Sharing data with your clients is the crux of your business. Your team shares files in and out of the business the entire week.
Doing business is not the same as it used to be and now your company shares huge amounts of data on the internet.
Earlier, you had been sharing files through email. However, now you found out that sharing documents through emails is both inconvenient and insecure to share sensitive information.
You can not share large files using email and then you also risk losing documents in email threads.
To avoid all this in your business, you are looking for other safer and convenient ways to collect files from your clients.
You are in the right place because in this article I’ll share with you not one but nine ways to collect your client files.
We’ll divide these nine data collection methods into three main categories: cloud storage solutions, online forms, and document collection software.
Ready? Let’s get started!
Cloud storage solutions will provide you with online storage space to save and share your files online. So, you can keep all your files on the internet saving them from any physical damage or losing files to accidents.
Here are a few cloud storage solutions you can introduce to your team to collect client documents online.
Dropbox has become quite a popular cloud storage system in recent years. On the platform, you can collect and share files from your online folder.
With Dropbox file requests, you can create an online folder and ask your clients to add files into the folder.
There’s more into it and to know that read an in-depth review of Dropbox file requests for B2B companies.
Dropbox offers different personal and business plans. Their best-suited plan for a small or medium team is the Business Standard plan. You get five user seats with an online storage space of 5,000GB at $12.50 per user every month.
You can go for the Business Advanced plan if you work in a large team.
If you prefer Microsoft’s services, their OneDrive file request is a competitor to Dropbox.
Microsoft’s OneDrive file request feature lets you create an online folder and give permissions to others to upload files there.
The file request feature is not available for all Microsoft 365 users. You need to be a Microsoft 365 for Business user to utilize this feature.
You can share the file request link to get files from your clients even if they don’t have OneDrive.
Microsoft offers OneDrive in four different plans ranging from $5 per user per month to $12.50 per user every month. Their Microsoft 365 Business Standard plan includes Microsoft Teams for easy remote working.
Another popular name on the internet for file sharing is Collect by WeTransfer.
Collect by WeTransfer will let you save, organize, and share your files. All you have to do is share a link with your team or clients and they can add their files into a Board that functions as a folder.
Their free version will let you share 2GB of data at a time while with a paid version you can share 200GB of data and store up to 1TB online.
The Pro plan will cost you $12 monthly per user.
Collect is also available as a mobile app allowing you to save and organize files on the phone.
In the list of cloud storage solutions, how can we miss Google Drive which has over two billion monthly active users.
Google Drive is another link-sharing option you can use in your business to collect files from your clients. It is popularly used for document sharing.
You can invite your clients and team members to submit files and collaborate in a shared folder.
However, your clients also need to have a Google account to add files into the shared folder.
Google will charge you $8 every month for one user for their Workspace Essentials account. Along with file sharing, you get 100GB per user and 2TB pooled cloud storage space.
With Box Relay, you can automate your file-sharing workflow and manage document handover between team members, clients, departments, and companies.
You can send file requests, approve submissions, and add workflow triggers to streamline the document collection process.
You also get Box Relay automation workflow templates to automate recurring tasks like contract reviews, budget approvals, contract or employee onboarding, and more.
Box Relay is available in the business plans of Box. You can choose between the Business plan starting at $20 per user every month, the Business Plus plan which will cost you $33 for every user per month, and the Enterprise plan for which you will have to pay $47 per user every month.
If you really feel like cloud storage options like these will suffice your needs, you can select your favorite from all these. However, there are many benefits as well as drawbacks of sharing files with these cloud storage solutions.
When you have a large number of client files to collect from many clients and you don’t want to create an online folder for each one of them, Online forms are a more professional way to collect client files.
Online forms give you the freedom to create a checklist for file collection and upload them to your cloud storage location from the same interface. You also receive notifications for file submission made on your form.
I’ve listed a few popular forms which you can utilize in your business if your client submission is limited.
The web-based application will let you collect and share information through its customized form.
By integrating your Typeform account into your cloud service space, you can upload files on your cloud space directly from Typeform.
You can collect anywhere from 100 to 10,000 responses every month depending on your subscription.
Typeform’s Basic plan is billed at $29 monthly for one user and 100 responses every month.
Their Plus plan which is most suited for your business needs will cost you $59 every month for three users. You can collect 1000 responses every month with this plan.
