The reason intake forms fail is that they get written for the agency, not the client. Nobody can answer "what are your KPIs?" cold. Ask what they want to happen, in their words, and translate it yourself.

When to use a client intake form

  • Agency and freelance onboarding after a contract is signed
  • Professional services (legal, accounting, consulting) first-appointment intake
  • Any project where you have chased the same five details by email twice
  • Handover from sales to delivery, so nothing is retold
Example questions

What to put on the form.

A starting point, not a rulebook: every question below is a real Questionful question type, and all of them are editable once the form is in your account.

Question Question type
Which service are we starting? The branching question, each service needs different details Dropdown
Company name and website Short answer
Who is our main point of contact? Short answer
Who signs things off? Not always the same person Short answer
What does success look like in six months? Paragraph
What is the deadline, and what drives it? Date
Which of these do you already have? Brand assets, analytics access, copy, domain Checkboxes
Upload anything relevant Paid plans, brand guidelines, existing contracts File upload
How do you prefer to communicate? Multiple choice
How Questionful helps

Building it, step by step.

01

Branch by service

A dropdown at the top routes each service to a section with only its questions. A retainer and a one-off project need almost nothing in common.

02

Ask for access as a checklist

Checkboxes for the accounts and assets you need turn a vague "we will send those over" into a list you can chase against.

03

Take the files with the answers

A file upload question collects brand guidelines and existing material inline, filed with the response rather than scattered across an inbox.

04

File it and notify delivery

Email the project lead on submission, and let the Google Drive integration keep a PDF of the intake with the project folder.

See every feature

Tips

What makes the difference.

  • Send it with the signed contract, not a week later. Momentum is highest on day one.
  • Ask who signs off separately from who you talk to daily, that gap causes most revision rounds.
  • Never ask a question you would not read the answer to at kickoff.
  • Give the client the emailed copy; it becomes the brief you both refer back to.
  • Review the "other" answers quarterly. They tell you which service option is missing.
FAQ

Client Intake Form questions.

What should a client intake form ask?

Service, contacts including who signs off, the outcome in the client's own words, the deadline and what drives it, and a checklist of assets and access you need. Everything else can wait for the call.

Can clients attach files?

Yes on paid plans, up to 25 MB per file. Uploads are stored on EU infrastructure and downloaded through signed links. The free plan does not accept respondent uploads.

Can one form handle several services?

Yes. A dropdown routes each service to its own section, so a retainer client never sees the one-off project questions.

Can the intake create a project automatically?

Indirectly: every submission POSTs as JSON to Zapier, Make, or your own endpoint, and any of those can create the project, folder, or ticket.

Ship your client intake form today.

Unlimited forms and 100 responses a month, free. Paid plans from €19.

No credit card required.