic forms software. This is why it is crucial to find an electronic forms developer that has remote, browser based esignature capabilities.

An electronic signature, as defined by ESIGN legislation, means an 'electronic sound, symbol, or process, attached to or logically associated with a contract or other record and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the record.' More advanced electronic forms applications are ESIGN compliant, so it is important to clarify this. Including a legally binding signature will, without a doubt, greatly enhance your work flow process. Law suits will no longer be of concern.

4. Level of Customer Service -- Easy installation AND 24/7 Support

When considering different electronic forms applications, review support options. Consider carefully the installation and training involved with each. New software technology and its installation can be frustrating - especially when the consumer is required to install all or even part of the software and then finds it is nearly impossible to get support when needed. This is why, even when it says, 'easy installation' one should look further. Will the supplier provide custom installation available to you and work closely with your IT organization to make sure it is exactly what you wanted?

Receiving 24x7 support is also an important feature should a glitch in the system occur or if a question on the forms or software arises. Be sure your vendor is immediately available to provide ongoing support. Ongoing support varies widely among electronic form developers and 24x7 support, while highly desirable, is not generally available. More commonly, vendors include a standard out of the box, un-customized, build it yourself application that looks easy, but quickly becomes frustrating without readily available and knowledgeable phone support.

5. Other important features that should be considered:


Ability to run reports on the data - relational database capabilities.
Delivered as a highly customized, complete solution.
Application uses organization's existing forms (standard, out of the box forms are not as beneficial)
Support AND Database maintenance available.
Provides a pre-fill data function.
Adobe print quality as well as email capabilities.
Remote browser based fill out.
Several levels of user authentication available if needed.




And now I would like to invite you to visit http://eformconnect.com and sign up for our free Electronic Forms Newsletter. You can also visit [http://testdrive.eformconnect.com/efc] to see how electronic forms software such as eForm-Connect can work for you.





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