Client intake form template
Learn what a new client wants before the first call: their goals, what is in the way, when they want to start and roughly what they can spend.
24 questions · about 6 min · logic · file upload · prefill from the link
- No sign-up to start
- Unlimited responses on Free
Your name
Phone
Is this for a business or for you personally?
How should we contact you?
What you get back
Every response lands in your results the moment it is sent. Turn on email notifications and each one arrives like this, and the same answers become a row in your spreadsheet.
From PulseFormCreator
Subject New response to New client questionnaire
- Your name
- Tamsin Clarke
- tamsin@example.com
- Phone
- +61412555087
- Is this for a business or for you personally?
- For my business or organisation
- Company or organisation
- Clarke & Co Joinery
- Your role
- Owner
and 14 more answers
| submitted_at | Your name | Phone | Is this for a business or for you personally? | Company or organisation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-22T09:41:00.000Z | Tamsin Clarke | tamsin@example.com | +61412555087 | For my business or organisation | Clarke & Co Joinery |
The first 6 of 39 columns. Export to CSV or Excel, or send each response to Google Sheets, Notion, Airtable, Slack or a webhook as it arrives, all on the free plan. The answers above are made up.
What this form asks, and why
The last column shows how many of the 15 real client intake forms we read ask the same thing.
| Question | Why it is there | Real forms |
|---|---|---|
| Your name Required | Asked on 14 of 15 forms; the exception is a coach’s questionnaire sent back by email. | 14 of 15 forms |
| Email Required | Where the proposal and booking link go. | 14 of 15 forms |
| Phone | Asked on 14 of 15 forms; optional here, because the call is booked from the thank-you screen. | 14 of 15 forms |
| Is this for a business or for you personally? Required | “For me personally” hides the company questions. | Our own recommendation |
| Company or organisation Only when “Is this for a business or for you personally?” is For my business or organisation | Shown to businesses only. | 8 of 15 forms |
| Your role Only when “Is this for a business or for you personally?” is For my business or organisation | Are you talking to the person who decides? | 5 of 15 forms |
| Website Only when “Is this for a business or for you personally?” is For my business or organisation | Asked on 5 of 15 forms; hidden for individuals. | 5 of 15 forms |
| How should we contact you? | Optional, for firms that follow up by text or video. | 4 of 15 forms |
| What do you need help with? Required | Your services as a checklist. Edit it to yours. | 6 of 15 forms |
| What made you get in touch now? | Often the real brief. | 3 of 15 forms |
| What do you want to achieve? Required | The most-asked question after contact details, on 10 of 15 forms. | 10 of 15 forms |
| What would success look like six months from now? | A target the proposal can be checked against. | 3 of 15 forms |
| What is getting in the way at the moment? | Sets the scope, or the first session’s agenda. | 5 of 15 forms |
| Tell us about your business and who your customers are Only when “Is this for a business or for you personally?” is For my business or organisation | Business and customers in one box. Hidden for individuals. | 4 of 15 forms |
| When would you like to start? Required | “Just exploring” ends on a reading list, not your calendar. | 6 of 15 forms |
| What is the deadline? Only when “When would you like to start?” is I have a deadline | Shown only after “I have a deadline”. | 6 of 15 forms |
| Roughly what budget do you have in mind? | Every agency and design firm we read asks it; no coach does. “Not sure yet” is offered a scoping call. | 5 of 15 forms |
| Who else will be involved in the decision? | Asked on 2 of 15 forms. An unseen partner is how proposals stall. | 2 of 15 forms |
| Have you worked with a consultant, coach or agency before? | Sets the expectations you start with. | 3 of 15 forms |
| How did it go? Only when “Have you worked with a consultant, coach or agency before?” is Yes | What the last provider got wrong. | 3 of 15 forms |
| Anything you would like to share? | Brief, deck or logo, 10 MB each on the free plan. | 1 of 15 forms |
| How did you hear about us? | Asked on 6 of 15 forms. | 6 of 15 forms |
| Anything else we should know? | The catch-all before the call. | 7 of 15 forms |
| News and tips | Unticked and separate from the questionnaire. | 0 of 15 forms |
What we left out
- Postal address. Asked on 10 of 15 forms, a habit from posted forms. The invoice can ask later.
