Turn paper processes into digital workflows
Clever Forms lets you digitise any HR or payroll process – from onboarding packs to salary reviews – with drag-and-drop form design, automated approval routing, and direct database write-back. No IT tickets. No re-keying. No delays.
Why manual processes are holding you back
Every paper form, PDF attachment, and email approval chain is a risk waiting to happen – and a cost you shouldn't have to carry. HR leaders tell us these three issues come up again and again.
Time drain
Staff chase signatures, re-key data into payroll, and follow up on missing forms. Hours vanish every pay cycle on work a system should handle.
Compliance risk
Paper forms get lost. Email approvals lack audit trails. When something goes wrong, proving who approved what – and when – is nearly impossible.
IT bottleneck
Need a new form or a routing change? In most systems that means a developer ticket and a weeks-long wait – for something that should take minutes.
Build any form, no code required
Clever Forms gives HR and payroll teams a visual, drag-and-drop designer. Add fields, set validation rules, define approval chains, and publish – all without writing a line of code.
- Drag-and-drop fieldsText, date, dropdown, file upload, signature – pick what you need
- Conditional logicShow or hide fields based on previous answers
- Pre-populated dataPull existing employee details so staff never re-enter what the system already knows
How it works
Three steps from request to record – with a complete audit trail at every stage.
Employee initiates
An employee or manager opens a Clever Form through self-service – bank detail change, onboarding pack, leave request, or any custom process you've built.
Workflow routes
The form automatically routes to the right approvers based on your rules – manager, HR, payroll, or any combination. Reminders fire if a step stalls.
Data writes to payroll
Once approved, form data writes directly into the employee's payroll record. No re-keying, no import file, no manual step. The data is already where it needs to be – and data flowing in from integrated HR systems stays in sync.
What Clever Forms gives you
Eliminate re-entry
Form data flows straight to the database – no copy-pasting between systems, no import files, no delays.
Drive compliance
Every form carries a full audit trail: who submitted, who approved, when, and what changed. Ready for any review.
Empower self-service
Employees and managers initiate requests themselves – no more emailing spreadsheets to payroll or chasing signatures.
Flexible workflows
Multi-level approval routing adapts to your org structure. Route by hierarchy, cost centre, or custom rules.
Admin visibility
See every in-flight form at a glance. Know which requests are pending, overdue, or completed – in real time.
Digitise any process
Onboarding, terminations, personal detail changes, salary reviews – if it's on paper today, it can be a Clever Form tomorrow.
Approval routing that mirrors your business
Every organisation has its own chain of command. Clever Forms lets you model it exactly – from a single-manager sign-off to a multi-step route through HR, finance, and payroll.
- Route by reporting line, cost centre, or custom rule
- Automatic reminders and escalation for overdue steps
- Full audit trail for every approval decision
- Parallel or sequential approval paths
Before and after Clever Forms
See how two common processes change when you replace paper with workflow.
New starter onboarding
Before
- - PDF pack emailed to new starter
- - Returned forms printed and scanned
- - Data manually re-keyed into payroll
- - Tax file number typed from handwriting
- - Errors found at first pay run
After
- + Digital form link sent to new starter
- + Completed on any device, validated in real time
- + Data writes directly to payroll record
- + TFN validated at entry
- + First pay is right, first time
Role or salary change
Before
- - Manager emails HR with change details
- - HR forwards to payroll
- - Payroll updates record manually
- - No audit trail of who approved
- - Change sometimes missed or delayed
After
- + Manager submits change via Clever Form
- + Routes to HR then payroll for approval
- + Approved data writes to record automatically
- + Full audit trail preserved
- + Effective from the date specified
Frequently asked questions
Do I need IT to build or change a form?
No. Clever Forms uses a drag-and-drop designer that payroll and HR teams can operate themselves. You pick the fields, set the routing rules, and publish – no developer ticket required. If you prefer, our team can build forms for you during implementation.
Can forms write data directly back to the payroll database?
Yes. When an approved form completes its workflow, the data writes straight into the relevant employee record – bank details, tax codes, leave requests, position changes, and more. No re-keying, no import file, no lag.
How does approval routing work?
Each form can be configured with multi-level approval chains based on your organisational hierarchy, cost centres, or custom rules. Approvers are notified automatically, and the system escalates if a step is overdue.
Can Clever Forms replace our existing paper or PDF processes?
Absolutely. Any paper-based or PDF-based process – onboarding packs, salary review forms, termination checklists, personal detail changes – can be digitised into a Clever Form with approval routing and database write-back.
Ready to stop juggling and start leading?
See how one AU/NZ-built platform can transform daily operations, keep journals clean and give you back time for the work that matters.