5 ways to adapt social distancing this holiday season using online forms

5 ways to adapt social distancing this holiday season using online forms

Hello fellow form builders, 

Social distancing measures are being woven into the fabric of daily business practices, ending many forms of direct-contact business. To adapt to this, businesses might want to change their business practices, adding necessary measures that embrace the safety-first approach. Here are a few ideas for how online forms can replace face-to-face activities while increasing efficiency: 

1. Replace fundraising events with online donation forms 

Fundraising and donation collection is common during the holiday season. This year, the chances for hosting in-person fundraising events are essentially zero and collecting donations online can help make up the difference. With a donation form you can collect donor information and the donations themselves, using online payment methods. To get started right away, you can use the ready-to-go template from here. Besides sharing the form's direct link, you can get the word out in a variety of ways:  
  • Embed donation forms onto your webpages
  • Add the donation form link into promotional text messages
  • Add form links to your email and social media campaigns
  • Add forms into your blog posts 

2. Take holiday meetups to virtual space 

Staying connected with customers and clients should be a top priority for your business. Replacing face-to-face meetings with virtual events can keep your business relevant and show customers how much you care about them. The transition to the virtual events may seem difficult, but it doesn't have to be. Zoho Forms can help by making it easy to create online RSVPs and invitations using online forms. Sharing invitations this way lets your attendees quickly register for your events. Read more on this here. 

For examples, gyms can live stream workouts to all their members. To help members enroll for the live stream, they can offer a membership form with a special holiday discount. 

3. Host restaurant forms to encourage on-the-go pickup

As restaurants resume their business, adapting to social distancing is important. Setting up an ordering service lets customers to book online from their homes and collect the orders curbside, spending just a few minutes at the restaurant.

Implementing this service doesn't need to be as technical as it sounds. You can start building a form with ready-to-go templates from here. There are also plenty of themes and custom options in our theme builder, so you can design forms that match your restaurant's other branding. If you need assistance, read this detailed guide to getting started with our theme builder.

Here are a few things you can do while designing takeout order forms:
  • Collect customer orders and specific requests using various question types
  • Acknowledge the order using email confirmation
  • Add options to make order payments online or in person
  • Deliver an e-receipt automatically

4. Allow customers to schedule appointments

To avoid long lines winding through your storefront, you can make it quick and easy for your customers to make appointments with you. For businesses dealing with merchandise, jewelry, or other physical products, this can be a great way to reduce customer traffic at their store.

Giving an opportunity to book via online appointment forms lets customers give their preferred time, share what they are looking for, and receive instructions on how to prepare for the appointment. Once they book, you can confirm on your end, giving them the confidence they need to take the plunge. 

5. Replace physical feedback with scannable forms 

Scannable QR feedback forms are a great alternative to collecting verbal feedback. Using Zoho Forms, create feedback forms tailored to your needs and convert them into a QR code. Placing these codes on the walls of your restaurant, store, conference location, or wherever else you conduct business, makes it easier for your audiences to access the form with a quick scan. 

Later, they can fill out the survey and share comprehensive feedback on your service or product. This not only avoids physical contact, but also makes it easier to collect large amounts of feedback, so you can share it with others. 

Key takeaway: Work smarter 

This holiday season, grow your business easily and safely by using smarter workflows. As you use online forms to connect with your audience, you're minimizing direct physical contact, too! Let us know if these tips were helpful and what your favorite was in the comments below.

Happy holidays!


If you have any questions or feedback to share, feel free to comment below or drop us an email at support@zohoforms.com


    • Sticky Posts

    • 5 ways to adapt social distancing this holiday season using online forms

      Hello fellow form builders,  Social distancing measures are being woven into the fabric of daily business practices, ending many forms of direct-contact business. To adapt to this, businesses might want to change their business practices, adding necessary

    • Online donations: Encourage your audience to give back this holiday season

      Hello fellow form builders, The holiday season isn't just about shopping and festivities. There's a special zeal to give back to the community as a gesture of gratitude. While donation boxes are still around, many businesses are focused on their online

    • Getting your forms ready for the holidays

      Hello fellow form builders! With the holidays coming up, we've all started to get the hang of the new normal as people get ready for all the festivity around. This year is different from others in the past, which means businesses are trying out new ways

    • 5 Ways to pull off holiday events like a pro using online forms

      Hello fellow form builders, This is the fifth post of the five-part series on "Getting ready for the holiday season with Zoho Forms." This series aims to help you make the best of your forms and grow your business this season. Holiday events are suppose to be fun, and so is hosting them. So if you are overwhelmed and it seems like your event organizing is all over the place, then something has gone wrong. Yet, sweat not - we've got you!   The entire event planning process can be made easy by automating

    • 5 ways to improve your holiday fundraising with online forms

      Hello fellow form builders,  This is part four of our five-part series on "Getting ready for the holiday season with Zoho Forms." This series aims to help you make the best of your forms and grow your business this season. Asking for money isn't easy, yet it's a crucial step for any fundraising group or organization. During this holiday season, make collecting donations fun and more effective with our list of the top five ways to improve your overall fundraising process. Let's dive in. 1. Create

    • Recent Topics

    • Calendar - "super compact" week view

      every time i go to my calendar i have to re-engage the "super-compact view" for the week view...is there a way to make "super-compact" a default view so I dont have to keep on setting it manually?

