The following is a great breakdown of the various benefits almost any organization can realize.
Customer Satisfaction: eForms improve customer response and transaction cycle times. eForms are easier to use, duplicate and submit than paper forms. eForms enable end users to easily and intuitively interact online with agencies, promoting faster service and enhanced constituent satisfaction.
User-Friendly: eForms can be filled out and submitted when most convenient for the customer. eForms can provide context-sensitive help and instructions for each field in the form. Help buttons can provide step-by-step guidelines for completing and submitting the eForms. Duplicating the form is as easy as copy-paste. Forms can be pre-populated with user account data, saving customers valuable data entry time. Other documents or image files can be submitted as attachments to the form. Or, some customers may want to print and mail the form. eForms are user-friendly because they allow your customers the ability to submit a form once, correctly, easily, the way they want to, when they want to.
Accuracy: eForms improve the accuracy of data collected in a variety of ways. eForms support field-level validation, ensuring data type and format are correct. For example, if a customer entered characters in a social security number field, the form would detect that and pop up a guide on how to fill out that field. Other data validations are available, including automatic calculations, auto-date, and enforcement of required fields. eForms also support complex business logic, guiding users through the form with if-then type of logic. The eForms shows or hides certain portions of the form depending on previous answers, and enforces business rules that are built into the eForm itself.
Availability: eForms can be available to fill in and submit electronically on an anytime, anywhere basis. Forms and business workflows are now available to customers, partners and suppliers in the office, home, on the road, or in a field. Wherever there is a laptop or PC, a form can be used. Wherever there is mail service, the form can be printed and mailed. Whenever there is an Internet connection available, the eForm can be submitted electronically.
Automation: eForms can be integrated directly with existing databases and processes. Data is extracted from the form, formatted to match databases and can be sent to the business or department.
Efficiency: Implementation of eForms streamlines the processing of forms and other documents that require information from employees, customers, partners and vendors. Staff members can concentrate on the problem areas, and let eForms handle the basic help and accuracy check functions required for most form submittals. Staff can communicate about a given eForm by attaching sticky notes, etc.
Cost Savings: eForms reduce user errors with embedded form validations, decrease form processing time through automation, and eliminate the costs of printing, mailing and storing traditional forms. In addition, "form churn" caused by mistakes that require re-submittal of the form is almost eliminated, saving staff valuable time.
Data Processing: eForms eliminate manual data entry and its associated costs by using built-in functionality for data collection, pre-population, processing and automated submittal. Manual data entry mistakes are eliminated by the form itself, saving staff time for checking and correcting mistakes.
Security: Information entered into an eForm is encrypted. When a customer submits the form, an encrypted data stream is sent to secure servers. The data is extracted and sent by secure connection directly to the business or department. Electronic submittal is actually more secure than sending in form information by mail. Entire eForms or only particular sections can be password protected, ensuring only those with proper authority can use or authorize portions of the form, or the entire form itself.
Authentication: eForms can support several levels of authentication. Passwords are the lowest level of authentication, with third-party digital certificate verification being the most secure way to sign the eForms. This process also provides attestation, ensuring that once the form is signed as complete, all subsequent changes to the form or data are marked. Once a form is signed, the customer is ensured the data can never be tampered with.
Accessibility: For people with disabilities, eForms are compliant with Federal accessibility requirements.
[Source: TCi]
