Suppose you’re a business which wishes to put your employment application form, online. It can be difficult to choose the right form template software. This article discusses some of the important questions to be answered before engaging in this challenging endeavor.
Here are some critically important considerations to think about when choosing the best online form software for your business. These considerations are applicable from camp registration form templates, all the way to large businesses with a variety HR form templates. HR departments, i.e. human resource departments, have numerous forms and checklists. Turning these paper forms and processes into online forms and processes is a good idea, but can go horribly wrong if not done in a thoughtful way.
Well implement online form templates have the following characteristics:
- The application form template is good looking and appears well organized, neat and tidy with labels to section off various parts.
- The application form template allows for easy addition and subtraction of questions. This is a function in the backend of the software in the form design interface.
- The application form needs to resize in real time depending on the device it’s being shown on.
(for example, when you apply for a job at many places, the store will hand you a tablet and ask you to fill out the online application form right there on the spot, with their store tablet) - The application form needs to have well defined field names for each data value collected. The data needs to be stored on a well-recognized commercial database, like an SQL server for example.
- The form questions need to be applicable to the chosen event(s).
- Questions should be asked once, and then pre-populated if asked again.
- Certain data collected on an online registration form might need to be encrypted. The ability to encrypt data is essential for any good form template.
- Good form templates allow for a digital signature. This signature can be facilitated with a mouse or your finger on a tablet.
- Your forms should be displayable in English and in other languages like French or Spanish.
Application form templates are important for every business. In fact, most businesses have vacation forms, various checklists, tax forms and numerous other forms. A summer camp registration form can be one big form, or better if it’s event specific depending on what program(s) the camper has chosen.
For example, with respect to NEW HIRES, a business might have the following forms:
- Employment Application Form
- New Hire Checklists
- Acknowledgement Forms
- Computer Use Policy Form
- Conditions of Employment Form
Each of the forms mentioned above also are tied to an ’email confirmation’ which is usually sent following the form’s submission. This assures the person filling out the form, that the form has been received. A confirmation number is useful as a tag for each submitted form.
The best camp registration form needs to produce a camp registration form template exactly applicable to the activities that the camper is signing up for. Good, camp registration software needs to ask the common questions and then the specific “activity related questions” just once per registration.
Course registration software needs different course registration form templates for each course which takes into account what the student is enrolling into.
Recreational courses and related activities need forms that ask specific questions with respect to the event being registered for, for example a pottery course, might need to know your experience level in pottery. The pottery form might be similar to the form used for the basketball program but might have slight differences. The summer camp registration software has to be smart enough to ask someone registering for both pottery and basketball, the common questions once, and the activity specific questions. It doesn’t make sense for a registrant, registering for an activity to be asked which way they shoot in hockey, if they aren’t registering for hockey.
One of the newest innovations in online forms, is the ability to upload documents along with the online form. An insurance company for example, might need to see an assessment of the house’s value before issuing a home owners insurance policy. A camp might need a medical form uploaded along with the camper’s registration form. This feature needs to be careful to accept files that are virus free. The form usually allows only files of a special type, e.g. medical.pdf. For security reasons, uploaded files must be handled carefully on the server so as not to allow the public access to them.
Several online forms require a signature. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways.
a. Allow the form to allow people to sign with their mouse or using their finger on a touch screen.
b. Allow the person to type out their name in full, with the explanation that this act constitutes signing the document
Online registration form templates must be flexible and very smart!