Forms enable your employees to complete reports, forms, checklists, requests, and more directly from their mobile app. Gone are the days of filling out paperwork using pen and paper and storing them in the file cabinet! Using Forms will improve compliance, standardize operational procedures for your employees, and move your business forward. With Connecteam's Forms, everything is digitized and accessible on the go.
In this article, we'll go over how to activate the Forms feature and how to create a form from scratch. We'll show you how to navigate the dashboard and introduce the tools you can use to maximize the feature's potential in gathering and tracking information.
How to Activate the Forms Feature
To activate the Forms feature, enter the launchpad, navigate to the sidebar on the left-hand side, and click on the Forms feature. Click on Activate Forms, and now you're ready to get started!
How to Create a New Form
The first step in creating a form is choosing whether to start from scratch or select an already-made template. Whether you create a new one or edit an existing one, you can choose various "building blocks," such as free text, multiple-choice options, image uploads, a scanner, signature, location stamp, and more, so that you can capture all the necessary information. With a variety of fields to choose from and a mobile preview on the right, creating a beautiful form for your users has never been easier.
Below is a guide explaining how to create a form:
Step 1: To begin creating your form, click "Add New" and select either "Start From Scratch," "Use a Template," or "Create From File" (AI-powered). For this example, we will start from scratch.
Step 2: Name the form, and start adding fields to build your form. To do so, click on the Add field. In the example below, we will be adding a Yes/No field.
Types of fields you can add to a form:
Form Question Types
Description
The Description field lets you add helpful context to your form.
You can include text, links, or images to explain, provide instructions, or add any additional information your users might need before filling out the next questions.
Example: Add an image showing how to fill in a report or a short paragraph explaining company policy.
Formula
The Formula field allows you to perform automatic calculations within the form by referencing answers from other questions.
You can use it to calculate totals, averages, or differences, providing real-time results without needing an external tool.
Example: Calculate total mileage using “Start Odometer” and “End Odometer,” or automatically average performance review scores.
Group
The Group field lets you organize related questions under a shared heading, creating clearer sections within your form.This helps structure longer forms and makes it easier for users to follow along.
Example: Group questions about “Employee Details” or “Customer Feedback” under one labeled section.
Within the group field settings you can:
Edit
Duplicate
Ungroup
Delete
From the Edit Group section, you can allow users to dynamically add multiple groups. This allows users to add new customer details directly within the same form, without needing to set them up beforehand.
Managing Fields
When adding a field, you'll be offered the option to customize the field's settings.
Note: Not every setting is available for each question. The two settings applicable to all fields are Required and Location stamp capture.
To manage the fields in your form in bulk, select the relevant fields and click the blue Actions button. From here, you can either duplicate multiple fields, group the fields by dividing them into separate sections, set fields as required or delete fields.
*Note that the capability to manage form fields in bulk is available from the Advanced plan.
All Field settings
Customizing the form fields' settings ensures the data you receive is accurate and complete, so that you receive only the exact information you are looking for.
Required: This field must be completed by employees, and they will not be able to submit the form without doing so. An example would be a daily task list where you want to ensure that your users are not missing any tasks. The rule of thumb should be: if the information is crucial for you, set the field as required.
Location stamp capture: This feature captures users' locations when they input their responses to this field.
Multiple selection: This allows your employees to select multiple values. An example of this is a merchandise order form, where users can select multiple items to purchase.
Allow multiple uploads: For the image upload or scanner field, this enables employees to upload multiple files.
Image source: This allows you to choose if to allow employees to upload images from the camera and/or their phone's photo gallery. If you want to receive only updated and live photos, set the image upload to only come from the camera, not the gallery.
Video upload: This allows your employees to upload a video either from the camera and/or the phone's gallery.
With the Advanced plan, you have the option to add Conditional fields to your form. Conditional fields will appear based on the answer to a previous question. If you want to up your Forms game, this is the way to do it!
