Automating The Electronic Forms Process
Introduction
Completing forms is a part of everyday life. Until recently, most forms were filled out by hand and physically mailed to a collection center for processing. Someone was then tasked with manually inputting that data by scanning or keying the information into a centralized database. A second person provided the deliverable for the transaction – generating a birth certificate, for example. And lastly, someone archived the data in paper or scanned form. The process was time consuming with plenty of opportunity for error. Software publishers are continuing to develop new applications and services to automate traditional paper-based processes. Electronic collection of data via a form is the first in a series of automated tasks that will include data processing and archiving. Because automated tasks will rely solely on the integrity of the data provided, electronic forms must be intelligent, error-proof and easy to complete by preserving the "look and feel" of the original paper document.
Converting Paper Forms to Intelligent Electronic Documents The first step in automating traditional paper-based processes is converting paper forms into electronic forms that will automate data capture, formatting and validation. ScanSoft's OmniForm Developer Edition software provides an easy method for completing this first step. The software, which includes ScanSoft's OmniForm forms conversion and design product and new ActiveX Control enables a developer to scan in an existing paper forms into OmniForm – giving them an almost exact replication of the paper form – or design new forms that are saved out to the OmniForm XML forms markup language (XFML). Field validations, formatting and calculations are built during the form design phase with couple of mouse clicks. A developer could potentially build the forms component of their application without having to write any code, saving them a significant amount of time and money.
Once a paper form has been converted and saved out to ScanSoft's proprietary XFML file format, the OmniForm ActiveX Control reads and renders the XML based file and serves as a "container" for displaying the customized fillable form in a developer's own application or web page. The developer has complete control over the processing and archiving of form data.
Case Study: Star Micro Systems
Star Micro Systems provides case management software for worker's compensation and personal injury attorneys. Lawyers use the software to better organize, share and store a variety of forms and documents. Star Micro Systems used OmniForm Developer's Edition 4.05 to incorporate worker's compensation and personal injury forms into its case management software product – increasing the value of its product and the ultimate expansion of their customer base to include attorneys specializing in worker's compensation cases. Michael Appell, President of Star Micro Systems, credits OmniForm Developer's Edition with saving him both time and money. Using OmniForm Developer's Edition electronic forms tools and the ActiveX Control, Star Micro Systems avoided the labor intensive and expensive tasks of writing code to recreate the paper forms, and then integrating those forms into their embedded application. In addition to preserving the look and feel of the paper forms, all of the necessary field validations, formatting and calculations were built with a few simple clicks of the mouse.
Case Study: American LegalNet
Each year, the legal community completes over 370 million documents by hand and files them in U.S. state and Federal courts. Legal content publisher American LegalNet is helping to automate this process by offering virtually all of the U.S. Federal and state court and legal forms to users electronically via its newly launched Web site uscourtforms.com. To do this, American LegalNet needed an exact replication of each paper-based legal form. Recreating each form from scratch would have been time consuming, not to mention cost prohibitive. Bill Bean, VP of Business Development at American LegalNet, found that OmniForm Developer's Edition from ScanSoft, Inc. was the only solution on the market that could accurately reproduce legal forms, incorporate XML, and support digital signatures. OmniForm Developer's Edition gave American LegalNet an easy way to scan and edit the paper forms, and then integrate them with the uscourtforms.com Web pages using the OmniForm ActiveX Control. By eliminating the need to recode the forms, Bean estimates that the company was able to cut its development time in half. American LegalNet gathered hard copies of over 40,000 thousand Federal and state court forms and used OmniForm Developer's Edition to perform the necessary paper-to-electronic conversion, editing, and defining of "fillable fields" using dialog boxes and wizards. Many of the forms were then saved to the OmniForm XML forms markup language (XFML). The XFML files and a third-party indexing technology were used to create a comprehensive search engine that lets legal professionals quickly access the documents they need.
Using OmniForm Developer's Edition to Add Value to an Application
OmniForm Developer's Edition can be a lifesaver for developers building applications or web pages for vertical industries, such as healthcare, that rely heavily on paper forms today. An example might be an application that automates management of the FDA Clinical trial submission process. OmniForm Developer's Edition enables the developer to build in electronic versions of the exact government regulated FDA paper-based forms into their application or web site. The developer can then go on to tie these forms into the overall application or web site using a combination of the ActiveX Control, digital signatures, and XML functionality that may automate and integrate the individual processes of collecting, analyzing and submitting data to the FDA.
