Free client intake form template

An intake form saves you from asking the same basic questions on every call, and it tells you before the call whether a project fits your services, your budget range and your calendar. Keep it short. Every extra required field gives someone a reason to close the tab.

What to ask, and why

• Full name and email (required): so you can reply and keep a record of the contact.
• Company (optional): context for B2B work, and something to look up before the call.
• Phone (optional): some clients prefer a call, but making it required puts people off.
• What do you need help with? (required, one choice): routes the lead to the right service and helps you prepare.
• Budget (optional, ranges): people answer a range more readily than an exact number, and a range still tells you if the project fits.
• Ideal start date (optional): shows urgency and whether your calendar can take it.
• Project details (required, long answer): goals, timeline and links. Most of what you need to prepare ends up here.

Copy the template

NEW CLIENT INTAKE
Tell me a bit about you and your project so I can prepare for our first call.

1. Full name (required)
2. Email (required)
3. Company
4. Phone
5. What do you need help with? (required, choose one)
   [ ] Website
   [ ] Branding
   [ ] Marketing
   [ ] Consulting
   [ ] Other
6. Budget (choose one)
   [ ] Under $1,000
   [ ] $1,000 to $5,000
   [ ] $5,000 to $10,000
   [ ] $10,000+
7. Ideal start date
8. Project details (required)
   Goals, timeline, links: anything that helps.

Thank-you message:
Thanks! I'll review your answers and get back to you within one business day.

How to adapt it

1. Replace the service options with the services you actually sell.
2. Set budget ranges that match your pricing, so the smallest range is close to your minimum project.
3. Only make a question required if you can't prepare for the call without it.
4. Promise a reply time in the thank-you message, then actually reply in that time.

Use it as an online form

In SoloWOS Forms, "Client intake" is a one-click template with these fields already set up. Name, email and company map to a contact, so each response creates or updates one. You get an email for every response and can export all answers to CSV. Learn more about online forms for client intake.

You can also set a redirect so people land on your booking page right after they submit. The form then becomes step one of booking a discovery call. If the call goes well, send a proposal next; the freelance proposal template gives you a structure.

Questions can show or hide based on earlier answers, and you can send people to a different booking page depending on what they chose. There are no payments or file uploads inside forms. Basic ($2/month) includes 3 forms and 100 responses a month; Solo includes 10 forms and 1,000 responses.