Guide to Tracking and Analyzing Form Responses in Paperform for Data Driven Decisions

Tired of collecting form responses that just sit in a spreadsheet, gathering digital dust? If you’re using forms to make real decisions—whether that’s for customer feedback, event signups, or internal processes—tracking and analyzing those responses is non-negotiable. This guide is for anyone who wants honest, practical advice on how to get real value from their form data in Paperform, without getting lost in the weeds.

Let’s get straight to it.

Why Bother Tracking and Analyzing Form Responses?

It’s easy to set up a form, but if you don’t look at the responses—or worse, if you look but have no idea what you’re looking for—you’re wasting your time and your respondents’. Tracking and analysis help you:

  • Spot trends (good or bad) before they become problems
  • Back up decisions with actual data
  • Save time by focusing on what actually matters
  • Avoid “gut feel” mistakes

If you want to get beyond gut reactions and guesswork, you need a system.

Step 1: Get Your Forms Set Up Right

Before you even think about analysis, your forms need to be built for it. Here’s what matters:

Use Clear, Unambiguous Questions

  • Don’t ask vague questions—“How was your experience?” means nothing if you don’t specify what you care about.
  • Use scales (1–5, 1–10) for things you want to measure over time.
  • Multiple choice beats open text for tracking trends.

Pro tip: If you’re not sure what you’ll do with the data, you probably shouldn’t ask the question.

Add Required Fields (But Don’t Overdo It)

  • Make fields required if missing data will ruin your analysis.
  • Too many required fields = more drop-offs. Only ask what you truly need.

Use Logical Sections and Field Types

  • Group related questions together. It makes reporting easier.
  • Use dropdowns, checkboxes, and radio buttons instead of text where possible. Cleaner data means faster analysis.

Step 2: Collect Responses (Without Losing Your Mind)

Paperform automatically stores all submissions, but here’s how to stay organized:

Use the Built-In Results Table

  • Every form has a “Results” tab showing each submission.
  • You can filter by date, search responses, and see key stats at a glance.

Tag or Label Important Submissions

  • Use hidden fields or custom tags to track things like campaign sources, customer types, or event names.
  • This is way easier to do from the start than to fix later.

Set Up Notifications

  • Get email or Slack alerts for new responses, or when certain answers are submitted.
  • This isn’t analysis, but it keeps you in the loop—especially for time-sensitive forms.

Don’t bother: Exporting every single submission to Excel “just in case” you’ll need it. Paperform has filters and search built in. Export only when you’re actually ready to dig deep.

Step 3: Analyze Responses Inside Paperform

Here’s what you can (and can’t) do without leaving Paperform:

Quick Stats

  • Paperform gives you basic charts and summaries for each question—think bar graphs for multiple choice, averages for scales, word clouds for text.
  • This is enough for spotting obvious trends: most popular choices, satisfaction averages, etc.

Filtering and Segmenting

  • Filter results by date, answers, or custom fields.
  • Want to see only responses from last month, or only those who answered “Very Satisfied”? Easy.

Exporting Data

  • Export to CSV or Excel if you need to do deeper analysis elsewhere.
  • Pro tip: Export only the columns you need. No one likes scrolling through empty fields.

Limitations to Know

  • Paperform’s analysis is good for quick checks, but you’ll hit a wall if you want custom dashboards or complex cross-question analysis.
  • No built-in pivot tables or advanced visualization.

Honest take: If you just want to know “How many people chose X?” or “What’s the average satisfaction score?”, Paperform alone is fine. For anything more, you’ll need to export.

Step 4: Take It Further—Integrate or Export for Advanced Analysis

If you need charts, dashboards, or to combine with other data, you have options:

Export to Google Sheets

  • Use Paperform’s native Google Sheets integration to send each new response straight into a spreadsheet.
  • From there, you can use formulas, charts, pivot tables, or even connect to tools like Google Data Studio.
  • This is the sweet spot for most people: flexible, familiar, and free.

Zapier or Make Integrations

  • Automate pushing responses to Airtable, Notion, or your CRM.
  • Good if your organization already lives in those tools.
  • Don’t start here unless you really need it—these add complexity (and sometimes cost).

Direct API Access

  • Paperform has an API if you want to build custom reporting, but unless you have a developer on hand, this is overkill for most.

Data Visualization Tools

  • If you’re serious about dashboards, export to Google Sheets or Excel, then connect to Looker Studio, Tableau, or Power BI.
  • Just remember: more tools = more maintenance. Start simple.

Step 5: Act on the Data (The Whole Point)

Collecting and analyzing responses is pointless if you don’t do something with the results.

Share the Insights

  • Summarize key findings for your team or stakeholders—keep it short and to the point.
  • Use screenshots of Paperform’s charts or copy numbers straight from your exports.

Set Up Regular Reviews

  • Schedule a monthly or quarterly check-in to look at trends.
  • Don’t wait till “things feel off” to look at the data.

Iterate on Your Forms

  • If a question never gets answered, cut it.
  • If everyone’s picking “Other,” your choices probably need an update.
  • Use what you learn to tweak both your forms and your follow-up actions.

What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Ignore

What works: - Clear, well-structured forms make analysis easy. - Built-in Paperform stats are enough for most day-to-day needs. - Exporting to Google Sheets unlocks real flexibility without a steep learning curve.

What doesn’t: - Collecting tons of open-text answers and expecting easy analysis. (They’re fine for testimonials, but a pain for trends.) - Overcomplicating with too many integrations before you’ve even looked at the basics. - Ignoring the data until there’s a crisis.

Ignore the hype: - You don’t need “AI-powered analytics” for 99% of use cases. Start with the basics. - If someone tells you to “collect everything, analyze later”—that’s just digital hoarding.

Keep It Simple and Iterate

You don’t need fancy tools or complex processes to get real value from your form responses. Build your forms with analysis in mind, use Paperform’s built-in tools for quick wins, and export when you need more. Check your data regularly, act on what you find, and don’t be afraid to trim or tweak your forms as you go.

Start simple. Learn what works for you. Then, if you need something more advanced, you’ll know exactly why—and you’ll actually use it.

Now go turn those responses into decisions that matter.