Downloadable Digital Forms, Templates, and Checklists

In the work setting, a digital form, template, or checklist is a paperless tool used by businesses to gather information efficiently and eliminate the hassle of lost paperwork, damaged reports, and manual data re-entry. Hence, it helps streamline business processes and promote accessible recordkeeping and data sharing.

Benefits of Using a Digital Form Checklist

Transforming your current paper-based checklists and forms into digital forms will change the way you work – for the better. Digital forms are more simplified and a lot efficient to work with when designed properly : 

• Richer data – digital forms enable structured data entry by providing fields for specific data types such as text, numbers, dates, and dropdown menus that allow flexibility. Moreover, you can also take advantage of mobile technology and capture photos, barcodes, electronic signatures, diagrams, reference links, GPS coordinates, and more.
• More time and cost savings – Using digital forms can significantly benefit your organization’s efficiency and budget. They help speed up the process of gathering and have the capability to trigger automated actions such as instantaneous updating of databases, implementing corrective actions, or initiating follow-up processes, which saves time and effort.
• Eco-friendly – Digital forms are entirely paperless, eliminating the need for physical paper and thus contributing to reduced deforestation and a smaller carbon footprint.
• Organized data storage – Digital forms allow data to be stored in secure, centralized databases or cloud platforms, making it easily accessible from anywhere with an internet connection.
• Data-driven insights – Digital forms may often come with built-in analytics tools that allow organizations to analyze the collected data and generate reports, facilitating data-driven decision-making. These help identify trends, patterns, and areas for improvement by aggregating data over time.

Common Examples of Digital Forms

Digital forms are used in a wide range of industries and contexts for various purposes. Here are some common examples:

• Customer Feedback and Survey Forms – utilized to collect feedback from customers about products, services, and overall experiences for improving customer satisfaction
• Human Resources (HR) Forms – used for employee onboarding, leave requests, performance evaluations, and benefit enrollments
• Work Orders – created and used by maintenance or repair teams to receive work orders, specifying tasks, location details, and equipment requirements
• Vehicle Inspection Reports – created by transportation companies and auto mechanics to record vehicle inspection results, ensuring compliance with safety regulations
• Guest Check-in Forms – utilized by the hospitality industry to gather personal details and preferences to enhance the guest experience
• Property Inspection Forms – helpful for documenting condition and maintenance needs during property inspections
• Training Evaluation Forms – serves as an HR tool to gather feedback on training programs from participants to assess content and effectiveness

How to Create a Digital Form

Traditionally, checklists and forms are written on a notepad or printed out as a document, but making them online enables you to use your checklist on your mobile device. Making digital forms online can be simplified into the following steps:

1. Name or label the template, form, or checklist properly.
2. Add a description to provide context on what it’s for and how it should be used.
3. Make sure to add titles for the form’s pages and sections (e.g., Title Page, Inspection, and Completion) to guide the users through its various parts and purposes.
4. Start adding questions on the template or if you have a list of items already in an external document, you can copy and paste them in.
5. Choose and set the most needed response type for each question. This can be a text or a multiple-selection answer.
6. Double-check the details and instructions you’ve included in the digital form before exporting it.
7. Save it on your organization’s cloud storage for easy access.

For example, here’s a filled-out incident report form digitized using a checklist app:

Digital Form Example for Incident Report | SafetyCulture