- Race, ethnicity, disability and veteran status. Asked on 2 of 15 forms, all SBA-funded advisers reporting to the SBA.
- Social media passwords. Seen on 1 of 15 forms, in plain boxes. Ask to be added as a user instead.
What 15 real client intake forms ask
In September 2026 we read 15 client intake forms that organisations use today (US 14, Canada 1) and recorded every field. This is how often each one appears. It is part of the Form Field Index.
The 15 forms we read
- Co-Active Training Institute · coaching organisation, US
- Quality Media Consultant Group, LLC · marketing and advertising agency, US
- Smith Business Consulting, Smith School of Business, Queen's University · university business consulting service, Canada
- Alvarado Consulting Group · executive coaching and consulting firm, US
- University of Oregon, Division of Equity and Inclusion · university coaching programme, US
- Michigan Small Business Development Center · small business advisory service (SBDC), US
- MDK Designs · interior design firm, US
- Fifteen East Media Group · marketing and PR agency, US
- Christine Hassler · life coach, US
- Positive Self Center · financial coaching (counselling centre), US
- Iowa Small Business Development Center (SBA Form 641) · small business advisory service (SBDC), US
- North Texas Small Business Development Center Network · small business advisory service (SBDC), US
- Divine Elements of Design · interior design firm, US
- Cultivating Digital · digital marketing and web agency, US
- UTRGV Small Business Development Center · small business advisory service (SBDC), US
How the form changes as people answer
Most people see a shorter form. These questions and screens only appear when an answer calls for them.
-
When “Is this for a business or for you personally?” is For my business or organisation
shows “Company or organisation”, “Your role”, “Website”, “Tell us about your business and who your customers are”
-
When “When would you like to start?” is I have a deadline
shows “What is the deadline?”
-
When “Have you worked with a consultant, coach or agency before?” is Yes
shows “How did it go?”
-
When “When would you like to start?” is Just exploring for now
shows the “Thanks, …” ending
-
When “Roughly what budget do you have in mind?” is Not sure yet
shows the “Thanks, …. Let’s work out the scope together.” ending
-
At the end
shows one of 3 thank-you screens: “Thanks, …”, “Thanks, …. Let’s work out the scope together.”, “Thanks, …. We have your answers.”
Make it yours
-
Tick the service from the link
Add ?service=Marketing and brand to a service page’s link and the form opens with it ticked.
-
Put your calendar on the thank-you screen
Add your booking link to the “Book a call” button. Browsers and the unsure get their own screens.
-
Get each questionnaire by email
In the Connect tab, open Email me and choose Send to my account email. Free, and off until you turn it on.
Good practice and the law
- UK
Give privacy information when you collect answers. The note above the submit button is where it goes. ICO, right to be informed
- UK
A prospect asking for a proposal is covered by the contract basis, so no consent tick is needed. ICO, contract lawful basis
- Australia
Collect only what is reasonably necessary for the work, which is why this form asks no date of birth or home address. OAIC, APP 3
Questions about this template
When should a new client fill in the intake form?
After the first enquiry and before the first call, so the call starts from their answers.
Can I use it for coaching clients?
Yes. Pick “Coaching” above the preview: no budget, plus time zone, a readiness scale, session preferences and an employer-sponsor question.
Should an intake form ask about budget?
If you quote per project. Set the ranges to your own price points, so each answer maps to a package, and keep “Not sure yet”.
Can therapists or health practitioners use it?
Not for clinical intake: it asks nothing about health, and PulseFormCreator is not HIPAA compliant. Massage therapists and trainers have their own templates, which ask only safety questions.
Which form do you need?
The client intake form is one of the intake forms. If it is not quite the job, one of these may be.
- Accounting client intake form template
For accountants and bookkeepers: entity type, year-end, previous accountant.
- Website design questionnaire template
Once there is a website to brief: pages, brand files, content.
- New customer form template
For a trade account to buy goods, with billing and delivery contacts.
Start with the client intake form template
Open it in the editor, list your services and add your booking link.
Updated 22 September 2026. Evidence read September 2026 from 15 real forms.