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.
What do you need help with?
Check all that apply.
About you
Your name
Phone
Is this for a business or for you personally?
How should we contact you?
24 questions · about 6 min · logic · file upload · prefill from the link
- No sign-up to start
- Unlimited responses on Free
Print it as a PDF Word version
Change the questions in Word, then print.
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
- What do you need help with?
- Marketing and brand, Website or digital
- Your name
- Tamsin Clarke
- tamsin@example.com
- Phone
- +18455550187
- Is this for a business or for you personally?
- For my business or organization
- Company or organization
- Clarke & Co Carpentry
and 14 more answers
| submitted_at | What do you need help with? | Your name | Phone | Is this for a business or for you personally? | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Sep 2026 09:41 | Marketing and brand | Website or digital | Tamsin Clarke | tamsin@example.com | +18455550187 | For my business or organization |
Export to CSV or Excel, or send responses to Google Sheets, Notion, Airtable, Slack or a webhook. All free.
What happens after someone submits
Set these up once in the Workflows tab, and every new client starts the same way.
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Submitted
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A new client sends their answers
You get them by email, with a PDF of the answers attached to read before you talk.
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They are ready to start
The thank-you screen offers a Book a time button that fills in their name and email.
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They become a contact
They land in People with this questionnaire on their timeline, free for up to 1,000 people.
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You have a question first
Reply from their response in Results, and their answer comes back into the same thread.
What this form asks, and why
A client intake form covers the job itself: what the client wants to achieve (asked on 10 of 15 forms), the services they need (6 of 15 forms), when they want to start (6 of 15 forms) and what stands in the way (5 of 15 forms). Add contact details, a budget range and who else decides, and leave the rest for the first call.
The last column shows how often real client intake forms ask for it.
| Question | Why it is there | Real forms |
|---|---|---|
| What do you need help with? Required | Asked first, so the form opens on the work. Edit it to yours. | 6 of 15 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, as the call is booked online. | 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 organization Only when “Is this for a business or for you personally?” is “For my business or organization” | 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 organization” | 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 organization” | 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 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 organization” | Business and customers in one box. Hidden for individuals. | 4 of 15 forms |
| When would you like to start? Required | Sets the urgency; “Just exploring” skips the booking. | 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? | Agencies and design firms ask it; coaches usually don’t. “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 | Unchecked 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
How many include each field, from forms organizations use today. Part of the Form Field Index.
- Email address 14 of 15
- Name 14 of 15
- Phone number 14 of 15
- What they want to achieve 10 of 15
- Postal address 10 of 15
- Organization or company 8 of 15
- Comments 7 of 15
- Privacy notice 7 of 15
Read September 2026 · US 14, Canada 1 · Sources
- Co-Active Training Institute · coaching organization, 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 program, 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 (counseling center), 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.
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When “Is this for a business or for you personally?” is “For my business or organization”
shows “Company or organization”, “Your role”, “Website” and “Tell us about your business and who your customers are”
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When “When would you like to start?” is “I have a deadline”
shows “What is the deadline?”
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When “Have you worked with a consultant, coach or agency before?” is Yes
shows “How did it go?”
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When “When would you like to start?” is “Just exploring for now”
shows the “Thanks, Tamsin” ending
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When “Roughly what budget do you have in mind?” is “Not sure yet”
shows the “Thanks, Tamsin. Let’s work out the scope together.” ending
Make it yours
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Preselect the service from the link
Add ?service=Marketing and brand to a service page’s link and the form opens with it checked.
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Give browsers somewhere to go
Add a reading list or a resources page to the “Just exploring” screen.
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Keep a client database
In the Workflows tab, add Notion or Airtable with your own token, and each questionnaire becomes a page or a record.
Good practice and the law
- UK
Give privacy information when you collect answers: the note above the submit button does it. ICO, right to be informed
- UK
A prospect asking for a proposal is covered by the contract basis, so no consent checkbox 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
Is a client intake form the same as a client onboarding form?
No. Intake decides whether the work fits and how big it is, before any proposal. Onboarding comes after the contract is signed: account access, invoice details and a kickoff date, usually as a checklist of its own.
When do you send a new client intake form?
After the first inquiry 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.
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 spas and personal trainers have their own intake templates. Salons can use a waxing consent form or a lash extension consent form.
Which form do you need?
Not quite the job? One of these may fit, or browse all intake forms.
- Massage therapy intake form
For massage therapists and day spas: pressure, focus areas and a precautions check.
- Personal trainer intake form
For personal trainers and gyms: training goals and a yes/no readiness screen.
- Web design client questionnaire
For web designers with a site to brief: pages, brand files and content.
Start with the client intake form template
Open the client intake form template in the editor and list your services.
By Michael Hodge, founder of PulseFormCreator. Updated 22 Sep 2026.