    • Calendar - "pop up" locations

      One of the attractive features of google calendar and outlook calendar is that locations for events will start to automatically populate the location drop down menu as you type. Adding this feature to zoho calendar would be the final feature i need.

    • Using Zia in Zoho Sheet data to research the internet and return answer to a cell in Zoho Sheet

      I'm trying to see if Zia (connected with OpenAI key) can take data parameters stored in a Zoho Sheet to conduct research out on the internet then return an answer into the same Sheet. I'm trying to do the equivalent of using something like the =AI() function

    • [Free Webinar] Learning Table Series - Creator for the Education Industry

      Hello Everyone! We're thrilled to invite you to the Learning Table Series—a year-long initiative to demonstrate how Zoho Creator can transform industries with innovative and automated solutions. Each month focuses on a specific industry, and this time,

    • Remove the [## XXXX ###] from subject replies

      For our organisation we would like to have the [## XXXX ###] removed from subject replies. Cheers, Jurgen 365VitaalWerken

    • Self Client Authorization Issue

      Hi. Trying to test the api integration for Zoho Desk with the Self Client - Client Credintials flow method. I've created the self client, obtained the client id and secret, inputted "Desk.tickets.ALL" as my scope, and "ZohoDesk.[My Zoho Desk Org ID]"

    • How Can I Easily Access and Manage My GEPCO Online Bill Using Zoho Sheets?

      Hello everyone, I'm looking for an efficient way to access and manage my GEPCO online bills. I've heard that Zoho Sheets can be a powerful tool for organizing and tracking bills, but I'm not sure how to set it up for this specific purpose. Does anyone

    • All notes disappeared

      I've been using the notebook app for over five years on my phone without being logged into an account. A few days ago I opened the app and all my notes had disappeared. Since then I tried restarting my phone, updating the app and logging into my account,

    • How to add tags to a record with jS SDK 1.2/ZohoEmbededAppSDK

      Hello Is it possible to add tags to a record with jS SDK : https://live.zwidgets.com/js-sdk/1.2/ZohoEmbededAppSDK.min.js ZOHO.CRM.API.updateRecord Thanks for insights

    • URGENT: Zoho Forms reCAPTCHA v2 Spam Issue

      Hello Everyone, We are encountering a critical issue with Zoho Forms despite having reCAPTCHA v2 enabled. Our business is accessibility-focused, and we are receiving a high volume of spam submissions, which is significantly affecting our workflow and

    • View all Products by pipeline deal

      Very good CRM I use it everyday only problem is modules not being interconnected especially products module. The main problem of products module are separated from contacts and company modules and only being connected to the Deals module. This way there's

    • Add "Lead Image" in Bulk?

      Each of our Leads is accompanied with a URL containing a photo of the lead when they come in. We currently have to manually download then upload the photo to the lead. This is a HUGE waste of time. Is there any way to AUTOMATICALLY add the photos to the

    • Map fields from CRM record to Finance Suite/Books Invoice fields

      I'm trying to auto-fill unique record specific field inputs that I have in my Contacts and Deals modules onto Invoices created from the record's finance suite related list upon creation.  One example is a field called "Job Number" that I have in my Contact

    • What's New in Zoho Analytics - December 2024

      Hello Users! We’re excited to bring you a roundup of the latest features and improvements in Zoho Analytics. These updates are designed to elevate your data analytics experience, making it more powerful, interactive, and seamless. Let’s dive in! Expanded

    • trying to access CRM Variables with JS SDK

      Hello i built a widget with Sigma, i create CRM VARIABLES in custom properties. I try to access them in function : ZOHO.embeddedApp.on("PageLoad",function(data) with : ZOHO.CRM.CONFIG.getVariable("mycrmvariable").then(function(data){ console.log("mycrmvariable

    • Writing on sketch cards is bugged when zoomed in

      When zoomed in, it writes a noticeable distance above or to the side of where you're actually trying to write. The further you're zoomed in, the more noticeable it is. Zooming is also entirely absent on the desktop version.

    • Private Project

      Hi, I would like to know if a user can create a Private project that only he's able to see it. Not even the ADMIN user. Thanks

    • Accordion in tabs to create FAQs, etc.

      Accordion elements do not seem to be able to be placed in the tabs. It would be useful to be able to do this. Thank you.

    • Which are the IP addresses to use for 'split delivery' with Office 365? (Zoho mail inbound gateway)

      Hi, I'm trying to set up 'split delivery' (email routing) with Office 365. I'm following the instructions to set up Office 365 as the primary server (https://www.zoho.com/mail/help/adminconsole/coexistence-with-office365.html) One of the prerequisites

    • Zoho Projects 2024 Recap

      Dear Users, As we conclude another remarkable year, it's the time to reflect on the journey we've just completed. The year 2024, defined by significant milestones, challenges, achievements, and important lessons. Every moment has contributed to the story

    • Custom Fields at Line Level

      Hi, is there an ability to add custom fields at line level? I need to track the start and the end date for each product within an invoice and I can't seem to find an option to do this.

