Digital Forms for Real Estate Agents: JotForm vs. Google Forms
One of the ways I help real estate agents streamline their business is through the use of digital forms.
There's so much to do to build rapport and trust with prospects, and having basic forms in place may do the trick without a word. You can't afford to lag in an age that keeps changing and innovating.
Ask any mega agent, and they'll likely attest that implementing tech and more digital processes saved them time and money.
The forms you use in your business are no exception.
Digital Forms for Real Estate Agents
You can't just wing it, nor is it practical to attempt to know all you can about your prospects through a phone or zoom call.
Documentation is everything. Repeatedly requesting information your prospects have already shared with you is annoying and could potentially cost you business.
But what if you have printed questionnaires that you use with your clients? That's a good system to have in place, but automating your processes is a better idea. You save time, and getting the forms to your client is as quick and easy as emailing the links.
Digital forms are the way to go, and that's the sort of system I get real estate agents who enroll in my Systems Rehab group program to implement. All my clients get three digital forms they can customize to suit their business operations. These forms include:
A getting to know you questionnaire
A buyer questionnaire
A seller questionnaire
All these forms live on JotForm, a platform I use for The Leverage Co. and the one I recommend to my clients.
If you currently use digital forms, it's likely Google Forms or Microsoft Forms. These digital forms are okay, as they do the bare minimum. However, if you want to stay on brand and jazz up your forms, girl, you need JotForm today!
When pitched against Google Forms, JotForm offers so much more. The best thing is that they allow you to use up to five forms for free.
My clients have never had to upgrade the forms I share with them (unless they decide to go beyond the limits given).
Why the rave about JotForm? Here's why it's my number one digital form platform compared to Google Forms.
1. On Point, Top Notch Branding
Don't get me wrong, you can customize your form's appearance using Google Forms, but you don't have many options to work with when compared to JotForm.
With Google Forms, there's the standard option to add a header image (a great slot for your logo); text options also control how words appear on the form.
However, Google Form sorely lacks customization options for background personalization, which means if you want to add a cool background picture of your office or everyone on your team, you won't be able to get that done. Instead, you're only stuck with bland background colors.
In contrast, JotForm gives you full customization features; even with a free account, you can get away with so much. Here are some customization options that JotForm has that Google Forms doesn't.
The capacity to add any image and video of choice to the background.
Mix things up with a gradient. You can achieve beautiful color blends if you use a solid color for your form's backdrop. This means adding branding colors that slowly transition as your clients go through the form.
The ability to customize titles, button backgrounds, button text, and more.
For customization, Google Form surpasses what JotForm does where fonts are concerned.
Google Forms gives you three font choices, while JotForm only lets you choose one font to use throughout the whole document. You can keep the header, question, and text fonts different.
However, this isn't a big deal, as I doubt you'll be switching up how your text appears on your forms when you can keep things neat with a standard font.
In conclusion, when you want to make your digital forms pretty, JotForm is the way to go.
2. Layout Options
Through my use of Google Forms, I've only ever been able to fill out a form in the order Google allows me to.
On JotForm, you can choose to let your prospects view the entire list of questions on a single webpage.
However, moving them through the process is much more refined. You can customize JotForm to show your form in a beautiful layout format that blows away the boring presentation format that Google Forms gives.
JotForm, unlike Google, lets people see your forms in either a card or classic layout.
Always use the card layout format with clients for a professional, organized look.
3. A Tall List of Form Elements
Although the forms I provide my clients have simple elements, if you ever need to do more in your business with digital forms, you have a lot of features at your disposal.
A Google form has fewer than 10 form elements. These include images, import questions, videos, sections, questions, and text descriptions.
In comparison, JotForm has a long list of features that make collecting and using data easy. If you're like other real estate agents who diversify their income streams, you may collect payments through JotForm. With JotForm elements, there's no limit to what you can accomplish with digital forms.
4. Link Customization
This is a huge feature to rave about. It's worth mentioning that you can edit the links you share with clients using JotForm.
This feature isn't available with Google Forms. So you're merely stuck with a standard link that's long and unattractive. Likely, you may need to use a third-party tool if you wish to edit your form's URL.
JotForm's ability to connect with other apps and send notifications when a client fills out a form are also important features.
Choosing a Form that Works for You
I'm a strong believer that the system you use is the one that works for you. While I love JotForm and do not intend to switch anytime soon, it may not be your cup of tea.
If you have digital forms in place that work for you and do exactly what you need them to, by all means, run with it. However, if you're looking for more and are tired of all the limitations of using Google Forms, JotForm is the way to go.
meet Sheena
Backed by two decades of demonstrated experience, I help purpose-driven women in real estate grow their businesses and achieve ultimate success with proven systems.
