Have you replaced paper forms and sign-in sheets with online forms?

Microsoft Forms or Google Forms put every answer straight into a spreadsheet, so nothing needs typing up. A printed QR code works for people on-site.

How to automate it

How to automate “type up paper forms, sign-in sheets and handwritten notes”

Here are 2 ways to spend less time on this, best first. Each comes with steps you can follow today and, for AI fixes, a prompt to copy.

30 min

typically, a few times a week

70%

of the time can be automated

Easy

to set up

Fix 1 of 2

Software featureBest fix

Replace paper forms with online forms that fill a spreadsheet

Microsoft Forms, Google Forms, Jotform and Typeform put answers straight into a sheet, so there is nothing to type up.

Typically saves about 65% of the time45 min to set up

1List the paper forms and sign-in sheets you type up.
2Rebuild each as an online form; print a QR code for people on-site.
3Send the responses to a spreadsheet or straight into the system you use.
4For any paper that still arrives, photograph it and use AI to extract it into a table.

Tools: Microsoft Forms · Google Forms · Jotform · Typeform

Fix 2 of 2

Have AI pull the details out into a table you can paste

Paste emails, PDFs or forms and get back clean rows in the exact columns your system needs.

Typically saves about 60% of the time5 min to set up

1Collect the source text (emails, PDFs, screenshots).
2Give the AI the column names you need.
3Paste the table into your spreadsheet or import file.
4Spot-check a few rows against the source.

Prompt to copy

Extract the following fields from the text below into a table with exactly these columns: [COLUMN 1], [COLUMN 2], [COLUMN 3]. One row per [ITEM]. Leave a cell blank if the value is not stated. Do not guess.

[PASTE TEXT OR ATTACH FILES]

Tools: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Microsoft Copilot

Quick wins

Have you tried…

Have you replaced paper forms and sign-in sheets with online forms?: Microsoft Forms or Google Forms put every answer straight into a spreadsheet, so nothing needs typing up. A printed QR code works for people on-site.

Who does this task

Roles in our library that list this as one of their common tasks. Each guide covers the rest of that role’s week.

Receptionist / front desk Administrative assistant

HourLeak · the 8-minute work audit

How many hours does this cost you?

The free 8-minute check works out where your week goes and gives you your top fixes. The team scan does the same for everyone and adds it up, so you know which leaks to fix first.

Take the free check Scan my team, $49

Answers are anonymous. Leaders only see team totals.