What’s with the kangaroo!?

  

We’ve noticed some strange activity in the 123ContactForm backend: there’s a kangaroo hopping around! It follows users throughout the entire form building process. And it’s been said that this new guy will soon take over the 123ContactForm homepage. Yet, the kangaroo seems like quite a nice fellow. Stay tuned!

123ContactForm Kangaroo

Top Producer: Collect real estate leads through your web forms

  

Our list of third party integrations continues to expand! The newest integration is with Top Producer, the most intuitive real estate CRM on the web. The contact information collected through your 123ContactForm web forms will be added to your Top Producer lists with every form submission.

Top Producer Integration

To gear up the integration with Top Producer for your form, go to your SettingsApplications section. Select Top Producer in the dropdown list and press Add. 123ContactForm generates a username that you will need in a second to set up the integration on the Top Producer side. This username contains your original 123ContactForm username and the ID of the form for which you set up the integration.

The next part is done in the Top Producer interface. Log in to your account, go to the Settings section, click on the tab Contacts and then on Lead Setup. The link Add Lead Provider opens a new section where you need to type the 123ContactForm information. Select 123ContactForm in the Lead provider name dropdown; the URL box will be completed automatically. In the Username box, paste the username generated by 123ContactForm. Next, provide and confirm your password and select the person whom the leads created with the integration are meant for. Press Add Lead Provider and you’re done here.

Top Producer Integration

Back to the 123ContactForm Settings section, click on Customize to open the customization lightbox and create field associations. Match the Top Producer fields listed on the left side of the box with 123ContactForm fields. Select the latter in the dropdown lists provided. Email, First Name and Last Name are required fields; all the rest are optional.

User information will now be transmitted from your 123ContactForm web forms to your Top Producer account. Enjoy!

Form Building Tips & Tricks

  

We’ve prepared a set of tips and tricks that will show you how to obtain compelling results with some easy form tweaks. They might also trigger new ideas of your own for extending the capabilities of your forms.

hidden-form-buttons

Hidden buttons

Submit, Calculate and Purchase – these buttons can easily be hidden.

1. Submit: You can find this button listed in your SettingsRules section. Set up a rule that hides it until a specific field is completed.

2. Calculate: If you don’t want for calculations to be available in your order form, paste this code: #id123-button-calc {display: none;} in the SettingsThemesUse Custom CSS section.

3. Purchase: But if you only want to give an order estimate and to receive no actual orders, use the code #id123-button-send {visibility: hidden;}, which will hide the Purchase button.

region-state-address-field

State instead of Region

The predefined Address field contains the subfield named Region. Many of our US users prefer to have the field instruction State displayed instead. Since our service is used worldwide, it is fair to stick to Region in the default version of the field.

But you can always change it into State really easily. In your SettingsTranslations section, click on Add Translation, select Region in the dropdown list and type State in the text box. That’s it!
request-user-agreement

Agreement request

When you want to make sure that form users agree with your Terms and Conditions, with a Privacy Policy or with similar documents, you can include a required and unlabeled one-choice Checkbox field at the bottom of your form, which makes it explicit that users are giving their consent. Right below it, place an HTML block containing a link to the web page where they can access the document.

Why web forms are perfect for web designers

  

Quality web design requires generous time resources. Web form builders are meant to help designers and developers skip several coding phases, while allowing them to create forms that blend nicely with any website. This is because passionate design work shouldn’t be constrained by coding necessities.

So what makes web forms so important on a website? There are several main reasons.

Online Forms for Web Designers

1. Contact forms and order forms are essential on the web. What is more appealing to clients’ customers: an email address posted on the contact page or a stylish, easy to fill out web form? Web users migrate towards websites that welcome their messages.

2. Clients are usually in love with the websites designers create. They treat them like babies, they like to play with them and to witness their positive impact on the company’s image. Forms can provide the interaction that will keep your clients thrilled long after the first couple of days.

3. Forms bring added value. The scope of web forms can be wider than the one initially perceived. Forms can process payments and can be integrated with 3rd party apps – like MailChimp or SalesForce – which turn them into real marketing tools.

For at least these three reasons, web designers and web forms make good allies. Online form builders are one of the quickest and easiest ways to make an impression and to keep clients enthusiastic about their websites.

We wish you a happy new year!

  

123ContactForm Winter Holidays

Here, at 123ContactForm, we’ve had our New Year’s party a bit earlier. Besides eating the best homemade cookies ever and laughing at each other’s dance moves, we’ve had a discussion about rejoining with family and childhood friends for the winter holidays.