The real estate industry represents another vertical industry that today relies almost exclusively on data collection via a specific set of forms that are tightly regulated. Additionally, anyone who has bought a home knows that many of the required forms include duplicate data. A developer could streamline this process significantly by using OmniForm Developer's Edition to design a form that collects the homeowner's profile and then "pushes" this information to, and automatically populates all of the forms that share common data such name or current address. The developer has an easy value proposition to pitch to his or her end-users – significant timesavings in having to retype the same information on several different forms, and less potential for error since data populates the appropriate forms automatically without user intervention.
Software publishers that can integrate electronic versions of paper forms, while preserving the original look and feel of those forms, will instantly add value to their products and services. For developers creating software applications for government-regulated industries such as insurance, legal, healthcare, and real estate, this ability is an absolute necessity.
Conclusion
As the demand to automate paper-based business processes grows, so will the methods for collecting and viewing data electronically. Developers will increasingly be called upon to create sophisticated electronic forms that facilitate the efficient collection and processing of data. Software innovations like ScanSoft Inc.'s OmniForm Developer's Edition help developers quickly and easily make the transition from paper to electronic data collection, and establish competitive differentiation by providing electronic replicas of paper forms familiar to end-users. In addition, these advances in form conversion technology will enable developers to expand into new customer markets like healthcare and government that were previously resistant to electronic conversion because of the high inaccuracy rate in the replication process.
Licensing OmniForm Developer's Edition
Developers looking to incorporate OmniForm's electronic forms technology into their applications and Web pages will want to begin their prototyping using OmniForm Developer's Edition, which includes ScanSoft's electronic forms conversion software and ActiveX Control. OmniForm Developer's Edition can be licensed directly by calling ScanSoft's inside sales group at 1-978-977-2000. Prior to distributing the ActiveX Control with an application, or integrated into a web page, you must purchase a distribution license for the ActiveX Control software. ScanSoft has designed several licensing models for the ActiveX Control; a representative will work to determine which model best suits the developer's business and the method in which they are distributing the software.
Submitted by ScanSoft
Completing forms is a part of everyday life. Until recently, most forms were filled out by hand and physically mailed to a collection center for processing. Someone was then tasked with manually inputting that data by scanning or keying the information into a centralized database. A second person provided the deliverable for the transaction – generating a birth certificate, for example. And lastly, someone archived the data in paper or scanned form. The process was time consuming with plenty of opportunity for error. Software publishers are continuing to develop new applications and services to automate traditional paper-based processes. Electronic collection of data via a form is the first in a series of automated tasks that will include data processing and archiving. Because automated tasks will rely solely on the integrity of the data provided, electronic forms must be intelligent, error-proof and easy to complete by preserving the "look and feel" of the original paper document.
Converting Paper Forms to Intelligent Electronic Documents The first step in automating traditional paper-based processes is converting paper forms into electronic forms that will automate data capture, formatting and validation. ScanSoft's OmniForm Developer Edition software provides an easy method for completing this first step. The software, which includes ScanSoft's OmniForm forms conversion and design product and new ActiveX Control enables a developer to scan in an existing paper forms into OmniForm – giving them an almost exact replication of the paper form – or design new forms that are saved out to the OmniForm XML forms markup language (XFML). Field validations, formatting and calculations are built during the form design phase with couple of mouse clicks. A developer could potentially build the forms component of their application without having to write any code, saving them a significant amount of time and money.
Once a paper form has been converted and saved out to ScanSoft's proprietary XFML file format, the OmniForm ActiveX Control reads and renders the XML based file and serves as a "container" for displaying the customized fillable form in a developer's own application or web page. The developer has complete control over the processing and archiving of form data.
Case Study: Star Micro Systems
Star Micro Systems provides case management software for worker's compensation and personal injury attorneys. Lawyers use the software to better organize, share and store a variety of forms and documents. Star Micro Systems used OmniForm Developer's Edition 4.05 to incorporate worker's compensation and personal injury forms into its case management software product – increasing the value of its product and the ultimate expansion of their customer base to include attorneys specializing in worker's compensation cases. Michael Appell, President of Star Micro Systems, credits OmniForm Developer's Edition with saving him both time and money. Using OmniForm Developer's Edition electronic forms tools and the ActiveX Control, Star Micro Systems avoided the labor intensive and expensive tasks of writing code to recreate the paper forms, and then integrating those forms into their embedded application. In addition to preserving the look and feel of the paper forms, all of the necessary field validations, formatting and calculations were built with a few simple clicks of the mouse.
