Why Google Forms Isn’t Ideal for Growing Businesses

Whether you’re managing online registrations, conducting surveys, or collecting liability waivers, a reliable form builder is essential.

Many small businesses naturally gravitate towards Google Forms because of its simplicity and low cost. But while it may seem like a convenient choice, Google Forms lacks several key features that growing businesses need.

In this article, we discuss 10 reasons why Google might not be the best choice for a growing business or organization:

Reason	Impact on Forms and Business
1. Lack of Branding and Customization	Forms are generic which can harm your brand image and fail to build client trust. Lack of branding makes it harder for clients to recognize and engage with your organization.
2. No Integrated Payment Options	Redirecting to external payment methods creates friction, leading to drop-offs and lost revenue as clients may abandon registration
3. No Automated Confirmation or SMS Reminder options	Manually managing confirmations and reminders is time-consuming and prone to error.
4. Limited Automation and Workflow Options	Lack of automation for approvals, workflows, or follow-up tasks creates additional administrative work.
5. Lacks Analytics and Tracking	Limited insights make it difficult to understand and improve form performance.
6. No Attendance Tracking	Without integrated attendance tracking, planning activities becomes a challenge. This affects participant safety, capacity management, and organizational efficiency.
7. Lacks Customer Account	Clients must re-enter their information for each registration, leading to frustration and errors. This repetitive process can discourage repeat clients and harm retention.
8. No Invoice Creation feature	Manual invoicing is time-consuming and prone to error, resulting in delayed payments and increased administrative workload.
9. Lack of Digital Signature for Waivers	Separate tools for waivers complicate enrollment, discourage completion, and increase administration.
10. Limited Customer Support from Google	Limited support can lead to unresolved technical issues, increased downtime, and operational delays, impacting your ability to resolve issues quickly and provide a seamless registration experience for customers.

 

1. Lack of Branding and Customization

Google Forms offers limited options for branding your forms, which can feel disconnected from your company’s identity.

• Customization is limited to a header image, colors, and basic text formatting.
• There are no options for unique fonts, layouts, or detailed branded styling.
• This can lead to a less professional look, potentially impacting customer trust and engagement.

Solution: Most other online form builders offer you more customization option with some event integration fully with Canva. You can also fully embed the form into your website with your colors to keep everything on brand.

 

2. No Integrated Payment Processing

Google Forms doesn’t allow for direct payment collection. This can create friction for clients and impact conversion rates.

• You need to redirect customers to a separate page or platform for payments, adding complexity.
• Additional steps can lead to lower completion rates as users might find it too cumbersome to complete.
• Integrations with payment platforms like Stripe or PayPal are standard in other form builders.

Solution: Add-ons like Payable Forms and PayQ allow you to embed payment gateways directly into your Google Forms. Form building tool like Jotform, Wufoo and Activity Messenger offer a built-in integration with Stripe, allowing you to collect payments, send automated receipts, and ensure a smooth experience for your clients.

 

3. Limited Automation and Workflow Options

Google Forms has limited automation, such as linking responses to Google Sheets, but beyond that, you need additional tools (such as Zapier) to automate follow-ups or notifications.

Automation helps businesses save time and ensure clear communication, but Google Forms falls short in this area.

• Basic response collection without follow-up options or notifications.
• Setting up reminders or marketing emails requires third-party tools and technical skills.
• Automated tasks ensure clients receive timely updates, and your team spends less time on repetitive tasks.

Solution:Extend the automation of Google Forms with Google Apps Script and workflow tools like Zapier. With Google Apps Script, you can create custom scripts for tasks like sending follow-up emails or setting reminders based on form responses. A modern online form builder will integrate all of this into the same tool, keeping your data in one place and reducing the chance of errors.

 

4. No SMS Communication Capabilities

Bulk SMS is a powerful communication channel, yet Google Forms doesn’t support it, limiting how you can reach clients.

• SMS has significantly higher open rates than email, ideal for reminders or urgent notifications.
• Google Forms relies on email alone, which clients may overlook or ignore.
• SMS integration ensures clients get timely notifications about important updates, classes, or deadlines.

Solution:Using an add-on called SMSQ, you can configure your form to automatically send personalized SMS notifications upon submission. If you need to send last-minute communications, finding a form-building tool like Activity Messenger that integrates Bulk SMS capabilities can be a game-changer.

5. Basic Analytics and Reporting

Google Forms provides only rudimentary analytics – response counts, percentages, and a few charts. This level of reporting may be sufficient for very basic use cases, but it lacks depth and actionable insights, making it difficult to analyze trends or segment audiences effectively.

Analytics are crucial for understanding client behaviour and improving forms, but Google Forms offers only minimal reporting.

• Google Forms provides limited insights, such as response counts and basic charts.
• No options for segmentation, trend analysis, or customized reporting.
• Better reporting tools help you identify what’s working, adjust forms in real-time, and optimize client engagement.

Solution: Switch to a form builder like JotForms, Activity Messenger or Survey Monkey if you need more advanced analytics. You can track response patterns over time, segment by demographics, and see which questions may be causing drop-offs.

6. No Attendance Tracking Features

For businesses running classes or events, attendance tracking is crucial, yet Google Forms doesn’t support it.