We’ve agreed that Christmas and New Year’s Eve are amazing because, thanks to all the love we’re surrounded by, we truly learn to perceive our mistakes as learning experiences, to believe in ourselves more and to think once again that everything is achievable.

So, for the new year, we wish you to believe in your projects, to grow them with dedication, inspiration and enthusiasm and to enjoy every step of the process. Happy New Year!

123ContactForm + WordPress + PayPal

  

Some time ago, we were talking about how beautifully 123ContactForm integrates with Facebook and Twitter, to generate a maximum of exposure for your message. Now we’ll discuss another trio and see how to set it up – 123ContactForm web forms with PayPal payment integration, published on WordPress.

With WordPress order forms, you don’t need to get your hands dirty with any source code whatsoever, although the mechanism behind your order form is complex and highly secure. Read below the three easy steps required to post your order form on WordPress.

WordPress Order Form

1. Create your order form. To build your order form, you can start from the 123ContactForm order form template. Add and edit form fields, list the products/services that you offer and customize an order form theme. Keep in mind that, when listing your products, you can use radio buttons with images, to make the offer more attractive. Also, don’t forget to add your company logo to the order form theme.

2. Set up the payment integration. The most popular choice is the order form with PayPal payment integration, but you can also create Google Checkout order forms or Authorize.net order forms. To set up the payment integration for your form, visit your SettingsPayments section. Select the payment processor(s) that you want to use, assign prices to fields, create advanced calculation formulas, if you need to, and customize payment notifications. Tick Enable payments for this form when you’re done to activate the payment integration for your order form.

3. Post your PayPal order form on WordPress. To post your order form on WordPress, you need to install the 123ContactForm plug-in for WordPress: download it, unzip it and move it to your wordpress/wp-content/plugins directory; then, in your WordPress dashboard, click on the Plugins tab and press Activate for the plugin named 123ContactForm for WordPress. The contact form plugin for WordPress is now installed and you can choose one of two different ways to publish your PayPal order form on WordPress.

The first way to post your order form on WordPress is to visit your 123ContactForm Get Code & Publish section, choose the Wordpress publishing option, copy the code provided and paste it in your post. The other way of publishing your WordPress order form is by using an API Key generated by 123ContactForm. After you paste this key in the WordPress interface (in the 123ContactForm plugin customization lightbox), all the forms that you have in your 123ContactForm account will be listed in the plugin lightbox and you simply need to choose the one that you want to post. Learn more about how to post your order form on WordPress.

The Anatomy of an Event Registration Form

  

There are several must-have sections in an appealing event registration form. Users should get, in one place, a brief event description and the possibility to register. This way, you’ll strengthen their wish to attend your event, you’ll be crystal clear from the beginning and you’ll receive a clean, consistent guest list at the end.

Let’s have a look at the 123ContactForm online registration template. It’s a good starting point for any event registration form you’ll build from now on. We’ll see what those registration form must-have’s are and how they should be approached for best results.

Christmas Party Online Registration Form

1. Logo. If the event is planned by an organization, be sure to include its logo in the registration form. Guests will know for sure who their host will be and you’ll gain exposure for the organization.

2. Title. Use a short and descriptive title. Make it clear that it’s an event registration form that follows and, if possible, integrate the one or two keywords the event revolves around. Never skip the title – what’s obvious for you doesn’t have to be so for others.

3. Brief event description. Tell or remind future guests what the event is about, where it takes place and when it’s going to happen. Don’t assume that users are familiar with these vital aspects. Instead, set up this section, which leaves no room for doubt.

4. Map. Maps have multiple benefits: a. They give indications. :) b. They show how thoughtful the host is. c. They add visual impact to the registration form. d. They anchor a future event in the present and fuel users’ determination to attend it.

5. Guest’s name. This is the first field that requests user input. Split it into First and Last, to avoid any confusion should you want to give badges or send out cards.

6. Guest’s contact data. Include any contact information category that is relevant for your event. Phone numbers should be required, to make possible any quick, last-minute conversation. Guests’ addresses – electronic or physical – can be used to mail invitations, thank you letters or any other types of message.

7. Number of guests. After you’ve collected names and contact information, it’s time to see what other details could be useful. Ask guests to specify how many persons will be joining them or what type of tequila they prefer – anything that helps in planning the event.