    • Zoho API Error Code 7019 when adding job.

      Hello, I am following the documentation found here. https://www.zoho.com/people/api/timesheet/adding-jobs.html Regardless of how I try and post the data (including just using the example requests), I receive back the response {'response': {'message':

    • How to see changes with ZOHO.CRM.API.updateRecord(config) without reload page

      hello got a widget in account, trigger with a button i copy data to account when click on a button, in my popup All is working well. But i need to reload the page to see the update. How can i see the changes without reloading page, only when close the

    • How to call a Creator function which is in a different Creator application?

      How to call a Creator function which is in a different Creator application?

    • Unable to send message; Reason: 554 5.1.8 Email Outgoing Blocked

      My account is mino@flawless-frames.com, or flawlessframesstudio@gmail.com Could you please unblock my account, I've got restricted from sending more emails

    • Stock Count

      The stock count is a nice new feature, but we cannot figure out how to: 1. Use it without assigning to a person, we have a team or one of multiple do stock counts as do most any company. 2. Add any extra fields to what the "counter" sees. The most important

    • Move a Contact from Current Account to a NEW Account

      I do not believe the functionality to Move a Contact from a Current Account to a New Account is not available. Please someone tell me I am missing something! I have been through designing, developing, using and selling CRM systems for over 25 years and had this functionality20+ years ago in other CRMs.  In the real world people move from one organisation to another. In the sales, finance and technical world it is nice to see the communication history with that person in their old account and also

    • Force Specific Layout for CRM Contacts Portal

      Hello: We're in trial on ZOHO One and looking at the CRM Portal (just for the contacts module). We have a client layout set up for Contacts that is working well for our internally, but for the portal we don't want to require (make mandatory) some of the

    • Automatic Removal of Departments and Groups for Inactive Employees in Zoho One

      Hi Zoho One Team, We hope you're doing well. Currently, when an employee is marked as inactive in Zoho One, they remain listed as a member of their department and associated groups. This creates a challenge in maintaining accurate records and ensuring

    • Change eMail Template for Event-Invitations

      Hello ZOHO-CRM Team How I can change the eMail Template for Event-Invitations? I work with the German Version of the Free Version. I know how I can modify eMail alerts or Signature Templates, but where I can other eMails modify you send out? Thank you for your answer. Regards, Juerg

    • Zoho Social integration with Zoho Flow

      Is there any plans for Zoho Social integration with Zoho Flow?

    • Zoho CRM Widget and translations

      Hi everyone! We're building a Widget with zoho-extension-toolkit, how is localization supposed to work? "zet init" created a translations/en.json file, but what should go inside it and how is it supposed to be accessed from the Widget/javascript? Thanks

    • Bienvenue à Zoho FSM : l'optimisation des opérations locales qui offre une expérience de service impeccable

      Nous sommes ravis de vous présenter Zoho FSM, la plateforme de gestion des services terrain de bout en bout. Les solutions de gestion des services locaux s'adressent aux organisations qui effectuent des activités d'installation, de réparation et de maintenance

    • Adding tag to specific record as an acion in a workflow

      Hi! I've created the following workflow in the module 'Leads'. When a record meets the criteria, there should be a tag added to the specific record in the module 'Contacts'. In the module 'Leads', there is a look-up field named 'Kandidaat' which is connected

    • Trying to catch error with ZOHO.CRM.HTTP.get (Response Code)

      Hello, I'm trying to get response header from ZOHO.CRM.HTTP.get, in order to catch error like 404 or something else but it seems that ZOHO.CRM.HTTP.get() method only returns the body of the response, and I see no way to access the headers returned. Is

    • FSM - How to ADD PHOTOS to Estimates & Invoices

      How can you add photos to estimates and invoices that are being emailed to the client so the can see what you are estimating and your completed work?

    • Free developer edition of Zoho CRM

      A question for Zoho and other developers: How can you set up a demonstration version of a Zoho CRM implementation to show employers/clients what can be achieved? Do you pay for Zoho CRM Enterprise/Zoho One for this purpose? Does Zoho offer a free version

    • Can I add Conditional merge tags on my Templates?

      Hi I was wondering if I can use Conditional Mail Merge tags inside my Email templates/Quotes etc within the CRM? In spanish and in our business we use gender and academic degree salutations , ie: Dr., Dra., Sr., Srta., so the beginning of an email / letter

    • Where are scheduled emails stored?

      After you schedule an email to go out through the CRM, how do you go about changing that scheduled email? Or even where can I see the list of emails scheduled to go out? They are not listed in my Zoho Mail account in Outbox which has been the only answer

    • CRM Home Page Dashboard, how can i add zoho desk cases?

      How can i see which tickets are in my group as a dashboard component on the home tab in zoho crm? I don't see any way of adding this.

    • Next Page