How to open/save/edit filled out PDF's

[Flamboyant_character5CD9]

I work for a construction company and I was asked to remake one of our "PM Work Order Forms" to make it easier and more uniform for everyone. I remade the PDF, but we have been having issues with it ever since. Here's the process:

Our technicians go work on a job, they would then open the updated "PM Work Order", fill out information like the Company name, what was worked on etc.. Then, the technicians are supposed to send their filled out PM Work Order to me where I can then edit and add to the pdf and save it to my computer. At first, when they were sending over the pdf filled out, when I would attempt to open them to view their notes, all of the data they entered would be gone and be replaced with "Yes".  I researched ways to fix this, but all of the "fixes" require a ton of extra steps that were not required for the old PM Work Order, and make the entire process a lot slower and less efficent.

Is there anyway around this? I have been researching this for an embarresing amount of hours and it seems like everywhere I look there's a different answer. I feel like there's got to be an easier way to go about this, but I am so lost and frustrated. 

Any advice?

[try67]

The main question is how are they opening the file? What device, and what application on that device, are they using?

[Flamboyant_character5CD9]

The technicians use iPads to fill out the form. They either use PDF Reader Pro, Acrobat, PDF Expert, Acrobat Reader, or PDF Forms. Once they finish filling out the form, they then send that file from Adobe to our dispatch department, where dispatch would then open the file, make edits as needed, and then save that file to our computer files.

[ls_rbls]

Hi @Flamboyant_character5CD9 ,

I am also wondering how the original file is distributed to them... how do you send it out?

And also,  how are they sending the form back to you after it is filled out? (i.e. email attachment, a shared link to a cloud service).

It seems to me like such workflow is not streamlined to a set standard, which can lead to numerous things.

Have you considered employing Adobe Sign in this workflow?

[Flamboyant_character5CD9]

After the technicians fill out the pdf, they then send it from Adobe by email, some email it as an attachment and some email it as a link. We would love to get all the technicians working through the same system so it's all uniform, but I'm not sure which version is best for what we need.

[ls_rbls]

Hello @Flamboyant_character5CD9 ,

If I were you, I would consider using Adobe Sign for this process. It would give you better control over the PDF work orders you send out, especially since different users have various PDF viewers or editors.

By using this tool, you can make sure that everyone has a smooth experience, no matter what platform they prefer.

The main benefit is that it helps you keep track of the PDF work orders you share, which is crucial for users who use different software. This solution can make the workflow easier and more efficient for everyone involved.

Moreover, Adobe Sign allows you to track the progress of work orders from beginning to end.

Users don’t need Acrobat Reader or Acrobat Pro to fill out and return a work order; they can easily do it on a mobile device, tablet, or any desktop computer with just a web browser. This flexibility can significantly boost the efficiency of your workflow.

For your convenience, please see the articles I've linked below:

https://esign.adobe.com/document-cloud-onboarding-web.html

https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/business/features.html

https://helpx.adobe.com/sign/using/get-started-guide.html

I hope this helps.

[Flamboyant_character5CD9]

Thank you! Would this also solve the problem of not being able to see the data the technicians filled out when we open the pdf? 

[Flamboyant_character5CD9]

Also, is there a free option? We already pay for different versions of Adobe each month, so avoiding another subscription would be ideal.

[try67]

It should work fine with an Acrobat form. You don't need Acrobat Sign for this.

And it shouldn't matter how the file is sent. The main issue is where it is opened and filled-in.

That is what you need to make sure is consistent.

[Flamboyant_character5CD9]

I am still having trouble. I have the Updated PM Work Order Sheet favorited on Adobe, so when the technicians open Adobe on their iPad, they can go to "starred documents" and then open the Pm Work Order. However, it then saves their copy as the new Updated PM Work Order. So then when someone else goes to use the PM Work Order, instead of it being blank in all the feilds, it reopens with what the previous technican filled out. 

Also, while pressing "prepare a form" work on our computers, in does not work on their iPads, so I'm back to square one. 

The only way I found that works is opening the starred document on Adobe from their iPads, select save a copy, save a copy to the files, hen open the newly saved document, then fill out their information, then send a copy through Outlook, then from our computers we would recieve an email with a link to their Adobe PM Work Order, then once we open the link and try to select a feild on the document, it then makes us create another copy which we can then edit and add onto the PM Work Order the technicians sent us and the technicians can access it through their iPad Adobe, but with that process we saved 3 different versions of the PM Work Order, which can be confusing. Not to mention, when I showd my boss this solution she was not impressed because it was so many steps and took a long time. 

I'm not sure what to do.

[ls_rbls]

Hi, yes it would help with avoiding users messing up the PDF when they view it on apps with tools that may render the PDF useless or corrupted.

As for the Adobe Sign version that is shipped with the individual plan of Adobe Acrobat Pro, it can work as intended, but some features are limited, such as bulk processing or generating reusable templates, for example.

In which case, you may need to purchase a Teams or Business plan for Adobe Sign, I'm afraid.

If money would be an issue, you can still employ the free version that is shipped with your Adobe Acrobat and test how it works.

Meanwhile you may also instruct the recipients of your work order to use Acrobat Reader to view and fill in the form, as suggested by @try67 

[Flamboyant_character5CD9]

With Adobe Sign, does it matter that the Work Order's don't require any signature? 

[ls_rbls]

Hi @Flamboyant_character5CD9 ,

If they only need to fill out blanks without signing on amything, it is very straight forward.

That said, ensure that before you distribute a PDF via Adobe Sign that you always save a copy of the original so you can reuse that one in the future as a template.

Then distribute the file copy with a different file name.

This will save you headaches if, for instance, the shared PDF  document gets corrupted or irrecoverable for any unknown reasons during the delivery/tracking/receiving process.

Now, if those users must sign a signature field after filling up the form, then you must add the signature field to the form. In which case, they can employ several signing methods, such as electronic signature, certificate-based digital signature, or an image of a hand-written signature.

Additionally, in the event that your work order requires two or more signatories from different departments on the same form, you can add signature fields that are specific to each signatory.

This way, you can control the order of the signing process and also prevent another unauthorized user from signing in  the wrong spots.

[Flamboyant_character5CD9]

I just learned that 2 of the technicians use their phone rather than their iPad to fill out and send the PM Work Order forms. Would this cause the issue of not being able to see what they filled in (everything changes to "yes" or "off")?

[try67]

See above. It depends on what application they're using to view the files.