Discover the Exciting New Updates Coming to Microsoft Lists Forms!

By João Ferreira Aug 12, 2024 Forms 0 Comments

If you’ve been using the Forms feature in Microsoft Lists, you’ll want to know about the four major updates coming soon.

Forms in Microsoft Lists have been a popular topic on my blog. I’ve received many questions about it, and posts explaining how the feature works are getting a lot of traffic. Clearly, it’s a feature that many of you are interested in and actively using.

To help you stay prepared, here’s a look at what’s coming by the end of the year.

Get notified about new form responses

Lists Forms owners and collaborators can now subscribe to receive notifications for new responses on their forms. By default, this feature is turned off, but any form collaborator can enable it to get email alerts for each new response.

This notification feature is a game-changer for staying on top of your data collection. By enabling email alerts, you can ensure that no response goes unnoticed, allowing for timely follow-ups and quicker decision-making. Whether you’re managing a survey, a feedback form, or any other type of data collection, this feature helps you stay informed and responsive, enhancing your overall productivity and efficiency. Most importantly, it removes the need to implement a Power Automate flow to capture new responses and send emails.

Learn more about this feature.

Schedule turning on and off responses to forms

Owners and collaborators of List forms can now set specific start and end dates and times for accepting responses. The form will be open for submissions during the scheduled period and will automatically close once the end time is reached.

This scheduling capability is incredibly valuable for managing time-sensitive data collection. By automating the opening and closing of forms, you can ensure that responses are only collected within the desired timeframe, reducing the need for manual intervention. This feature is particularly useful for events, surveys, and deadlines, as it helps maintain the integrity of your data collection process. Additionally, it eliminates the hassle of constantly monitoring and manually adjusting form availability, allowing you to focus on analyzing the collected data and making informed decisions.

Learn more about this feature.

Conditional branching in Microsoft Lists forms

Microsoft Lists Forms will soon allow users to create dynamic forms with branching and conditional logic. This enhancement lets users tailor their forms to show relevant questions based on previous answers, enabling the creation of smarter, more adaptive forms that meet specific data collection needs.

The introduction of branching and conditional logic is a significant upgrade for Microsoft Lists Forms. By customizing the flow of questions based on user responses, you can ensure that respondents only see questions that are pertinent to them, making the form-filling process more efficient and user-friendly. This feature is particularly valuable for complex surveys and data collection efforts, as it reduces respondent fatigue and increases the accuracy of the data collected. Additionally, it streamlines the analysis process by filtering out irrelevant information, allowing you to focus on the insights that matter most.

Learn more about this feature.

Adding files as attachments to Microsoft Lists forms

Users will soon have the ability to add attachment fields to their list forms. This feature enables users to upload files directly within the form, offering additional context or necessary documentation.

The addition of attachment fields significantly enhances the functionality of Microsoft Lists Forms. By allowing file uploads, users can provide supplementary information or required documents directly within the form, streamlining the data collection process. This feature is particularly useful for scenarios where supporting documents are essential, such as project proposals, expense reports, or feedback forms. It reduces the need for follow-up emails and ensures that all relevant information is captured in one place, making it easier to review and manage submissions.

Learn more about this feature.

Conclusion

These four updates represent a significant step forward for Microsoft Lists Forms. They will undoubtedly reduce the need to rely on Microsoft Forms and Power Automate for many scenarios. With these enhancements, users can look forward to a more streamlined and efficient data collection process. Now, let’s keep our fingers crossed for the introduction of external form sharing, which would further elevate the capabilities of Microsoft Lists Forms.

Let me know in the comments what features you still miss in Microsoft Lists Forms.