Setting Up Microsoft Forms for Event RSVPs

Microsoft Forms is a great tool for collecting feedback and RSVPs. It’s not as customizable as Power Apps, but for many scenarios, it’s a perfect fit—especially when you need something user-friendly and accessible to people outside your organization.

1. Create a New Form Open Microsoft Forms and click “New Form.” You can start from scratch or use a template. For this tutorial, we’ll pick the Registration template. Customize the title, description, and background to fit your event.
2. Add Questions Include fields like:
   • Name (Required)
   • Will you attend? (Yes, No, Maybe)
   • Dietary preferences (Optional)
   • Food allergies (Optional)
   • Accessibility needs (Optional)
   • Comments or questions (Optional)

   You can drag and reorder the questions as needed.

3. Enable Sharing Options Want responses from outside your organization? Set the form to allow anyone to respond. You can share links, generate shortened URLs, or even create QR codes for convenience.
4. Save Responses in Excel (Optional) By default, responses are saved in an Excel file accessible from the form. While this works for simple scenarios, we’ll store responses in SharePoint for more powerful automation.

Creating a SharePoint List for RSVP Storage

SharePoint lets you organize and access your RSVP data efficiently. Here’s how to set up a SharePoint list to store form responses:

1. Create a Blank List In your SharePoint site, click “New” and select “List.” Avoid using spaces or special characters in the list name, as it affects the URL. For example, name it “WorkshopRSVPs” instead of “Workshop RSVPs.”
2. Add Columns Customize fields to match your form questions:
   • Rename the default “Title” field to “Name.”
   • Add a “Person” column to capture an internal user’s details (email, photo, etc.).
   • Add a single-line text field for dietary preferences.
   • Use a “Choice” column for attendance options (Yes, No, Maybe).
   • Add more columns for food allergies, accessibility needs, and comments.
3. Best Practices When naming columns, avoid spaces and special characters to prevent issues in the backend. You can always create user-friendly display names later.
4. Preview Your List Make sure all fields match your form questions. This ensures a seamless integration when connecting with Power Automate.

Automating Data Transfer with Power Automate

Now let’s connect Microsoft Forms to SharePoint using Power Automate. Follow these steps to automate the process of transferring data and sending confirmation emails.

Creating the Flow

1. Start from a Template Go to Power Automate and click “Create.” Search for forms-related templates, like “Send an email to the responder when a response is submitted.” Choose your form, then click “Next.”
2. Connect Your Form and SharePoint List
   • Select your form (e.g., “Cleared for Collaboration”).
   • Choose your SharePoint site and list (e.g., “WorkshopRSVPs”).
   • Map form fields to SharePoint columns. For instance:
     • Name ➡ Name field
     • Attend Response ➡ “Will You Attend” column
     • Dietary preferences ➡ “Food Allergies” text column
3. Add Email Automation (Better) Personalize confirmation emails for each respondent:
   • Use dynamic content to include their name and responses.
   • Add headers for clarity (e.g., “Dietary Preferences: None”).

Improving Emails with Variables (Best)

For a more polished experience, use variables in Power Automate. This ensures optional fields won’t appear blank in emails, avoiding clutter.

1. Initialize Variables At the start of your flow, create string variables for optional fields (e.g., dietary preferences, accessibility needs).
2. Set Conditions For each optional field, add a condition:
   • If a field’s input length is greater than one, capture its value. Otherwise, leave it blank.
   • Include bolded HTML headers (e.g., <strong>Dietary Preferences:</strong>) only if a response exists.
3. Use Variables in Emails Replace static form fields with variables in the email body. For example:
   • Instead of “Accessibility Needs: [blank field],” use a variable that only appears if data exists.
4. Test Your Flow Manually trigger a test to see how your flow performs. Submit a sample response, check the email, and confirm the SharePoint data is accurate.

Finalized Workflow and Key Tips

Your finished flow should look like this:

• Trigger: New form response submitted.
• Data Handling: Extract response details, initialize variables, and set their values conditionally.
• Outputs:
  • Send a clean, personalized email using variables.
  • Store all data in SharePoint with proper formatting.

Common Issues and Solutions:

• Errors with permissions: Double-check your account access to Forms and SharePoint.
• Special characters in columns: Clean up column names or use custom values in Power Automate mappings.

Bringing It All Together

Automating RSVP collection with Microsoft Forms, Power Automate, and SharePoint is surprisingly simple. With just a little setup, you can save hours of manual data entry and deliver a professional experience for your event attendees. Whether you’re organizing a team workshop or a large conference, this workflow offers flexibility and efficiency.

Ready to explore more? Part two of this series will cover task assignments and approvals, taking your automation skills to the next level. Subscribe to stay updated, and let us know in the comments which features you’d like to tackle next.

Let’s make 2024 the year of smarter workflows!