When you need to create a form for your business, it is essential that you have an easy-to-use tool. This is where Google Forms can come in to help you. With useful templates, helpful features, and an intuitive interface, you can quickly build and customize the exact form you need.

Here we show you how you can use Google Forms for common business routines.

Using the Templates and Features

Google Forms has a variety of features for creating business forms. You can get off to a fast start with one of the templates offered and edit it to suit your needs. To access the template options, sign into Google Forms and select Template Gallery from the top.

Work Request

The Work Request template has the basics you need for a simple work order like name, email address, description, priority, and due date.

You can then use the Type section to distinguish the work area. You can keep that multiple-choice question and just update the answers to accommodate your business. For example, a work request for the information technology department may include options for software, hardware, and network services.

Feedback Form

The Customer Feedback template can be used for employee or training feedback as well as customers with a few simple adjustments.

For instance, you can add a drop-down box question for an employee to choose the department that their feedback is aimed towards. Or for training, you can include a paragraph question so that trainees can offer suggestions for the next session.

Registration Form

The Event Registration template can be used for most any type of event. For business, you might use it for a conference, seminar, or training session.

For multi-day events like a conference, you can use the checkbox question for participants to choose which days they will attend. Or for a training session, trainees can select a preferred time slot.

The template also includes a required section at the bottom where the participant must acknowledge a fee. You can use this for paid seminars or conferences.

Time Off Request

The Time Off Request template is a handy form and may have everything you want already with no adjustments necessary. Sections include name, leave date, time of day, and type of leave. A convenient section at the end allows the user to write a paragraph for their reason of leave, if they like.

If you would also like to capture the user's email address, you can add this question quickly. Just click the plus icon to add a question, name it Email address, and Google Forms will automatically select the short answer question type for you. You can make it a required question by sliding the switch at the bottom.

Creating Your Own Form

If you would rather start from scratch with your own form, this is easier to do than you might think. Plus, you can save your form as a template and continue to use it with simple edits as needed. First, head to Google Forms to open an untitled form by clicking the Blank template from the Template Gallery.

Team Update Form

For receiving updates from your employees or team, you can create a form to obtain statuses. Add questions for the basics such as name and email address and then just customize your sections. For this example, we will use a project team update.

You can add a drop-down question with options for which project the team member is working on. Based on the answer (project) that they choose, you can have them skip to another form section. This allows you to create sections for tasks specific to that project and the user will be automatically directed there.

  1. Create your Project question and answers by clicking the plus.
  2. Create the different task sections by clicking the Add Section.
  3. Name the sections and add the tasks per project.
  4. Return to the Project question, select the More (three-dot) icon and pick Go to section based on answer.
  5. Beside each answer, click the arrow and choose which section the user should be directed to when they select that answer.

Injury Form

Creating an injury form is also quite easy. After you add name and email address, you can add questions for things like date and time of injury, location of the occurrence, and severity of the injury. Using the severity question, you can select the Linear scale question option:

  1. Create your Severity question by clicking the plus.
  2. Choose Linear scale from the question options.
  3. Select the number scale that you would like to use from the drop-down boxes.
  4. Enter labels for the first and last numbers on the scale.

Transfer Request Form

If your company allows for transfers, whether to another city, local facility, or department, you can set up a transfer form in just minutes. Once again, include questions for name and email address and then customize your sections and questions. For this example, we will use the multiple choice grid question:

  1. Create your Transfer question by clicking the plus.
  2. Choose Multiple choice grid from the question options.
  3. Add your answers for the rows and columns.
  4. Select the More (three-dot) icon and pick Limit to one response per column to avoid confusion.

Setting up the question:

How the question will display:

Tips and Tricks

Google Forms offers a nice variety of features for questions and answers. But, you can take advantage of even more useful options like these:

Reusing Forms as Templates

Open the form, click the More (three-dot) icon from the top navigation, and select Make a copy. You can then give the form its own name, select its folder, and share it with the same people. This is ideal when you want to use your form as a template.

To edit the form, just open it from your main Google Forms screen and adjust as needed.

Adding Data Validation

Short answer, paragraph, and checkbox questions types offer a data validation option. This lets you ensure that you are receiving the answer(s) that you want.

For example, using a checkbox question you can require that the user enter at least two answers. Or, for a paragraph question, you can limit the character count of the answer.

To use this feature, select the More (three-dot) icon within the question and choose Data validation. Depending on which question type you are using, you will see your parameter options. Just fill out the fields and enter a custom error message if you like.

Customizing the Appearance

Google Forms offers a selection of themes that you can use to make your forms more attractive. Just click the palette icon from the top navigation, select the image icon, and browse by category. You can also upload your own photo or open a current album.

Along with an overall theme for your form, you can include photos and YouTube videos within your questions. Photos are handy if you would like to pop in your company logo or a picture of your building. Videos make great additions for tutorials or training clips.

Just click either the image or video icon to the right of the question and make your selection in the window that opens.

Additional Options for Business

Obviously, the point of Google Forms is to create forms. However, you can take that a step further for your business. Here are just a few ideas:

Create a Quiz

Maybe you would like to follow up an employee training session with a knowledge test. Google Forms lets you turn a form into a quiz easily.

Open your form, click the gear icon from the top navigation, and select Quizzes in the window that opens. Move the slider next to Make this a quiz. You can then review and adjust the grading options and what the respondent can see.

Do More With Add-ons

Google Forms offers a variety of add-ons that can be helpful. You can receive email notifications for your forms, create dynamic fields for your questions, and take your forms to Business Hangouts.

Add-ons like AppSheet allow you to build a mobile app based on your form. And, the bkper tool lets you use forms to record data in your financial books such as income and expenses.

To view your add-on options, open a form, click the More (three-dot) icon from the top navigation, and select Add-ons.

Design a Workflow

You may not have considered Google Forms as a workflow tool, but it can be quite useful in this aspect. For instance, you can create a process that lets you obtain data, document it, and report on it.

You can build your form, use input logic, incorporate add-ons, and share your form easily. For a detailed explanation of designing a workflow, check out this in-depth article from Will Conway.

Have You Tried Google Forms for Business?

Google Forms is an intuitive tool for creating business forms. And, with its flexibility, sharing options, and templates, building and sending forms can be done in just minutes.

Have you tried Google Forms for your business yet? If so, what is your favorite feature?

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