I want to develop an Intelligent application form and portal

By Rich Peterson
In 🤔 Advice
3 Min read
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Further details of question: We would like to put our current finance application form online and built as we are current zoho one clients and have access to the whole suite of zoho to including Zoho Crm  however the zoho creator solution for portals can be very expensive for us due to the way they charge so we are looking to build the form and portal in another system. What is your recommendation for a low-cost, off-the-shelf solution (nothing custom)?

Details are:

  • The form is currently around 20 pages and 8 sections and we have this in MS word format as a template to work from.
  • We will need to create a portal where a client can register or we register them and they can complete the different sections of the form online. We will need a “to save” function and “resume” function plus the ability to export.
  • We have a few workings forms made with zoho forms but need to build a bespoke form in a portal with save functionality in a secure environment which our current can’t do.
  • Portal area will house the below Tabs:
    1- Mortgage Application form.
    2- Download documents area where we will plan to store PDF templates for the clients to access.
  • Save and Return – as the application form is very long, we will need the client to be able to save and update sections easily and the gathering information process may take a few times to complete. That’s why we feel having the application form broken down in the different section will help them update the relevant information.

 

Answer: Thanks for reaching out. The ability to start a form and resume the form later online is a feature that is hard to find in many products. As you’ve let me know that you don’t work on many projects at the same time, I’d recommend you look at using two products to handle the application form and the client portal.

For your application form, I’d usually recommend a tool like Typeform but, as you need someone to save the form and come back to it, I’d recommend that check out Dropbox Paper or Google Docs, shared via invite with the client.

For the client portal, I’d recommend looking at the WordPress plugin Client Portal to be able to create your own branded portal. From this portal, you’ll be able to share updates with your client and they will be able to download PDF documents.

Get in touch if you’d like to discuss alternative client portal software or form software to save and resume later.

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Rich Peterson

I've spent the last 10 years planning, mapping & reimagining the processes of hundreds of SMBs. Whether the goal is more money, more time, more clarity or more customer smiles, my insightful process is worth every minute for my successful clients.
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By Rich Peterson March 10, 2019

About

For the past 10 years, we’ve worked with hundreds of clients and tens of thousands of students to help them get a clear picture of how to systemise their business. We’re not fans of spam, cheap mass-marketing tactics or automating your business to within an inch of it’s life. We are fans of a customer experience where humans deal with humans, skills are appreciated, personality is maintained and where clients get more value than they expected. We’re also fans of automating any process that doesn’t deliver client-facing value in a simple, easy-to-maintain way.

In a nutshell, we provide advice, implementation support & training to small to medium, service-based businesses to help them deliver a better customer experience & a more automated workflow. Everyone on the same page, moving in the same direction with a clear picture of who does what.