8. Comments or questions. Up to now, all fields were required. The last section – Comments or questions – is optional for guests, but mandatory for you. Provide users with the means of asking a question or giving any additional information.

9. Register button. It’s the tip of toes in what registration form anatomy is concerned. Replace button text with “Join us!”, “Here I come!” or “Let’s get the party started!”.

Upcoming: Improved Form Charts & Reports

  

Our developers are working double tides to bring you a friendlier, more flexible and professional Reports section. Here’s a sneak peek of how your form and survey statistics will look in a couple of days’ time.

Charts and Reports - Pie Chart

Charts and Reports - Bar Chart

Not only will the form and survey charts and reports look cooler, but you will also be able to manipulate data in new ways. Stay tuned!

Form Security – What is it made up of?

  

123ContactForm takes great interest in providing online forms that are protected at all levels. From the hosting packages we use to the antispam solutions that we offer, everything is aimed at creating a secure experience for our users. Your account, your forms and the collected data are subject to various mechanism that ensure their security, integrity and confidentiality.

Secure Contact Form

Professional hosting

Our platform runs on dedicated servers provided by ServInt. All information is stored in data centers that feature multiphase power redundancy, backup power generation systems, industrial-quality cooling, fire suppression. The facilities are under CCTV surveillance and biometric access control and are monitored 24/7. The virtualization layer run by ServInt servers provides high levels of redundancy and daily backups.

Antispam protection

Forms can be protected from spam in various ways. You can adjust antispam features in the SettingsSecurity section. For a start, there’s CAPTCHA protection, which makes it very difficult for robots to abuse your form. Based on your choice, the verification image will appear each time the form is accessed, will change daily or will only show up when the form seems to be abused (smart CAPTCHA), i.e. when multiple form submissions are made from the same IP address. You can also use IP limitation and restrict the submissions coming from the same IP to a certain number per day, e.g. 1.

You can also use country filters. To do this, you simply need to check the option Reject submissions from the following countries and type in the country codes that you want to reject (you’ll find these codes in an attached list). If your form is intended only for specific users, you can even set up password protection and share the keyword with the specific users only.

Phishing shutdown

We are much aware of the fact that forms are used on the web to collect private information (email addresses, passwords, credit card information) from people. We use human review and automated abuse detection to make sure that the web forms created by users of our service are not used in this purpose. For example, forms created on the Free plan and containing certain field labels are banned automatically. Further, our security scripts notify us each time a suspicious form or account is detected; we check user activity and shut down the account, if it is, indeed, malicious. Forms can be reported as abuses using the Report abuse link at form bottom.

If a phishing attempt escapes our security measures, it does so for a short while. After the form is shut down, harmed parties are provided with a document containing the data collected through the form, so that affected persons can be alerted. Qualified authorities that take legal action against online criminal activity are provided with user registration details, logs and IP addresses pertaining to abusive accounts.

Other provisions

Backup copy. A backup copy of your form submissions is stored on our servers. If you delete submissions accidentally, we’ll retrieve them from there. That’s the only reason why the backup copy exists. It is generated by default for every new form. If you don’t want the copy to be created, let us know.

SSL encryption. Platinum accounts benefit from SSL form encryption. SSL encryption is a protocol that secures communication over the Internet. With SSL, all data sent through the form is unreadable for any robot or person that tries to intercept communication. Accepting payments through forms is hence possible only with the Platinum plan.

Confidentiality. According to our Terms of Service, your account data and the information collected through forms are confidential. No information will be used, shared or sold and all collected data is rightfully yours.

We need your feedback!

  

123ContactForm needs your feedback. Time has come to find out what you like best about the online form builder we provide and what new features you need most. We partly know the answers to these questions, but – in order to keep up with your expectations – we need to hear your direct and precise opinions.

Take our survey and help us help you! First, tell us how you use 123ContactForm web forms. Second, check the platform features you appreciate most. Third, go over our list of to-do features and prioritize them for us. All of them will be implemented; their order depends on your answers.

Tomorrow’s newsletter is also centered on this survey. It won’t take more than two minutes to fill it out – it’s all radio buttons, checkboxes and Likert scales. Usability is our thing, so you’ll find our feedback survey quite enjoyable – promise. And thank you for your cooperation!

123ContactForm Survey

Update December 5th: The entire team thanks you warmly for taking the time to fill out our survey. Our developers are most thrilled – new 3rd party apps and improved charts & reports are on their way!