Transforming a process with technology can be an absolute game-changer. For Chris, adding Formstack Documents to his membership contract renewal process revolutionized how his team gets work done every week.
Instead of dealing with messy paperwork and multiple ways of storing data, IMF team members can now easily renew memberships in a matter of minutes. The entire process is streamlined through the Formstack Platform, which provides a centralized database for all forms, documents, and signatures. Thanks to this new workflow, IMF has been able to rapidly grow and spend more time supporting their members instead of filing paperwork.
If we hadn't gone to the Formstack route really with the pandemic that we've all experienced, we wouldn't have been able to function as effectively as an organization. So we wouldn't have seen the rapid growth that we've seen this past year. We would still be stuck in some semblance of paper and database in the basement. The hair on my head would probably be a lot more gray, let's put it that way.
Tell us about yourself!
My name is Chris Lorentz. I am the Pastor of Membership Services and Operations for an organization called International Ministerial Fellowship, or IMF.
What were the challenges before using Formstack?
We knew that we needed to take our primary database out of a server in the basement and then the files of paper that we've used forever and put it into the cloud. And Formstack has been one of the key tools that allowed us to be flexible in our work environment.
How have you reimagined work using Formstack?
I can remember sitting in my office when I realized how we can automate some of our document creation by utilizing the Formstack documents solution on top of the forms. And so the capability to take information off of our application form, put it into a document, and then send it out to where it needs to go was revolutionary for us. It was one of those moments where I got up from my desk and I was a little giddy and jumping up and down a little bit because I was so excited because this was literally going to save us 20 to 30 hours a week.
What outcomes has Formstack helped you achieve?
So we've been able to automate a lot of our processes that weren't automated previously. So we are just putting the finishing touches on automating our renewal process because each of our members renew every year. So now when they fill out their renewal form, they pay their renewal fee, the documents that we send to them are created, and documents are updated into the online database and everything flows. So that all we have to do is click Print, stick it in an envelope, and send it off.
What challenge are you planning on tackling next?
We're looking at ever increasing automation from our forms and so how do we do things that we used to do manually. At the end of the day, it's going to free my time up so that I can invest in people and not just process as in pieces of paper.
Would you recommend Formstack to a friend?
Absolutely, since we implemented Formstack due to some different life things, we've actually had a couple staff that have moved on in their careers to other things and we've been able to move forward as an organization.