The high-end Business plan is priced at $99 every month for five users and will let you collect over $10,000 submissions every month.
Similar to Typeform, Jotform lets you collect files using a form. The one thing unique about Jotform is its long list of form templates to help you collect documents, videos, pictures, projects, and more without having to create forms from scratch.
Your clients can share files of up to 1GB through Jotform. You can store submitted files on your cloud storage space or Jotform account.
Jotform has three paid options: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. When you opt for the Bronze plan, you get 25 forms with 1000 monthly submissions, 10GB of space, and other features at the rate of $29 every month.
For the Silver plan, Jotform charges $39 every month. You get 100 forms, 10,000 monthly submissions, and 100GB available space along with other features.
You get unlimited forms, 100,000 monthly submissions, and 1TB of available space with the Gold plan at the cost of $99 every month.
You can create your unique forms to collect client data on your WordPress website using top-class form plugins like Gravity forms and Elementor.
Gravity Forms has a user-friendly and clean interface and can be integrated with third-party tools to provide great support for your document collection process.
They have three different yearly plans such as Basic, Pro, and Elite.
The Basic plan is for smaller companies with one website and will cost you $59 every year. The Pro plan is for medium-sized companies and can be used for 3 sites. This plan will cost you $159 every year. Their Elite plan which can be used for unlimited sites will cost companies $259 every year.
Elementor is a popularly used website builder plugin. They also have a Form Builder to simplify the data collection process.
Elementor’s intuitive interface can help you create custom form design with ease using their drag & drop builder.
With Elementor, you have complete control over the design aspect of the form.
To use the Form Builder on Elementor, you will need the Pro plugin which starts at $49 for a year.
Online forms too like cloud storage solutions have their own benefits and drawbacks when it comes to using them for file sharing.
Modern-day businesses need modern solutions.
Now requesting, collecting, and organizing client files is no longer optional but a crucial part of your business.
And document collection software makes it easier for you to collect and organize files and content from clients without any hassle.
Sending upload links to clients is outdated. Now you can send them your branded upload page to collect files.
So, the question here is–
Document Collection Software is a tool that simplifies and streamlines the electronic file collection process to gather and manage files from your clients in one place.
And when you are looking for document Collection Software, there can be no other name than Clustdoc.
Clustdoc is a leading document collection platform that will help you design an efficient document collection workflow and checklist that your clients can follow.
With platforms like Clustdoc, You can create a smooth and end-to-end process that impresses your clients every time they do business with you. You can improve your sales process and boost productivity.
But to utilize a document collection software like Clustdoc to its full potential, you need to understand–
This means that our last way to collect files from clients without email is Clustdoc.
Clustdoc is a modern, intuitive, and stress-free platform to collect documents from clients.
The platform will set up a recurring process to collect client details and files in a more organized and secure way through automation.
Clustdoc provides a long list of powerful features to make document collection a breeze for you.
With these top-of-the-line features, Clustdoc provides you with complete control over your document collection process.
You can build online forms or customize anyone from a huge list of Clustdoc templates.
You can guide clients’ submission process with our smart built-in checklist. And if you want to request clients to submit files send them a personalized file request or message.
Once your clients have submitted their documents, you can review the files Clustdoc has organized for you and approve or deny files easily.
You can also send automated reminders through email or SMS to your clients and take follow-up on the submission process.
You can collect legally binding e-signatures from your clients and also receive client payments on the Clustdoc platform itself.
When you collect client data, it is crucial to comply with security regulations and leave no stone unturned when it comes to client data safety.
Clustdoc is a GDPR compliance platform which means it adheres to strict rules when it comes to data protection.
You can integrate Clustdoc with your favorite cloud storage solution and store your documents directly into your cloud space.
You can integrate Clustdoc with project management tools and other business tools to automate your processes.
Clustdoc is the best choice when it comes to creating a paperless office.
It is the platform that lets you collect client files without any hassle and in no time.
If seamless file collection and client data protection is your priority, Clustdoc is the choice for you.
To get started with document collection on a safe and secure platform, visit Clustdoc.
Clustdoc is a client onboarding orchestration platform used by modern teams around the world. With Clustdoc, you can run automated workflows for requesting, reviewing and verifying new customers’ data, documents and contracts – without juggling between tools.
If your team is managing new customers using emails, spreadsheets and PDFs, you’ll probably love using Clustdoc.
