Being an entrepreneur or business owner has become an easier job in one area – technology. Now instead of spending hours at your local library searching for the answer to a single question, a Google search does it in a few seconds. Need to know the name and number of an important contact? You can find it quickly online. Networking, building clients, and even handling customer service has been shaped around the online world. While entrepreneurs and business owners still have a lot of work and worry piled on their shoulders, some of the stress can be handled much easier with the use of technology to speed up a process or handle it altogether. Teach a CEO had the opportunity to hear from JotForm CEO and Founder Aytekin Tank on why custom forms can help tremendously in the world of business.
How much of an impact did forms have in 2015?
An enormous impact! There are hundreds of thousands of small businesses in the US that depend on forms to keep their companies moving forward. The small businesses that took their online forms seriously benefited by receiving more money, finding more customers, and gaining valuable feedback.
How do you think forms will be used in 2016?
I think one of the biggest realizations will be how easy it is to use online forms to collect payments. Many major form building softwares provide integrations with major payment processors (PayPal, Stripe, etc.), which means any online form can be used to collect donations, sell products, or accept deposits. Small business don’t have to pour valuable resources into developing forms manually.
How can forms assist small businesses or startups?
The small businesses that have discovered the diversity of ways to use online forms have benefited a great deal. A business can use one online form building account to manage job applications, lead collection, customer and employee feedback, event registration, payments, and general inquiries from a single platform. That’s pretty significant!
What kinds of forms should entrepreneurs take advantage of in their day-to-day operation?
Almost any business can benefit from having some sort of lead collection or basic contact form. Consider the placement of the form on your website and make sure you match the fonts, colors, and imagery you’re already using with your brand.
Can you tell us a little more about JotForm?
I started JotForm 10 years ago to provide an easy way for anyone to create their own online forms. We offer a simple drag-and-drop form builder, over 8,000 ready-made templates, advanced analytic tools, and integrations with over 100 popular softwares. The team is very excited to announce that we’ve now eclipsed our 2 millionth user and are growing faster than ever.
What is your advice for an entrepreneur or business owner on using forms for the first time?
My biggest piece of advice is to have fun with it. We’re in the golden age for online forms, so take advantage of all of the extra capabilities that are available today, like analytic tools, advanced custom theme designers, and visual reports. The best part is that you don’t have to be a technical expert to take advantage of online forms.
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Thank you to Aytekin Tank for this interview.