Case Study: American LegalNet
Each year, the legal community completes over 370 million documents by hand and files them in U.S. state and Federal courts. Legal content publisher American LegalNet is helping to automate this process by offering virtually all of the U.S. Federal and state court and legal forms to users electronically via its newly launched Web site uscourtforms.com. To do this, American LegalNet needed an exact replication of each paper-based legal form. Recreating each form from scratch would have been time consuming, not to mention cost prohibitive. Bill Bean, VP of Business Development at American LegalNet, found that OmniForm Developer's Edition from ScanSoft, Inc. was the only solution on the market that could accurately reproduce legal forms, incorporate XML, and support digital signatures. OmniForm Developer's Edition gave American LegalNet an easy way to scan and edit the paper forms, and then integrate them with the uscourtforms.com Web pages using the OmniForm ActiveX Control. By eliminating the need to recode the forms, Bean estimates that the company was able to cut its development time in half. American LegalNet gathered hard copies of over 40,000 thousand Federal and state court forms and used OmniForm Developer's Edition to perform the necessary paper-to-electronic conversion, editing, and defining of "fillable fields" using dialog boxes and wizards. Many of the forms were then saved to the OmniForm XML forms markup language (XFML). The XFML files and a third-party indexing technology were used to create a comprehensive search engine that lets legal professionals quickly access the documents they need.
Using OmniForm Developer's Edition to Add Value to an Application
OmniForm Developer's Edition can be a lifesaver for developers building applications or web pages for vertical industries, such as healthcare, that rely heavily on paper forms today. An example might be an application that automates management of the FDA Clinical trial submission process. OmniForm Developer's Edition enables the developer to build in electronic versions of the exact government regulated FDA paper-based forms into their application or web site. The developer can then go on to tie these forms into the overall application or web site using a combination of the ActiveX Control, digital signatures, and XML functionality that may automate and integrate the individual processes of collecting, analyzing and submitting data to the FDA.
The real estate industry represents another vertical industry that today relies almost exclusively on data collection via a specific set of forms that are tightly regulated. Additionally, anyone who has bought a home knows that many of the required forms include duplicate data. A developer could streamline this process significantly by using OmniForm Developer's Edition to design a form that collects the homeowner's profile and then "pushes" this information to, and automatically populates all of the forms that share common data such name or current address. The developer has an easy value proposition to pitch to his or her end-users – significant timesavings in having to retype the same information on several different forms, and less potential for error since data populates the appropriate forms automatically without user intervention.
Software publishers that can integrate electronic versions of paper forms, while preserving the original look and feel of those forms, will instantly add value to their products and services. For developers creating software applications for government-regulated industries such as insurance, legal, healthcare, and real estate, this ability is an absolute necessity.
Conclusion
As the demand to automate paper-based business processes grows, so will the methods for collecting and viewing data electronically. Developers will increasingly be called upon to create sophisticated electronic forms that facilitate the efficient collection and processing of data. Software innovations like ScanSoft Inc.'s OmniForm Developer's Edition help developers quickly and easily make the transition from paper to electronic data collection, and establish competitive differentiation by providing electronic replicas of paper forms familiar to end-users. In addition, these advances in form conversion technology will enable developers to expand into new customer markets like healthcare and government that were previously resistant to electronic conversion because of the high inaccuracy rate in the replication process.
Licensing OmniForm Developer's Edition
Developers looking to incorporate OmniForm's electronic forms technology into their applications and Web pages will want to begin their prototyping using OmniForm Developer's Edition, which includes ScanSoft's electronic forms conversion software and ActiveX Control. OmniForm Developer's Edition can be licensed directly by calling ScanSoft's inside sales group at 1-978-977-2000. Prior to distributing the ActiveX Control with an application, or integrated into a web page, you must purchase a distribution license for the ActiveX Control software. ScanSoft has designed several licensing models for the ActiveX Control; a representative will work to determine which model best suits the developer's business and the method in which they are distributing the software.
Submitted by ScanSoft