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Can your field techs fill out their mobile forms in less than 20 seconds?
No field tech wants to live in an app. They just want to get their work done. If your app can speed things up for them, then they will give it a shot and try it. But if your app slows them down, you will face an uphill battle with field tech adoption.
Inertia: a major reason why firms still use paper processes
If you are the one in charge of picking a technology, and that choice goes sideways, guess who gets the blame? You do. But what happens if you maintain the status quo instead? Nothing.
With fieldwork apps, less is (often) more
Technical field personnel that work on a daily basis outside on a jobsite are busy as shit. So for them, a less is more approach works. Simple buttons, fewer options, and intuitive screens works best.
If you have a smartphone, it’s time to use it for fieldwork data collection
There’s no excuse anymore to start tinkering with software tools for field data collection. The tech is here now, and it’s better than your paper processes.
Custom Reports Framework
If you need specific aggregations and/or metrics reporting, your specific report can be custom built and displayed from a new “Reports” menu on the XForms dashboard.
If your mobile app’s field crew adoption rate sucks, what good is a bunch of features?
A low field crew adoption rate usually means your field crews will revert back to their tried and true method for field data collection: paper.
Our focus is on simplicity
Fewer buttons, fewer options, and straightforward screens and controls. XForms takes a less-is-more approach, to get out of the way quickly and let field techs do their thing.
Card views (aka subforms) for your mobile forms
You can now display table rows as “cards”. Some people call this feature “Subforms”. Similar to Kanban cards, it’s basically just another way of interacting with your table data.
Bulk download PDF versions of your mobile forms
If you are ever in need of downloading all your PDF forms in bulk, you can now easily do that, right from the Forms screen of the XForms dashboard. Here’s how.
Add reference and instructional drawings to your mobile forms
Ever need to give graphical instructions to your field crews? Now you can do that in XForms, with a new Picture control that lets you insert a PNG or JPG image into a form template.
View/share/print PDF versions of submitted forms directly from the XForms mobile app
Now you can view the PDF version of a form right from the XForms Mobile app (iOS, Android, and web versions). It’s easy, simple, and fast.
Simple email notifications for mobile forms
You can now set up automated email notifications that are triggered when someone submits a form. Takes less than a minute to set up, and has a few simple features.
Mobile forms vs paper forms. Pros and cons, and when paper forms are more appropriate
The future is digital, including mobile forms. However, there are still use cases where paper forms are more appropriate than digital forms.
Using AI for image and text content
Two distinct AI tools, one for writing text, and one for drawing images, and how they can be used for content generation.
The high switching cost of multi-tasking, and one way to reduce it
While lots of people rave about their ability to multi-task, I do not. I suck at it. But there’s a simple way to combat this. Find out in this article.
Try it 3 times: sage advice from Mariana
Software implementation is like introducing new food to your kids. They will hate it at first. But there’s a simple way to overcome rejection.
A simple audit trail for mobile forms
XForms has a built-in audit trail…aka a form’s history, which tracks any changes made to a form, even if its deleted.
Getting started with the XForms Mobile reporting dashboard: A visual “how-to” user guide
A quick “getting started” guide for the XForms admin and reporting dashboard. This guide contains lots of screenshots with callouts illustrating its different elements.
Photo management best practices for mobile forms
Keep photo bloat from clogging up your mobile forms, automatically. Find out how, with XForms.
Tackling the New Mexico Livestock Board’s unique field data collection challenges
We are building some functions into XForms needed by the New Mexico Livestock Board’s unique mobile form requirements.
Proposed: improving ocean cleanup brand audits by using the XForms mobile forms software system
We are proposing the use of XForms for free for any ocean cleanup project, including Break Free from Plastic brand audits.
Did you know you can edit PDF documents in Microsoft Word??
Launch Microsoft Word, go to File > Open, and then open a PDF file. When you do that, you’ll get a popup that says “converting…” and eventually, voilá! An editable Word document, produced from a PDF!
Mobile forms for Brownfields redevelopment projects
Brownfields redevelopment projects require a lot of environmental field work, and with that, a lot of forms. Managing these can be unwieldy unless you are using a digital system.
Getting started with the XForms Mobile field app: A visual “how-to” user guide
A quick “getting started” guide for the XForms Mobile app that contains lots of screenshots with callouts illustrating its different elements.
How to set up your own password policies in the XForms admin dashboard
You can dictate the complexity of user passwords and expiration timeframe right from the Users screen of the XForms Dashboard by clicking on the green “Policies” button.
How to integrate table row data from a mobile form into Google Sheets
An integration between XForms Mobile and GSheets gets you a nice field capture tool that automatically inserts captured table data right into Google Sheets.
A mobile app running on a laptop web browser, in offline mode?
The web version of XForms Mobile can run in offline mode on laptops and even desktops. Sounds weird, but it’s true, thanks to Progressive Web Technology under the hood.
Simple validation and field format controls for mobile forms
XForms has a variety of controls available that let you dictate what fields on a form are required or optional, what values are allowed to be entered in specific fields, and what the field display formats should look like.
Fully customizable mobile form dashboards and KPIs
if you have a field on a form that is capturing some values, those values can be grouped and displayed in a key performance indicator (KPI) block on your XForms dashboard.
