What is a waiver form?

Waiver forms are a type of legal protection used by businesses to reduce their liability and risk. This type of agreement between a business and its customers is used to document that all parties are aware of potential risks in certain situations. Waiver forms act as a release of liability for the company and typically the customer or participant will need to sign the form in order to move forward. 

What is the purpose of a waiver form?

The basic purpose of a waiver form is to shield a business from liability and risk. While no one is ever required to sign off a waiver form, businesses may refuse service if all parties do not sign off on the waiver form. By willingly entering into an agreement, the waiver form acts as a record that all parties have been informed of potential risks and agree not to hold the business legally responsible in case of an incident or accident. 

Can I use Google Forms for waivers?

Since waivers are basic documents by nature, it’s entirely possible to use a word processor such as Google Forms or Microsoft Word to produce waiver forms. 

However one key downside of using Google Forms or Word documents is that you aren’t able to natively collect signatures using these tools. You would need to print out the form or use a third party app to collect a digital signature. 

Since waiver forms rely on signature capture, more companies are looking to specific waiver apps that can be filled out directly on a tablet or mobile device in the field. For example, software for waiver apps can have all of your waiver form templates available and customers can read and sign off on the forms digitally. 

The rise of app technology has made it easier than ever to complete all types of waiver forms, collecting digital signatures and storing documents directly to the cloud – even without an internet connection. 

Using word processors for waivers may work in some instances, but as your business grows in complexity it can benefit your organization to have productivity tools in place to streamline how you capture information in the field. 

How do you write a waiver form?

Luckily there are many examples and templates out there that can be used when writing a waiver form. Many businesses prefer to copy from a template, rather than starting completely from scratch. In general though, a waiver form typically includes information like:

• Branding: Your company name, address, contact information, and logo that represents your business’s brand in the header or footer of the document
• Customer Information: Name, address, email, phone number, date of birth, parent or guardian name (if applicable), etc.
• Waiver terms: Includes all of the legal language, clauses, definitions, and terms of the agreement in its entirety
• Signatures: Form field to capture the signature of all parties and sign off from a parent or guardian in the case of a minor

Since waiver forms may be used in a legal setting, it’s always advisable to consult a lawyer to help when writing your waiver forms. Here is an example of a waiver form that can be built on GoCanvas and published as a PDF form to be filled out via a mobile device, tablet, or computer by your customers.

Who needs a waiver form?

Waiver forms are used across many different industries and use cases. Some common examples include:

• Media release form
• Health club waiver and release form
• Medical record release form
• Waiver of lien on material or labor (construction)
• Moving company waivers
• Swimming waiver and release
• Jet ski waiver form
• Salon consent form
• COVID-19 Informed Consent form
• Spa Services treatment consent form
• Tattoo waiver and release form

As you can see, there are many variations of waiver forms out there designed for specific businesses that work with customers and have the potential for risk. You can search the GoCanvas app store to find all of our specific waiver and release forms.

Using GoCanvas for Waiver Forms

Using GoCanvas can help your business avoid potential legal fees from litigation and related costs. Going digital with forms provides a way to modernize your operations and streamline data collection. Key benefits of digital waivers on GoCanvas include:

• Customization – The GoCanvas product lets you easily customize disclosure language and layout in seconds, ensuring the waiver applies to each activity or business process.
• Standardized data – Digital forms allow you to create required data fields for completion including name and signature, helping to avoid incomplete or inaccurate forms.
• Accessible information – GoCanvas allows you to create a central, cloud database of customer waivers to review/download/print from anywhere.
• Digital signatures:  GoCanvas allows you to capture signatures digitally and then email a digital PDF copy to the customer for their records
• Secure, cloud-based documentation: With GoCanvas, you never have to worry about losing or misplacing a customer waiver again. All documents are securely stored to the cloud, giving you peace of mind in case of a dispute.
• Integrated data – GoCanvas enables you to integrate and share waiver forms into customer relationship management systems or any of the other cloud-based tools your business already uses.

Using GoCanvas, customers have found they are able to decrease their risk and liability by 18%. Switching to digital waiver solutions has helped companies be more prepared with digital documentation in the case of an accident, incident, or other unforeseen event that occurs. Start your free trial with GoCanvas to see how going digital can help to streamline your operations and lower your company’s risk with better documentation.