Data reporting and other integrations

CiviForm provides administrators with metadata about programs and applications, enabling actionable insights that can improve residents' experience in accessing programs.

Leveraging data to improve program operations

Because CiviForm includes metadata from across programs, administrators can have visibility into applicants' experience across programs in CiviForm. This includes key metrics such as how long it takes to complete an application, which questions applicants might be struggling with, and which programs people tend to cross-apply to. Such metrics can inform changes that lead to direct improvements in a specific program's application experience. Additionally, administrators can analyze metadata to assess which communities are or aren't being reached by a given program, which can in turn inform targeted outreach or other local efforts to expand access.

If you are interested in measuring additional aspects of your programs, consider some of the metrics outlined in Code for America's National Safety Net Scorecard.

Sources for reporting

Here are key sources for accessing reporting information in CiviForm.

CiviForm reporting dashboard

CiviForm has a built-in dashboard that administrators can use to see core program metrics such as the number of applications and the distribution of application completion time. More metrics are being added over time to provide administrators with insights into their programs out-of-the-box.

Application analytics

CiviForm supports integration with common web analytics tools. Such tools can provide page-level analytics on how applicants are progressing through applications, which can indicate which questions may need to be removed, adjusted, or improved to simplify the application process.

Exports for external reporting

Information in CiviForm can be exported to integrate with existing reporting tools, analyses, or workflows. This is helpful for combining information from CiviForm with other sources to give an even broader view of the applicant experience. It can also help make insights about programs available to broader stakeholders (for example, program administrators, policymakers, or the public) through publications or other reporting channels.

Combining information with other sources

Some analyses may require combining information from CiviForm with data from other sources. For example, CiviForm has information on how long it takes for someone to complete an application, but in order to know how long start-to-finish service delivery takes, data must be incorporated from downstream systems that manage later steps in the process of delivering services. Similarly, a complete assessment of responsiveness and access for a given program requires integrating metrics from non-CiviForm channels, such as phone calls or office visits.

Collecting feedback from residents

In addition to these passively measured proxies for residents' experiences with specific programs, CiviForm can also serve as a channel for the direct and active collection of feedback from programs. For example, a feedback or satisfaction survey can optionally be added to the end of program applications when they are configured in CiviForm, or throughout the site via third-party tools.