Automated geolocation capture for your mobile forms
When a user starts filling out a form, the geolocation of that user is automatically captured as metadata. This can then be plotted on the built-in map layer, exported direct to Excel, or integrated into other software tools via XForms’ RESTful APIs.
In mobile form software implementations, perfection is the enemy of effective
If you wait until the perfect moment to begin implementing a mobile forms solution, it will never get done.
Property Inspection Checklist App
What if all you want to do is to keep a light pulse on properties in your portfolio, to make sure the property managers are doing their job and maintaining them? This is where XForms can help.
How to use XForms in offline mode
Wifi and cell coverage is not ubiquitous yet. Plus there are dead zones in basements, buildings, remote valleys, etc. This is why offline mode matters.
Fully-automated PDF code generator for mobile forms
With XForms, you can now create a well-stylized PDF template for your input form in seconds….just 2 clicks.
One (very) important tip to help you migrate from analog to digital field forms
A big turn-off for some field teams is being forced to use something they didn’t ask for. So do this one thing and your user adoption rates will increase considerably.
Digital field form best practices: what to do, what not to do when designing digital field forms)
Five things you should do when designing your field forms to increase field user adoption within your organization.
How to export your forms data in XForms to Excel
We’ve made it super easy to export your data out of XForms and into Excel, even the geolocation data captured on your forms.
How to distribute different mobile field forms to different field crews using the same software
If you want different users in your organization to have access to different form templates and submitted forms, you can do that using XForms’ “application” feature, which is essentially a container of grouped forms and data.
How to improve mobile technology adoption rates within your field staff
Forcing staff to use a software product leads to very poor adoption. You improve software adoption by allowing staff to help design and continually improve it.
Does your digital field forms strategy consist of laptops + fillable PDF forms?
A fillable PDF is not really a digital data solution. It’s merely a typed version of a hand-written paper form. Nothing more.
How to build any kind of mobile form with the XForms Designer
Unlike most vertically-specific software tools, XForms includes a form template designer tool that’s like a Leatherman® multi-tool wrench, allowing you to build your own unique forms for you and your field teams that you can’t find anywhere else.
Mobile forms for vapor intrusion management projects
You can build any kind of form in XForms. And this includes vapor intrusion management systems (VIMS) forms. For example, VIMS Inspections and Sub-Slab Air Sampling forms.
Can XForms handle forms with big tables and complex math equations? You bet!
With XForms, you can create forms that include large tables with complex mathematical expressions, and deploy those to your field staff for use on phones and tablets.
Upload your field forms and photos to OneDrive, automatically
You didn’t hire high-performing degreed professionals to do mundane things like upload files to a cloud repository. Or did you? Instead of wasting their time, use an automation to upload field files and photos automatically.
Using XForms + Airtable to build a low-cost EHS and safety incident investigations management system
A simple integration between XForms and AirTable can provide you with an EHS system that’s better than Excel and an order of magnitude cheaper than most EHS software in the marketplace today.
Mobile-friendly financial forms??
Most financial forms today are fillable PDFs. But have you tried to fill one out using a phone? Impossible. Consider using XForms to build mobile-friendly financial forms for today’s mobile-first world.
Stormwater Control Measures (SCMs) Inspection Forms
Today’s standard practice for completing stormwater SCM maintenance inspection forms is to type text on top of static PDF templates. But there’s a better way…
Mobile Forms Software Considerations for Field Data Collection
Not all form software is created the same. This article highlights some questions you should consider when deciding which tool is best for your particular use case.
Environmental Field Data Collection Apps – Dedicated App or Generic Forms Software?
No dedicated environmental app can be as comprehensive or as customized as a generic mobile forms software tool like XForms.
Which is easier: A Paper Phase I ESA Checklist or a Digital One?
Need a Phase I ESA checklist form in PDF format for your site visit?Scroll to the bottom of this article and click on the download link button. Read on to see what’s in it, and see if a digital version might be worth checking out.
Mobile Tailgate Safety Meeting Sign In Sheets
Do you need to use an Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) compliance software platform if all you need is a tailgate safety meeting sign in sheet?
Features to look for in data collection field forms software
Whether you collect field data, medical data, or accounting information, having the right data collection form can increase your organization’s efficiency, accuracy, and productivity.
Mobile form routing, or those interdepartmental envelopes?
Approval workflows is a new feature within XForms that is tightly integrated with its Form History feature. You can create single- and multi-step approval workflows, designate 1 or more approvers per step, and do this for a single form template or multiple form template types.
Groundwater treatment system data collection using simple mobile form software
Use XForms configurable mobile form software for recording your soil and groundwater treatment system O&M data? Form templates that are unique to a particular treatment system are easy to set up and use.
Vivarium Management Software: Better than Paper Forms
Those drug commercials you see on tv keep vivariums busy I'm sure you've heard all of those drug commercials on tv. Yea, those commercials. The ones that show people skipping through beautiful meadows, doing fun life things, holding hands with their significant other and smiling into each...
Using blockchain as an audit trail for mobile form data authenticity
A simple matter of trust A handshake is nothing more than a gesture of mutual agreement and trust. There was a time when business was done with a handshake. There was a time when customers, vendors and employees did what was promised, when it was promised. Today business moves a bit faster than it...