Step 3: Once your form is complete, review the mobile preview again to ensure it looks good and that you have captured all the necessary information. When you are satisfied with your form, click Save to proceed to the following stages: assigning the form to your users and confirming the publishing settings.
Step 4: Once your form is complete, set the necessary permissions for the various asset admins to ensure the form is managed correctly and appropriately. On the form's page, click on the asset admins at the top and add the admins you need to have access to the form.
To learn more about admin permissions that are specific to the Forms feature, check out this article about Forms: Admin Permissions!
Form Management
When your employees submit the form, their entries are saved and documented on your dashboard and can be accessed whenever you need them. By clicking on the Activity tab, you'll receive an instant report of the form's activity and employee engagement. You'll see the percentage of users who submitted the form and the number of entries made by each user.
On this screen, you will also find the Settings and Edit Form options.
By clicking on the Users tab, you can track which employees have submitted the Forms and which have not. You can follow up with employees who didn't submit an entry by checking the box next to their name, then clicking Notify. Send a customized notification, reminding them to fill it out.
To see all form submissions, access the Submissions tab. This is where we will analyze all our entry submissions and provide feedback to our users. Our dedicated article on Form Entries and Summaries provides all the information you need to know about viewing your users' entries and gathering the relevant data you require. To view the full submission, click the form itself.
Here, you will be able to select whether you wish to view the submissions in a Table or Inbox view. To learn more, see How to View Form Submissions and Summaries.
You can also use the Group by option to view forms according to specific details or groups. You can group by Smart groups or by User details like Role,Location, Department, Branch and direct manager.
Connecteam offers several tools that will help you continue processing the form and its information. The opportunities to maximize efficiency, improve communication, and process information are endless!
Sharing options
Setting up sharing options will enable your users to share the form with the relevant stakeholders, ensuring that the necessary people stay informed. The form can be shared with internal users or external users, simply by pressing a button at the end of the submission.
Manager Fields
Manager Fields will enable managers to add information to an entry, either internally or externally as user feedback. For instance, you can notify members by tagging them, signing off entries, adding a status field, a specific note, and more!
💡 Tip: We highly encourage adding Manager Fields to provide feedback to your users. Based on our experience, providing feedback serves as positive reinforcement and leads to higher Form submission rates.
Download Entries
By accessing the Submissions tab, you can download entries individually or select multiple submissions and download them in bulk.
Additional Automation
With the Advanced plan, you can create automatic form reminders that are sent to your users on specific days and at specific times, ensuring that your forms are completed on time.
From the Expert plan, you can create automatic form reports for each of your forms that are sent out at specific times, based on specific criteria.
FAQ
Q: Can I save a form as a template?
A: Yes. Starting from the Advanced plan, you can save any form you’ve created as a template. This allows you to reuse it in the future and save time from rebuilding it each time.
Q: How are form submissions displayed?
A: Form submissions are shown based on the time they were submitted in your time zone. When you hover over a submission, you’ll see the original time zone where the user submitted it.
Q: Can I organize my forms into sections?
A: Yes. You can create multiple Form Sections to organize your forms.
For example:
HR Forms Section
Compliance Forms Section
You can also move forms between folders if you need to reorganize them later.
Q: What customization options are available for forms?
A: You can further customize your forms from Form Settings. Options include:
Setting reminders for when to send notifications
Limiting the number of entries per user
Making the form anonymous
Q: Can I edit a form after creating it?
A: Yes. You can return to the form anytime to make adjustments.
To edit:
Hover over the field you want to change.
Click the edit icon.
Move, remove, or update fields as needed.
Q: How many group fields can I add at once?
A: You can add up to 5 group fields at a time within a form.
Q: Why do I see a red box around my email field?
A: The red box appears when the email in the field is not a valid email address. Only valid email addresses can be saved. If the email you enter isn’t valid, the field will not update and will revert back to the last valid email that was entered.
For more resources on the Forms feature, check out our full list of articles here!
Want a Pro to create your Forms for you? 🤓 Click here to learn more.
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