I recently tested a new way to gather assessor travel and planning information ahead of an assessment using Google Forms—and it worked incredibly well.
Assessors told me it was quick, easy, and convenient to complete. On my end, every response flowed directly into one central spreadsheet, making organization and follow-up simple.
I also added a built-in email link at the end of the form so assessors could easily send required attachments like headshots and training certificates with one click.
Take a look at the example form at the bottom of this post.
Then build your own using the quick setup steps below.
Quick Setup
1. Create Your Form
Start by creating a new Google Form and give it a title that matches your assessment.
Add fields for:
• Assessor contact information
• Organization / rank
• Travel details
• Arrival / departure dates and times
• Dietary restrictions
• Special accommodations or requests
• Professional biography (optional, but very helpful for introductions)
• Supporting attachments
Then personalize the look by updating:
• Cover photo
• Color scheme
• Fonts / theme styling
Feel free to add or remove any questions to fit your agency’s needs.
2. Connect Responses to a Spreadsheet
In Google Forms:
Responses → green spreadsheet icon → Create New Spreadsheet
Now every submission automatically lands in one organized spreadsheet for easy review, sorting, and follow-up.
3. Add a Submit Materials Smart Link
At the bottom of your form, add a final section with instructions for assessors to send any supporting attachments such as:
• Professional headshot photo
• Current CJIS training certificate
• W-9 (if needed)
• Any other requested documents
Then add a clickable Submit Materials email link directly inside the form.
Here’s how:
• Type Submit Materials in your instructions section where you want the link to appear.
• Highlight the words Submit Materials
• Click the Insert Link button (chain/link icon) in the formatting toolbar
• Copy and paste the mailto code below into the link field
• Replace YOUR_EMAIL@YOURAGENCY.ORG with your email address
• Click Apply
Use this mailto code:
mailto:YOUR_EMAIL@YOURAGENCY.ORG?subject=Assessment%20Supporting%20Materials&body=Hello,%0D%0A%0D%0APlease%20find%20attached%20my%20requested%20assessment%20materials.%0D%0A%0D%0AAttachments%20included:%0D%0A-%20Professional%20Headshot%0D%0A-%20Training%20Certificate%0D%0A%0D%0AThank%20you.
When assessors click Submit Materials, their email app will automatically open with a prewritten message—ready for them to attach their files and hit send.
That’s it—simple, professional, and easy for assessors to use.
4. Publish and Share
Click Publish → Share → Copy Link
Send it to your assessors.
5. Test
Submit one test response yourself before going live to make sure everything works exactly as intended.
One More Thing…
If this kind of practical, plug-and-play tool helps simplify your process, that’s exactly why I built the Accreditation Academy Content Hub.
Paid subscribers have access to resources like this as part of a growing library of templates, tools, examples, and training —all designed to make accreditation just a little easier to manage.
If you’re visiting from the public share link, you’re welcome to check it out with a 30-day risk-free trial.
Example: