Improve Your Bottom Line with Custom Form Design

Using inappropriate or inadequate business forms, is one of the most wasteful and inefficient things a small business can do. Do you often find yourself doing duplicate paperwork? Are you constantly modifying your forms by crossing out or adding to what’s been pre-printed? Do you ever have to call your customers for key information that you or your employees forgot to ask?

Using the wrong business forms can cost you time and money. And it can even cost you customers if the inefficiencies these forms create compromise your ability to serve customers well. What’s the alternative? Custom-printed business forms.

Unlike "off-the-shelf" products, custom forms are unique, one-of-a-kind products that meet the specific needs of your business, since they’re designed by the ultimate expert on that subject – you. Custom-printed forms can enhance the flow of your business operations. They can save you valuable time and energy. And, perhaps most importantly, they can help you and your staff safeguard against making costly omissions and mistakes.

How should your business forms be designed? Only you can answer that question, but here’s an important guideline to use – design your forms to reflect your workflow. If your current forms aren’t working for you, take some very specific notes on how you’d like to see them changed. Would it work better for you, for example, to have separate totals for parts, labor, and freight on your invoices? Do you need more room for item descriptions than most standard forms provide?

Here are a few additional design ideas to consider:

• Use color coding to highlight key areas. This will increase the speed at which the form is filled out while improving overall readability.
• Use perforations to create a "tear-out" portion of the form, which can be used to mark merchandise in order to eliminate mistakes.
• When applicable, print coupons or advertise a complete list of your products or services on the back of the customer copy of your form.
• Dedicate a portion of the form to document and enforce good operating procedures by providing a list of guidelines or instructions.
• Add fields to capture all relevant information about your customers. This information can later be utilized not only to give you a "leg up" on the competition, but also to provide you with vital information for proactive initiatives (for example, prospecting for new customers or following up with customers when your records show it is time to reorder).

Because no two businesses operate in exactly the same way, make sure to include your terms, conditions, policies and any other important information somewhere on your form. Having this information up front will mean fewer misunderstandings later on.

In addition to increasing your efficiency, custom-printed forms offer the added bonus of making you and your business look more polished and professional. What’s the bottom line? The "right" forms can help you streamline your operations, increase your productivity and improve your image – three fantastic benefits no success-oriented small business owner can afford to pass up.