Online surveys and contact forms give your customers access to you in a way that allows you to easily store and track the data for later use (leads, annual report data, customer satisfaction, etc.). Creating and distributing the survey can be sometimes tricky logistically and aesthetically. You might be too scared of your IT guy or web designer, you might not know how to program a website or you don’t want to spend money on a solution without knowing if people will even use it. Many people use solutions like Survey Monkey or Constant Contact to solicit feedback from their customers and clients. While they are effective, the name “Survey Monkey” and the giant logos and disclaimers that Constant Contact slaps on their emails make me cringe and if you embed them on your site they tend to just look clunky and out of place.

Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. Below are 5 simple steps outlining how you can create a free survey or contact form using a hidden gem inside of Google’s popular online document creation service Google Docs.  Seriously, you’ll smack yourself and say, “Why didn’t I realize how to do this sooner?” Then you’ll call your web developer and say, “Why the heck did you charge me $300 to program a contact form that I just made in 2 minutes!!!” After you’ve done that, feel free to pass my information on to them so they can personally thank me.

Step 1: Create a Google Documents Account

Visit www.google.com/documents and sign up for a free Google Account. If you already have a Gmail or Google Account then you can just sign in to Google Documents using that account.

Step 2: Create a Google Form

Once you login to your new or already existing account you will be taken to your Google Docs home screen. On the top left corner of the browser, you will see a icon that says “Create New”. Click the icon and select “Form” from the dropdown menu.

Step 3: Complete Your Form

Now the fun begins. Enter a title at the top of the form and some description text explaining the form to your customers or visitors of your site. Using the “Add Item” icon on the top left of your browser; you can select the types of fields you want inside of your form (below). You can even break your form into multiple sections and pages. Use the trashcan icon on the right side of each item to delete unwanted items or save time by duplicating items and changing the names of the field.

Types of Items:

• Text
• Paragraph Text
• Multiple Choice
• Checkboxes
• Choose from List
• Scale
• Grid

Note: Unless you want Google’s generic confirmation message, click the icon on the top right of your browser that says “More Actions” then select “Edit Confirmation.” Now type in whatever you want to say to those customers who complete the form.

Step 4: Publish and Test Your Form

There are two ways you can send your nifty little form to the world.

Email
The first method is using “Email this form” icon, on the top left area of your browser. This will email a link to your form directly from Google Docs. While that is a cool feature, the likelihood that you will actually email all of your customers using this is slim. Enter YOUR email in the box and use the link in that email in whatever emails, tweets, or Facebook posts you plan on using to publicize your new complaint contact form or customer dissatisfaction.

Embed on Your Website
This is a little more advanced and requires access to the files of your website and the ability to update them on your web host. If you utilize a Content Management System (CMS) or have HTML experience then you should be embed the code very easily. Click the icon on the top right of your browser that says “More Actions” then select “Embed.” Copy the code in the box which appears in the center of your screen and paste it into the source code or CMS on the desired page and area of your website. Adjust the <iframe> settings to your liking. Now test your masterpiece.

Step 5: Reviewing Your Data & Setting Notifications

When a customer uses the form, all of the results will be entered into a Google Spreadsheet. You can access that spread sheet now by clicking the “See Responses” icon on the top right area of your browser and select “Spreadsheet.” The document you see now can also be accessed later from your Google Docs home page. If you followed all the steps correctly you should see the results from your test submission(s).

To schedule a notification of responses click the “Share” icon on the top right of your browser and select “Notification rules”.  You can select a variety of options from this screen, but the most useful one is to check “Email – right away” at the bottom of the screen, which will send an email to you anytime someone completes the form.

Note: The notifications will be sent to the email address your Google Account is setup as.

Here is a sample form for you to check out.

Good Resources & Reads

• Google Docs – Forms Help
• Measuring Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty, Third Edition: Survey Design, Use, and Statistical Analysis Methods by Bob E. Hayes
• Customer Surveys 101