Focusing on finding the right clients instead of more clients can help businesses tremendously. However, sifting through clients to find the right fit for your business can be challenging. This is where a good client intake form comes in.
In this post, we’ll give you everything you need to know to make better client intake forms for your business. We’ll begin by understanding the basics and then move on to the step-by-step process of creating one in Google Forms.
Understanding the basics of the client intake form
What is the main purpose of the client intake form?
Every client is different, with unique challenges, needs, and expectations. A client intake form is a structured document that helps service providers identify different clients’ needs, preferences, and backgrounds. This helps them serve the clients better, meet clients’ expectations more accurately, and ensure personalized service delivery.
What information does a client intake form gather?
Some clients prefer ongoing communication, and some like to be hands-off once onboarded. A client intake form collects such nuanced information to help you optimally deliver services to your client.
A client intake form is typically a part of the onboarding process and collects information that falls into three categories:
- Basic client information: This includes essential details needed to maintain records and facilitate communication, like the client's name, contact information, and demographic details.
- Client’s goals and expectations: This section captures the specific needs, goals, challenges, or pain points for which the client has sought your services. Knowing these goals helps you tailor your services effectively.
- Client preferences: Here, information such as the client's preferences regarding communication methods and appointment times is gathered. Understanding these preferences enhances client satisfaction.
Why is it important to have every client complete a client intake form?
There are several reasons why you must have every client complete an intake form. It helps you comprehensively understand their needs and requirements, ensuring you can meet their expectations.
In the short term, an intake form helps you identify any immediate issues or urgent needs that your client may be facing, allowing you to provide timely and appropriate services. The form can help you uncover your client’s broader goals and aspirations in the long term.
Lastly, it ensures that you gather comprehensive and consistent information from all your clients for your records. A client intake form ultimately sets the foundation for a successful and productive client relationship.
Check out this sample client intake form using Google Forms
A client intake form is ideally tailored to collect the specific information a business needs to provide services effectively. Below, you’ll find the steps for a sample client intake form. By following these steps and including questions from the three categories listed above, you can create your business's customized client intake form.
Step 1: Create a new Google Form
Navigate to your Google Forms.
Click on the ‘Blank form’ button to start a new form.
Name your form appropriately and write a description for it.
Step 2: Collect necessary client information
First, we’re going to add questions to gather basic client information.
Every new Google Form starts with an untitled question. For our first question, let’s change this default question to gather the client’s or the company’s name.
Now, click the button next to the question field to change the ‘Multiple choice’ question to a more appropriate ‘Short answer’ format.
To add a new question, click the ‘Add question’ button in the floating menu. Consider adding the following question to gather client information:
- Company's address
- Company's phone number
- Business email address
- Number of employees
- Which industry does your company operate in?
- How did you hear about our services?
- Primary contact person for this project?
Learn about the different question types in Google Forms to choose the most appropriate question format for your inserted questions.
Step 3: Allow client to describe their situation
Once we’ve gathered the basic client information, it’s time to learn more about the client’s goals and expectations.
Add a new question and select the ‘Paragraph’ format. You can phrase your question in the following ways:
- What prompted you to reach out to us for our services?
- What motivated you to contact us for assistance?
- What specific needs led you to seek our services?
The goal is to understand the client’s current situation better.
Step 4: Ask what challenges they face
Next, you want to add questions to identify your client's specific challenges. This is the most critical part of the client intake form, as it helps you cater specifically to your client’s pain points.
Add a new question to your form and choose the ‘Multiple choice’ format. Offer the top 3-5 choices that your clients seek out for your services. You can also select the ‘Paragraph’ option, but the multiple-choice format helps narrow down the issues better.
Step 5: Ask about their goals with you
Next, you can ask what your clients expect to achieve from your upcoming association. You can phrase the question in multiple different ways:
- What are the main objectives you hope to achieve by working with us?
- What specific results or outcomes are you aiming for through our partnership?
- What long-term goals do you see our services helping you accomplish?
If you’ve chosen the multiple-choice format for the previous question, you should select the ‘Paragraph’ question format for this question. This will help your client offer a more detailed and comprehensive view of this aspect.
Step 6: Ask about their competitors
Asking about competitors helps you see where your client envision themselves and their business. You can frame questions regarding competitors in multiple different ways:
- Who are your main competitors in the industry?
- List a few competitor strategies that you find challenging to implement.
- How do you differentiate your products or services from those of your competitors?
It’s best to choose the ‘Paragraph’ format for this question.
Step 7: Add fields for budget info
Next, you should inquire about the client’s budget for the services they seek. This is important for both parties. Knowing and committing to a number helps allocate resources more efficiently in longer-term associations. It also sets clear expectations on both sides.
Add a new question asking about the client’s budget. Depending on your business and industry, you may want to select the multiple-choice format with budget ranges or a short answer format for a definitive number.
Step 8: Create PDF client intake forms
With that, you’ve successfully made an effective client intake form. To turn this into a printable PDF, you only need a handy add-on called Form Publisher. Form Publisher will not only let you create PDF forms but also convert filled forms with responses into PDF documents for safekeeping.
Create free client intake forms using Form Publisher
If you’re creating forms, you simply can’t go wrong by adding Form Publisher. With Form Publisher and Google Forms working together, your client intake forms will always be a notch above.
Form Publisher allows you to take everything that Google Forms offers a notch above. You can turn your forms into documents, store the responses automatically in a predefined folder in your Drive, generate documents from collected data in spreadsheets, and lots more. Explore all that Form Publisher can do for you.