• Manual tracking is time consuming and can be inaccurate.
• Google Forms lacks the ability to mark attendance or seamlessly track customer participation.
• Exporting attendance data reports is not easy.

Solution: Import your class list or integrate with  an attendance tracking software like OneTap Check-In or AppSheet.

7. Lacks Customer Account

Google Forms doesn’t allow clients to create accounts, which limits your ability to manage your database and client preferences.

• No way for clients to log in, view past submissions, or update their information.
• Every form interaction is separate, lacking a cohesive experience for returning clients.

Solution: Automate the transfer of Google Forms responses to various CRM systems, such as Zapier or use a native crm integration like Copper CRM or Apptivo.

8. Not possible to ask for a Digital Signatures

Google Forms does not have built-in support for digital signatures, so organizations often rely on third-party tools, which complicates workflows and adds extra steps for users.

• Google Forms lacks native support for digital signatures, requiring a separate tool or workaround.
• Businesses often need legally binding signatures for liability waivers or consent forms.

Solution: Integrate Google Forms with Google Docs using Apps Script or add-ons like Form Publisher to customize PDF’s based on responses. For workflows requiring e-signatures, integrate with tools like DocuSign or HelloSign through Zapier or use add-ons that automate document generation and signing.

9. No Ability to Create Invoices

For businesses that need to collect payments, creating invoices is essential. Unfortunately, Google Forms doesn’t provide a way to create or send invoices, which can lead to additional administrative work and complications.

• Without an invoicing feature, businesses need to use separate tools for payment and invoicing.
• Manually creating and sending invoices for each transaction is time-consuming and prone to errors.
• Automated invoicing also allows you to include essential details like payment breakdowns, tax information, terms and more

Solution: To automate invoice generation, install the Form Publisher add-on. You can then configure it to map form responses to your invoice template, and set it to generate and email a PDF invoice each time a form is submitted.

10. Minimal Customer Support

When issues do arise, Google Forms users often find themselves having to navigate through forums and help articles instead of getting the help they need right away.

• Google’s customer support is almost non existent, especially for free-tier products like google forms
• Community forums are time-consuming and may not resolve issues effectively.
• Reliable support is critical for time-sensitive matters, such as registrations or payment processing.

Solution: Platforms like Activity Messenger provide priority support and training resources to help you resolve issues quickly and continue operations with minimal disruption. This level of support is critical for businesses that handle time-sensitive tasks such as event registration or payment processing, where even a small issue can impact revenue and customer satisfaction.

Activity Messenger - A Google Forms Alternative

Activity Messenger is a form builder designed to replace Google Forms. It has all the functionality of complex class management software, such as attendance tracking, digital signatures, many different e-commerce options, and SMS communication with respondents.

Here’s why you should consider Activity Messenger instead of Google Forms for your small business.

1- Integrated Payments

Activity Messenger allows organizations to collect payments directly within forms, eliminating the need to redirect customers to a separate payment platform. Activity Messenger simplifies payments for registrations, ticket sales and memberships, significantly reducing abandonment rates. For the Canadian business, it also automated Interac E-transfer payments.

2- Waivers and Digital Signatures

Built-in options for digital signatures helps you capture legally binding consent on waivers, contracts, and other forms. This feature is essential for organizations that require participant liability waivers, improving compliance without the need for external tools.

3- Invoice Items

Activity Messenger includes automated invoicing capabilities that allow you to generate and send invoices immediately after a payment is made. This helps businesses maintain accurate records, improve transparency, and create a professional, efficient billing experience for customers.

4- Automated Communications

Automated communication such as confirmation emails, reminders, and follow-ups keep customers informed. By automating these repetitive tasks, Activity Messenger reduces the manual workload and ensures that your customers receive timely updates.

5- Custom Branding with Canva

Activity Messenger integrates with Canva, giving you full control over the look and feel of your forms. This allows you to create custom branded forms that match your business identity and reinforce professionalism and brand recognition with every interaction.

6- Marketing Features

In addition to building forms, Activity Messenger includes marketing features that allow you to reach customers through SMS and email campaigns. You can send newsletters, reminders, and promotions, creating a centralized tool that supports both operational and marketing needs.

7- Data Stored in Canada for Canadian SMBs

For Canadian SMBs, Activity Messenger provides secure, local data storage that ensures compliance with Canadian privacy laws. This is especially important for businesses that handle sensitive customer information, providing peace of mind and compliance with Canadian data regulations.

8- Attendance Tracking

Activity Messenger offers built-in attendance tracking, allowing businesses to manage and monitor customer attendance at classes, events, and more. This feature is especially beneficial for sports and educational programs where tracking attendance is critical to operational efficiency.

9- Add-Ons and Upsells

Generate additional revenue by offering add-ons and up-sells directly through Activity Messenger forms. Whether it’s merchandise, additional classes, or exclusive memberships, you can offer customers options to enhance their experience and maximize your revenue.

Choose the Right Form Builder for Your Business

While Google Forms may meet basic needs, it lacks critical features such as branding, payment processing, automated workflows, bulk SMS, and more. Switching to a specialized form builder like Activity Messenger helps businesses do everything in one place, ensuring a professional customer experience that scales as you grow.

To learn more about Activity Messenger, book a demo with one of our experts.