Once your forms are collecting data from website visitors, the Site Manager provides tools to help you understand and use the information you're gathering. This article covers the basics of reviewing form submissions and creating simple reports to help improve your forms and better serve your community.
Understanding Your Form Data
Why Review Form Data?
Looking at your form submissions helps you:
- Understand Your Community - See what questions and needs are most common
- Improve Your Forms - Identify which fields are helpful and which aren't being used
- Plan Your Responses - Know what types of inquiries to expect
- Track Engagement - See if more people are contacting you over time
What Data Is Available
Your form submissions include:
- When forms were submitted - Dates and times
- Who submitted them - Names and contact information
- What information was provided - Responses to all your form fields
- Which forms were used - Whether from contact pages, member directory, etc.
Accessing Your Data
Exporting Form Data
- Go to Forms > Form Submissions in your Site Manager
- Select the time period or form type you want to review
- Click Export or Excel to download the data
- Open the file in Excel, Google Sheets, or similar program
What You'll See in the Export
The exported file contains:
- Date column - When each submission was received
- Contact columns - Name and email of person submitting
- Field columns - One column for each field in your forms
- Source information - Which page or form was used
Basic Analysis
Counting Submissions
Simple ways to review your data:
Monthly Totals
- Count how many submissions you received each month
- Look for busier or quieter periods
- Plan staffing and response times accordingly
Popular Forms
- See which contact forms get used most often
- Focus improvement efforts on your most-used forms
- Consider adding similar forms to other pages
Common Questions
- Read through the comments and questions people submit
- Identify topics that come up frequently
- Create website content or FAQs to address common questions
Field Usage Review
Look at how people use your form fields:
- Always Completed - Fields that everyone fills out are clearly needed
- Often Empty - Fields that are usually blank might be confusing or unnecessary
- Helpful Information - Fields that provide useful information for your responses
- Redundant Fields - Multiple fields asking for similar information
Simple Reporting
Monthly Summary Reports
Create basic monthly reports including:
- Total number of submissions received
- Most common types of inquiries
- Any trends or patterns you notice
- Follow-up actions needed
Annual Reviews
Once a year, look at:
- Overall submission trends - Are you getting more or fewer inquiries?
- Form effectiveness - Which forms work well and which need improvement?
- Response quality - Are you getting the information you need to help people?
- System improvements - What changes would make forms work better?
Using Data to Improve Your Forms
Form Field Improvements
Based on your data review:
- Remove unused fields - Fields that are rarely completed
- Add helpful fields - Information you often need to ask for in follow-up
- Clarify confusing fields - Fields that get unclear or inconsistent responses
- Simplify long forms - If forms have many empty fields, they might be too long
Website Content Improvements
Use form data to enhance your website:
- Create FAQ sections based on common questions
- Add information pages for topics people ask about frequently
- Improve form instructions to help people provide better information
- Make popular forms easier to find on your website
Privacy and Data Protection
Handling Data Responsibly
When working with form submissions:
- Keep personal information secure - Don't share exported files inappropriately
- Focus on patterns, not individuals - Look for trends rather than specific people
- Delete old exports when you're done analyzing them
- Follow your organization's privacy policies
Sharing Information Appropriately
When reporting to leadership or staff:
- Remove personal details from reports and summaries
- Focus on helpful trends and patterns
- Respect confidentiality of individual submissions
- Use information to improve service rather than identify individuals
Getting Help
When to Ask for Support
Contact Orthodox Web Solutions support if you need help with:
- Exporting data from your forms
- Understanding submission patterns
- Improving form effectiveness
- Technical issues with form data
Simple Tools
For basic analysis, you only need:
- Spreadsheet software (Excel, Google Sheets, etc.)
- Basic counting and sorting functions
- Simple charts if you want to visualize trends
- Regular review schedule to stay current with your data