Two of the fastest-growing areas in the customer experience arena are digital forms and workplace automation. These technologies are part of the broader movement of digitization across the organization and give brands better ways to please customers and manage costs. There are many benefits of digital forms and workplace automation in your customer experience portfolio. Here is a topline summary of the benefits to the customer and the business or organization:
Advantages for Customers
Faster/Easier Data Entry
Digital forms and workplace automation can dramatically accelerate the time it takes for customers to deliver information to your business. By digitizing data entry forms, you align your customer experience toward customers’ preferred self-service method, using a digital interface that is increasingly familiar and accepted by customers. Digital platforms like Google and social networks have inured customers to digital data entry, so it has become second nature – far more manageable than filling out a paper form or PDF.
Anywhere Access
The best digital forms can be used by customers in any channel or digital device. This enables customers to utilize the benefits of digital forms more readily. Customers expect to be able to conduct business whenever and wherever they wish. Many tools and platforms enable companies to deliver their forms in any connected environment. One of the most common methods is to provide the digital form experience in a responsive digital “micro-app” accessed via a short link. The links can be embedded in web pages or apps, incorporated into customer portals, integrated into IVR decision trees, and added to on-premise media like kiosks.
Anytime Access
Digital forms can be available 24-7 without a customer wait. Many customers like the option to perform processes at times that are most convenient to them, which are often outside regular business hours.
Convenience From Pre-Fill
Good digital forms enable companies to prefill certain information when the customer has verified their identity. This can reduce the amount of data entry required to complete a process. Pre-fill is also an outstanding way to communicate a customer-first orientation in your customer experience.
Convenience via Advanced Capabilities
The best forms often contain features beyond simple data entry fields. Some of these include:
- Automatic Data Validation: Data validation helps ensure that the customer inputs accurate information so they can get faster resolution and don’t need to revisit forms.
- Content Upload: Many processes require customers to upload content like images, documents, and even videos. By incorporating upload capabilities into a form process, you can streamline customer compliance with your policy. This helps save them time and effort.
- Electronic Signature: Offering an e-sign means customers don’t need to download documents for a wet signature.
- Legal Acknowledgement: Form-based processes can also incorporate elements like legal acknowledgments that help simplify and accelerate time to resolution.
Accelerated Issue Resolution
When digital forms are combined with workflow automation, the time it takes for a company to process a customer request or application can be dramatically shortened.
Enhanced Privacy
Secure digital forms can offer much better privacy protections and assurance than paper and pdf-based processes. Digital form platforms often are fully compliant with GDPR, HIPAA, CCPA, and PCI.
Advantages for Companies and Organizations
Reduced Support Costs
Companies can dramatically lower their sales and support costs when customers use self-service processes and forms. With the cost of phone support averaging about $1 per minute, it’s easy to see how a self-service form can drive enormous savings over time.
Reduced Need for Data Entry
Information from paper and PDF processes must often be entered manually into company systems. When you can use a form to have customers enter data directly, you save time and money and increase data accuracy.
More Accurate Data
By leveraging automatic data validation, companies can ensure accurate data enters their systems from the beginning. Automatic data validation in forms boosts the accuracy still further.
Faster Processes and Resolution
Immediate data access and automation of previously manual process steps can help companies move more quickly to meet customer needs.
Higher Conversion Rates
More convenient and faster processes often increase sales conversion rates for companies, making them stronger and more profitable.
Improved Security
Digital forms can offer better security than other methods of data collection, and help organizations comply with regional and industry-specific privacy guidelines.
Higher Customer Satisfaction
Studies show that most customers prefer DIY experiences and processes over live human support if they are convenient and well-designed. Digital forms allow you to offer pleasing, streamlined experiences to your customers that drive higher satisfaction rates.
Learn More
With all these great benefits, it’s easy to understand why digital forms and process automation are popular with businesses and customers. For more information on these important elements of a robust CX program, visit our visit our website and request a demo now. Or have a look at some of the articles on these topics that are indexed below.
