Top 10 Custom Business Forms & Documents Every Business Needs In Print

Record keeping and document tracking are essential to business success, from fraud protection to smooth operation processes. A business must track various documents for different departments, including its sales contracts, invoices and employee handbooks. Having the right internal and external documents empowers effective business strategy, saves money and reduces risk.

However, which forms are essential? How do you know where to invest your time, money and resources in business forms printing and document tracking? Here’s a quick guide to the most essential document purposes and types for print documentation.

Consider the Purpose of Each Document

Whether internal or external, every document in your business serves an important function. Often, multiple documents can be grouped under a single purpose. To narrow down which forms are best for business forms printing—first, consider the purpose of each document to:

• Manage company operations: These documents may include employee performance reviews and standard operating policies and procedures. Everyone involved should be able to demonstrate how they conduct business.

• Safeguard intellectual property: These documents encompass licenses and any legal contracts and agreements that protect your intellectual property or against fraudulent claims and liability issues. 

• Track business finances: How is your business performing? Stay on track with profit and loss statements, invoices and balance sheets. For example, custom invoice printing makes business life more manageable.

• Remain compliant: What regulatory and compliance laws do your company and employees abide by? Ensure that each step is tracked with custom business forms.

• Communicate strategically: Each team member communicates differently with another party depending on their role: stakeholder, manager, coworker or customer. The best documents act as templates for each interaction to ensure strategic communication that meets business goals and ensures quality company culture.

Depending on the purpose of the document, the structure and content can take different forms to outline processes, agreements, legalities or tasks. This guarantees that every party knows what happens when certain circumstances arise, such as during a negotiation meeting for a prospective business acquisition.

Vital Documents That Every Business Needs

What a company defines as essential may differ by department, but there are vital documents that every company should primarily focus on when first considering business forms printing.

Company Policies

A company policy should include clear statements about what makes up acceptable behavior in the workplace. Company policy helps employees understand the rules of conduct and what constitutes inappropriate behavior.

Companies can also use these policies to resolve employee conflicts and protect themselves from legal action.

Company Bylaws

By what rules does your company play? Documenting the basic rules for how your company conducts its business and affairs is important to abide by its Articles of Incorporation and the law. Internal management is the primary focus of company bylaws, including office location, how shareholder meetings are held and the provisions for committee appointment, for example.

Company Contracts

A company contract defines the terms of collaborations between involved parties, such as entities, businesses or employees. Contracts outline a reason for the agreement as well as the rules by which collaboration takes place so that no party is treated unfairly. It’s always wise to consult a lawyer.

Client Contract

You’ll need to consider the scope of the service you’re providing to the client. All services as well as the essential responsibilities of the job should be covered in the client contract. How long will the project last, and what is the nature of the deliverables you’re offering? The agreement is legally binding and can serve as proof of services rendered.

Vendor and Contractor Agreements

Include the terms of the project to be completed by your vendor or contractor, along with the deadline, payment method and subcontract contact information. Your vendor or contractor should retain all documents legally related to the service they were hired to conduct: invoices, progress reports, estimates, purchase orders and time sheets.

Regulatory Compliance Documents

Fines related to a failure to comply with regulatory laws can be hefty. Legal sanctions and penalties may also be involved. Keeping up with regulatory compliance documents and documenting every step of your process helps ensure that your business stays in compliance and out of trouble.

Employment Agreements

When an employee is hired, a company often sends an offer letter to finalize the agreement upon acceptance by the new hire. However, it’s less formal than an employee agreement and leaves room to be desired when it comes to specifically outlining expectations and the responsibilities of both the employer and employee. 

Duties, reviews, bonuses, contract length, termination provisions and severance pay are just a few of the specifics that employment agreements should outline to protect both parties. 

Employment agreements also serve as important onboarding documents because a new hire knows more about what to expect and can ask relevant questions, ensuring a better employee-employer relationship. As the employee’s career journey with the company evolves, their employment agreement should also be updated to reflect that.

Confidentiality Agreements

Take into account how your company would handle intellectual property theft if your vendor, employee or other relevant party didn’t sign a confidentiality agreement. Answer: It makes it tougher to pursue legally and leaves your company unprotected. Also called a non-disclosure agreement, this legal agreement protects proprietary interests and sensitive data and trade secrets.

Privacy Policies

Privacy policies help all parties understand what information your business collects, where it’s stored, how it’s used and if it’ll ever be sold or destroyed. Most customers are rightfully concerned about how their data and information are used.

Business Insurance Terms 

Under what terms does your business operate? Business insurance documents outline these terms, including risks covered by your policy, how much is paid and what documentation must be maintained—such as annual business reports.

Coverage levels may also differ depending on the risk. You may choose to cover liability, insure your property or both.

Benefits of Print Communication

Both digital and print communication have their place in the business world. In the digital age, print communication hasn’t gone the way of the dodo just yet. Many aspects of business rely on print documentation and communication.

Reliable Communication With Clients and Stakeholders 

Meeting in person is the old-fashioned way of establishing trust and building a good business relationship. Even remote-based companies schedule in-person summits annually. Paper documents ensure a smooth process as you exchange information, discuss concerns and reach negotiations. It remains a reliable form of communication and record-keeping.

Blackout Safe For Offline Use

Power failure? Slow internet? Custom business forms in print allow you to quickly pull the information you need to get the job done.

In Actual Writing Is Better For the Brain

Digital note-taking apps have revolutionized the classroom. However, neuroscience research points out that physically writing things down commits them to memory and people to tasks. Individuals who vividly describe their goals are 1.2 to 1.4 times as likely to achieve them.

Simple, Clear Print

Digital formats can be hard on the eyes of those who are older or those with disabilities. Paper documentation outlines everything in simple, clear print. 

A Personal, Portable Touch

Technology may be convenient, but it’s not always reliable. It’s easy to print and pass around paper copies. They have a personal and portable touch that digital doesn’t. 

Unfortunately, a failure to document company operations and effectively manage those records can be directly linked with business failure. It makes sense to record what’s been essential for success and what hasn’t, and that depends on the quality of reliable documentation. 

To customize your business forms for print documentation, reach out for a quote today or call (800) 492-1218.