Forum Discussion
Forms for E3 tenants!
Thanks for the response Lana. I think there is a gap that forms could solve that could be used in E3 tenants. Unfortunately InfoPath has been removed from the Office 2016 suite, so I don't think InfoPath is a viable solution going forward. Powerapps might solve some use cases, but in my opinion it is geared towards power users and those who are technically minded. If you're wondering why Microsoft Forms is a success in the education sector, I think it is because it's dead simple to use. I think we have a lot of users in our organization that need that simple tool for simple purposes and I think many other companies have the need for a simple forms tool as well.
Also, even Microsoft has used Forms for non-education purposes. I've attached a screenshot of an example where Microsoft used Forms to gain feedback/sign up information from multiple companies interested in testing the new Yammer edit post feature.
So if Microsoft can see the clear need to use Microsoft forms for non-educational purposes, I hope you'll also see that there is a clear need for this tool for E3 tenants.
No, I never got a response for this. :(
Hi Eric, it's my understanding that as of now Microsof Forms is intended for only Education customers. The recommendation is that Microsoft InfoPath and Power Apps are the solutions for creating complex forms and workflows for the specific needs of enterprise customers.
Thanks for the response Lana. I think there is a gap that forms could solve that could be used in E3 tenants. Unfortunately InfoPath has been removed from the Office 2016 suite, so I don't think InfoPath is a viable solution going forward. Powerapps might solve some use cases, but in my opinion it is geared towards power users and those who are technically minded. If you're wondering why Microsoft Forms is a success in the education sector, I think it is because it's dead simple to use. I think we have a lot of users in our organization that need that simple tool for simple purposes and I think many other companies have the need for a simple forms tool as well.
Also, even Microsoft has used Forms for non-education purposes. I've attached a screenshot of an example where Microsoft used Forms to gain feedback/sign up information from multiple companies interested in testing the new Yammer edit post feature.
So if Microsoft can see the clear need to use Microsoft forms for non-educational purposes, I hope you'll also see that there is a clear need for this tool for E3 tenants.
Any chance this would be available to E1 customers too? Why the limitation? I have all the sharepoint/onedrive/yammer/powerapps etc. in E1. Why not forms?
We've been tasked with updating our new hire forms and having them available on our internal website. Naturally, I thought of Sharepoint. We have the licenses, but we aren't using it because we have noone in house who is familiar with the product. While I poked around and searched for documentation, my coworker tried out Google Forms. Which we can use right now with no licensing costs, by the way.
In Google forms, my coworker had a working prototype with pulldown selector fields and radio buttons in minutes. It took me far longer than that to discover which feature of sharepoint I needed to use. Eventually I found that Lists appear to be the answer. Unfortunately, the current documentation is out of date so it was not much help. After an hour or so of trial and error I was able to add multiple columns with a drop down selector list. I still haven't figured out how to delete a column I no longer want, or modify existing categories (for example, to add or remove items from the drop down selections). And I still don't know how to access this as a form.
So, Google Forms and a working document in a half hour, or find out how much a week of Sharepoint training costs. I know which one I would choose if I wrote the checks.
I imagine if Forms becomes available to E3 tenants in the future, there's a good chance it will be available for E1. (not sure, but it's highly possible).
If you are interested in using SharePoint lists, you might find this video about modern SharePoint libraries and lists to be very helpful.
I agree 100% with Eric. We have same concerns and this would be a benefit for our organization. I would use it today if it was available.
To all those who may be reading this thread, please vote this feature up in UserVoice via the following link so that Microsoft will see the need and prioritize this. https://microsoftforms.uservoice.com/forums/386451-welcome-to-microsoft-forms-suggestion-box/suggestions/17043988-enable-forms-for-business-enterprise-users#comments
