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In this interview, Mauricio Duarte, Chief Operating Officer of A2J Tech, shares how they’ve used Fillout to streamline data intake and help manage hundreds of Legal Kiosks across the United States. Mauricio is an expert in Legal Design Thinking and is also a member of the Executive Committee for the Law Practice Management and Technology Section of the California Lawyers Association. A2J Tech has been a Fillout customer since May of 2023.
Background and Motivation
What challenges did you encounter with data intake before using Fillout?
Before using Fillout, we faced a variety of challenges with forms and data intake:
- Many of the other form tools we’ve tried lacked sophisticated analytics and tracking capabilities. This means there's little insight into metrics such as form completion rates, drop-off points, or user behavior within the form. Without this data, it's challenging to make informed decisions on form design and functionality improvements.
- Customization is a critical aspect for us, especially as we need to tailor forms to specific workflows or user groups. Many form solutions offer limited design customization options, making it difficult to align the form's appearance and functionality with specific organizational needs.
- Lastly, accessibility is often overlooked in form solutions. Ensuring that forms are
accessible to all users, including those with disabilities, is not only a best practice but also a legal requirement in many cases.
Did you explore or use any other form builder solutions before deciding on Fillout? What were their limitations?
Some of the key issues we encountered with other form builder tools:
- Many form builders have pricing structures that quickly become prohibitive, especially for smaller organizations or those with fluctuating needs. This can make it challenging to scale or sustain usage without significant budget implications.
- Some other form builders we tried lacked
robust collaboration features, making it difficult for teams to co-create, edit, and manage forms efficiently.
- Other tools fell short in how they handle and protect data, e.g. limited options for data export, poor integration with other data management tools (like databases and spreadsheets), lack of transparency on data processing standards, or inadequate security measures to protect sensitive information.
Deciding on Fillout
How did you first hear about Fillout?
As we faced mounting limitations and challenges in our projects, particularly in form management and data intake, our CEO recognized the need for a more robust solution. Our existing tools were falling short, especially when it came to 3rd party integrations, data handling, and user analytics. These challenges were becoming bottlenecks in our workflows, affecting not only efficiency but also the quality of our data-driven decisions. Luckily, we found Fillout at just the right time.
What factors led you to choose Fillout for your form-building needs?
Fillout stood out with its seamless 3rd party integrations, particularly with Airtable, which is a cornerstone of our data management system. Its robust analytics capabilities and the flexibility in form customization for accessibility also aligned with our requirements.
In addition, it also helped that we noticed the
openness and collaborative approach of the Fillout team. We highly value when an organization is open to listening to their users about important needs or features.What specific features or benefits of Fillout were most compelling for your needs?
Among other reasons, two key aspects that made Fillout an ideal choice were:
- Fillout's scheduling capabilities are particularly strong for organizing appointments, events, and other time-sensitive interactions.
- The platform's support for powerful logic and conditional responses in forms is especially useful. We can create dynamic forms that change based on user input, making our forms more interactive and tailored to the user's specific needs.
Accessibilityof the forms created with Fillout and comprehensive support for screen readers were a must-have for us.
Implementation and Use
How was the implementation process for Fillout? Were there any challenges?
The implementation process for Fillout was smooth and straightforward. The intuitive layout and clear help article instructions meant that our team could quickly learn how to use the platform, even those members who were not particularly tech-savvy.
Who are the primary users of Fillout within your organization?
The primary users of Fillout within our organization are website developers, designers, and project managers. Each group uses Fillout in unique ways.
Can you share an example or two of types of forms you've created with Fillout?
Fillout has been an instrumental tool for us, serving a wide range of purposes, from client surveys to internal processes, and even
complex legal intakes. One notable example is the multiple usage surveys we've developed for our Legal Kiosk projects. These surveys are crucial as they enable us to monitor how often the kiosks are used. By analyzing this data, we can make informed decisions about where to allocate resources and how to expand our projects in the future.
Another important process we've created using Fillout is our Change Request form. This particular form streamlines the process of making alterations to a Project Manager's project. It's designed to be submitted by staff members and can include a variety of changes, such as updating contact details, modifying device-specific information, or adjusting the availability of personnel at a host site. This form has
greatly simplified the process of managing and implementing project changes, ensuring that updates are handled efficiently and accurately.Have you used advanced features in Fillout and if so, which ones?
Yes. One such feature is the use of parameter URLs, which we use to assign project-specific information directly to our Legal Kiosks Usage Surveys. This technique lets us seamlessly integrate detailed project data into the survey, making the process more efficient and accurate.
Additionally, we've added hidden fields in our forms to calculate the logic that routes users to various ending pages. This is particularly useful in determining the appropriate survey completion redirect URLs, ensuring a logical flow for our users.
Lastly, we’ve taken advantage of multi-page forms and form page logic. These feature let us guide users through a form based on the data they provide, as well as on pre-supplied parameter data.
Fillout Integrations
How do you use the integration between Fillout and other services?
We rely heavily on Fillout to gather information and feedback from users and flow it seamlessly to some of our no-code tools, such as Airtable and Notion. In addition, we’ve used the Zapier integration for more complex workflows and apps.
What was the integration process like?
Pretty simple and intuitive. A big benefit of good no code tools like Fillout is their intuitiveness and simplicity. Creating those integrations has been very simple, especially for members of our team that are not programmers.
How has this feature impacted your organization?
Our organization and many of our clients love Fillout. The impact Fillout has had on A2J Tech is significant and we’ve noticed
a major reduction in the time taken to create interactive forms and the automations around them.Results and Metrics
Have you observed an increase in form submissions or engagement since implementing Fillout? And/or operational efficiencies?
Yes, plenty. Our stakeholder engagement has increased considerably and our project management burdens has decreased as we’ve been able to streamline and better track requests and submissions.
Would you recommend Fillout to other organizations facing similar challenges? Why or why not?
Absolutely. We highly recommend Fillout, especially for legal aid organizations, non-profits, or any no-code developers like ourselves.
