By leveraging the power of spreadsheet formulas, smart forms built with NExS can improve accuracy and save time and money. For example, you have more flexible validity checks which look at more than one input field simultaneously, or you can use formulas to validate the entire form prior to submission. Suppose you had an order form in which item C is required if both items A and B are ordered. Or a medical form where certain supplemental questions are required for patients age 65 or older. A form built with NExS could easily handle these, and much more complex use cases.

Case Studies

Southern Outdoor Restoration Equipment Tracker

Southern Outdoor Restoration, an outdoor building services contractor, needed a solution for managing and tracking the equipment issued to their work crews. The challenge was to create an application that could be used by the operations managers and their supervisors to issue equipment as needed to each crew, and track the issuances in a Google sheet. Additionally, the supervisors needed to create procurement orders to replenish the equipment inventory in the warehouse. After trying unsuccessfully to design a system using both Google Forms and Wufoo in conjunction with Zapier, they looked to NExS for a solution. With NExS, they were able to build a complete and easy to use system that implemented the desired workflows. Because all of the information for the application is contained in the spreadsheet (equipment lists, crew lists, allowed users and roles) it is a simple matter to keep the app up to date simply by adding to the lists in the spreadsheet. Further, each user has a personal PIN number so that the app is secure and provides an audit trail.

Below is a live demo of the SOR inventory tracker app. (You can also click here to launch the app in a stand-alone page.) Try logging in as an Operations Manager (PIN #7147) or Operations Coordinator (PIN #7338). As Operations Manager you will be able to create an issuance order for any crew in your division. As Operations Coordinator you will be able to create issuance orders for all crews, or a procurement order. Download the app’s spreadsheet to see how it is designed. Note that the app makes extensive use of button actions and hidden views to implement the workflows. See the app configuration documentation to learn how buttons and hidden views work in NExS apps.

WILSON HOME ENERGY AUDIT

The City of Wilson, NC, provides free home energy audits to its utility customers. They needed a form for customers to request the audits. The goal was to present a matrix of available dates and times from which the customer could choose when requesting an audit. This turned out be a significant challenge. When a customer clicks on an available time slot, that slot needs to be “locked” so that it does not continue to show as available on the website. What happens if two customers click on the same slot at the same time? What happens if a customer clicks on a slot and then decides not to follow through on requesting the audit at that time?

With help from NExS personnel and leveraging some advanced NExS features, Wilson was able to implement and deploy a smart form that meets all of the above requirements. The end product was an app that allows customers to request an energy audit up to 30 days in advance. Wilson personnel are able to easily manage the available time slots directly from the app, providing an excellent customer experience and minimizing the time and effort to schedule the audits.

Wilson Home Energy Audit Scheduling App

Click on an available time slot below to request a home energy audit. You will be directed to a form to enter your contact information. (NOTE: This is only a demo, feel free to fill out and submit the form to see how it works.)