Make your Public Forms Better

 All changes to Public Forms are made with Form Customizer like all internal forms in SAM. A refresher is always good on Form Customizer.

Important things to consider: 

Where in your process is this form provided to the end user to access the form? 

How will you share the form with the user? Who is sharing this form? 

Should the form require a User Login/Password?

• Password logins are recommended when a record has been created for the user as well as for long, multi-part forms like Applications or Questionnaires. If not, you must think about how SAM will match the record if one already exists.

Consider dividing lengthy forms into multiple parts.

• Would the form be easier to complete if divided into multiple parts? Decide where you want the breaks to be and set each form to direct to the next part. 
• We recommend maintaining the lengthy version for backup/review.

What steps and messaging come after a user completes this form?

• ​​Where do you want the user to be directed to?
• Who should be notified via when the form is submitted? A simple email with a link to the SAM record will be provided to the email(s) listed. "If this, then that" notifications can be setup via Auto Actions.
• What fields would you like to be automatically entered?
• Create a new Case or Use Existing Case
• Does your staff need to reference this form? Where would you like to see it on the client record? 

Do you need to collect payment on submission of this form? 

If so, you will need to have Credit Card Processing setup and enable payments on your form.

How does your form look/feel? Does it coordinate with your brand? 

Do you want to provide instructions to users? Space is available at the top and bottom of forms to share information with users. We recommend sharing:

• How and why to use the form. Thank the user!
• Contacts for your organization.
• What the user will expect after submission.
• How to pay (if applicable).

Modify Public Forms' header/footer to make the form work with your website.

Test your forms!! Evaluate the end user's experience. 

• How do you feel completing this form? Is it too long, redundant, confusing?
• Do you know what happens next? Does the end user know what to expect next? 
• Allow ample time to test, make modifications to layout, and email notifications before going live!! 

Does your team know how to access this form from the user's side?  

Setup an Internal Sibling Form that duplicates your Public Form's layout, but is available to be viewed by your team.