Creating Online Contact Create Forms

Creating Online Contact Create Forms

Overview

Sumac’s Online Forms feature in the Case Portal allows organizations to create secure online forms that create new contact records in Sumac.

Contact Creation Forms are commonly used for:

  • New client intake

  • Self-referrals

  • Program applications

  • Pre-service registration

Contact Creation Forms are used when the person does not yet exist in Sumac.

When to Use This Process

Use a Contact Creation Form when:

  • A new client is registering for services

  • A prospective client submits an online intake form

  • Staff want to reduce manual data entry for new contacts

  • Intake information should automatically create a new contact record

Step 1: Open the Case Portal

  1. In Sumac Desktop, navigate to:
    Case Management → Case Portal

  2. The portal will open in your browser and automatically log you in

  3. .


Step 2: Access Online Forms

  1. In the left navigation panel, click the Online Forms icon
    (briefcase/document icon

Step 3: Start a New Form

  1. Click New Form (top-right corner)

  2. Select:
    Start from scratch


InfoAvoid templates unless they match your intake workflow exactly.


Step 4: Build the Form

The form builder toolbox appears on the right side.

Features (Contact Creation Fields)

Use Features to map form fields directly to new contact record fields, such as:

  • First Name

  • Last Name

  • Date of Birth

  • Email

  • Phone Number

  • Address

Fields are grouped by Contact Record tabs:

  • Basic

  • Residence

  • Intake


Generic Fields (Additional Intake Questions)

Use Generic Fields to add questions that are not part of the standard contact record, such as:

  • Program interest

  • Referral source

  • Eligibility questions

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Static Elements (Form Layout & Instructions)

Use Static Elements to structure and explain the form:

  • Headers

  • Paragraph text

  • Links

  • Images

  • Dividers

  • Spacers


Step 5: Add and Arrange Fields

  • Click the + icon to add fields

  • Drag and drop fields to control the form order


Step 6: Configure Field Settings

For each field:

  1. Click the gear icon ⚙️

  2. Configure options such as:

  • Label / sublabel

  • Placeholder instructional text

  • Mandatory vs optional

  • Default values

  • Half-width or full-width display



WarningImportant: Configure all field settings before saving.
Unconfigured fields may cause the form save process to fail.

Step 7: Preview the Form

  1. Click Preview Form to review how the form will appear to new users.


Step 8: Adjust Form Settings

In the Settings panel, you can:

  • Customize the confirmation / thank-you message

  • Enable Save as PDF (recommended)

  • Add internal email notifiers for new submissions

  • Adjust design colors if desired

Step 9: Save the Form

Once complete, click:

Save Form


Step 10: Using Contact Creation Forms

Contact Creation Forms are typically accessed by:

  • Public Case Portal links

  • Embedded links on your website

  • Direct URLs sent to prospective clients

When submitted, the form:

  • Creates a new contact record in Sumac

  • Stores submitted data in mapped contact fields

  • Attaches the PDF (if enabled) to the contact record

Info
Contact Creation Forms should not be sent from an existing contact record.
Use Update Forms for existing clients.