Streamlining Data Entry for a Cemetery Business
Client Background
A cemetery business with a sales team responsible for selling funeral plots faced a tedious process of manually filling out PDF forms. This process was not only time-consuming but also prone to errors, leading to inefficiencies in their operations.
Challenge
The client needed an automated solution to populate PDF forms with data collected by their sales team. The goal was to speed up the data entry process, ensure accuracy, and make it easy to audit and recreate forms when needed.
Solution
YDD Consulting provided an innovative solution using the Python library pdfforms. This library allows for the extraction and manipulation of PDF form field data. By integrating pdfforms with Excel, the data entry process was significantly streamlined.
Implementation
Excel Integration:
- An Excel sheet was created to collect data with dropdowns and other input features to facilitate quick data entry.
- This data was then used to automatically populate PDF forms.
Automation Process:
- Using the openpyxl library, data from the Excel sheet was read.
- The pdfforms library was employed to open the PDF form, fill in the form fields with the data from the Excel sheet, and then flatten the form to make the fields non-editable.
- The filled-in form was saved as a new PDF.
Excel Integration:
- An Excel sheet was created to collect data with dropdowns and other input features to facilitate quick data entry.
- This data was then used to automatically populate PDF forms.
Automation Process:
- Using the openpyxl library, data from the Excel sheet was read.
- The pdfforms library was employed to open the PDF form, fill in the form fields with the data from the Excel sheet, and then flatten the form to make the fields non-editable.
- The filled-in form was saved as a new PDF.
Technical Approach
Libraries Used:
- pdfforms: For working with PDF forms, including filling and flattening fields.
- openpyxl: For reading data from Excel spreadsheets
Results
The implementation of this solution by YDD Consulting yielded significant benefits:
Efficiency:
- The manual process of filling out PDF forms was reduced from hours to minutes, freeing up valuable time for the sales team to focus on client interactions.
- The manual process of filling out PDF forms was reduced from hours to minutes, freeing up valuable time for the sales team to focus on client interactions.
Accuracy:
- Automating the data entry process minimized errors, ensuring that all information was accurately captured and transferred to the PDF forms.
Auditability:
- The ability to quickly audit the collected information and recreate the PDF forms when needed enhanced the overall operational efficiency of the business.