Who this is for
An office or operations manager who sends the same fillable PDF form to many people or sites and copies the returned answers into a spreadsheet by hand.
A fillable form has come back from dozens of people, and someone is opening each file and retyping the answers.
The result
You receive one spreadsheet with one row per returned form and one column per form field, in the agreed order, with every checkbox, dropdown and blank answer recorded by the same rule, and a list of the files that could not be read as forms.
What is included
- Up to 200 returned PDF files, all filled in from the same blank fillable template, about things such as equipment, sites, stock or events rather than about people
- Read the answers directly from the form fields in each file, with no text recognition, and write one row per file that keeps the file name
- Agree beforehand how checkboxes, option lists and unanswered fields are shown, and apply that rule to every file
- Reconcile the count of files received with rows written plus files listed as exceptions, and compare a sample of forms against what a PDF reader displays
You receive
- One workbook with a data sheet (one row per form), a field list matching the blank template and an exceptions sheet
- A reconciliation of files received, rows written and exceptions
- A short note of the rules applied to checkboxes, option lists and blanks
What is not included
- Forms that were printed and scanned, or saved as flat pages, because they no longer hold field data
- Forms that use the XFA dynamic form format, unless a trial on your sample shows the values can be read
- Opening password-protected forms without a route you are entitled to give us
- Forms that collect health, financial, legal or other special-category answers, or personal data beyond a business contact name you may share
- Chasing people who have not replied, sending reminders or writing back to respondents
- Interpreting free-text answers or deciding what an answer means for your business
What we need from you first
- The blank form, or a description of its fields, and the number of returned files you expect
- How you want checkbox, dropdown and unanswered fields shown, with two or three invented example rows
- Whether any returned files were printed, scanned or emailed as photos; no completed forms in the first enquiry
Never send passwords, keys, customer records or confidential code in the first enquiry. Secure handover is agreed after scoping.
How we check it is done
- The number of files received equals the number of rows in the data sheet plus the number of files on the exceptions sheet, and every file name appears exactly once across the two.
- For every file in an agreed sample, each field value in the sheet equals the value a PDF reader displays for that field, including checkboxes, option lists and unanswered fields.
- The sheet has exactly one column for each field in the blank template, in the agreed order, and any field found in a returned file but not in the template is listed.
- You review the exceptions and sign off the data sheet.
You open the workbook beside a few forms of your own choosing, settle the exceptions with us and sign off in writing. Payment follows sign-off.
When we would stop or decline
- Most returned files are flattened, printed or scanned and contain no form fields
- The forms hold health, financial, legal or other sensitive answers about individuals
- The template changed so much between batches that no single field list matches the files, and you do not want it re-quoted by version
Questions
What if some people printed the form and scanned it back?
Those files have no field data. We list them as exceptions. Reading scanned forms is a different job and carries no promised accuracy.
Can you extract forms that contain people's personal details?
Not under this scope. It is for forms about equipment, sites, stock or events. Anything about individuals needs a separate conversation about whether and how it can be handled at all.
Do you reply to the people who sent the forms?
No. We only read the files you give us and return a spreadsheet.
Price and terms
From £245 · untested offer price. The fixed price is confirmed in writing and paid after the agreed checks pass and you sign off. No payment before sign-off.
This is a new service with no published client results. The price is a starting point we have not yet tested with buyers. Nothing is ordered or charged by the enquiry. The full specification is on the Synthetic Industry catalogue.