Doing this more than once? Slashit keeps your intake questions a shortcut away, ready to paste as a reply to any new enquiry.
Use this in Slashit AppFree Client Intake Form Generator
A set of intake questions that tells you quickly whether an enquiry is worth a call — what they need, why now, what budget they're working with and who else decides. Saves the hour you'd spend finding out on a call.
Built by Slashit · Last updated 27 September 2026
What is the client intake form generator?
A client intake form is the short set of questions you put in front of a new enquiry before booking a call. It asks what they need, what is prompting it now, what a good outcome looks like, whether there is a deadline, what budget range they are working with, and who else is involved in the decision. It is not the same as a discovery questionnaire, which comes later and goes much deeper. An intake form has one job: work out quickly whether this is worth an hour of your time, and give the person a straight answer either way.
How our free client intake form generator works
Say who you are and what you do
Your name or business, and the kind of work you take on. It frames the questions.
Get the standard sections
About them, about the work, and the practicalities — generated for you.
Add your own questions
Anything specific to your field or to the kind of enquiry you keep having to chase.
Publish it or paste it
Copy the questions into your contact form, or send them as an email reply to a new enquiry.
What can you use the client intake form generator for?
Replacing a bare contact form
'Name, email, message' gets you enquiries you cannot act on. Five questions get you enquiries you can.
An enquiry with no detail
Reply with the intake questions instead of a call invitation. The reply tells you whether to bother.
Too many enquiries, not enough time
The form does the first pass, so calls are reserved for real prospects.
Recommending someone else
A good intake process means you can decline usefully, with a pointer. People remember that.
Who uses our free client intake form generator?
Freelancers
Stop spending an hour on a call to find out there is no budget.
Agencies
Route enquiries to the right person, with the facts already gathered.
Coaches and consultants
Filter for people who are ready to start rather than gathering ideas.
Anyone whose contact form just says 'message'
A one-line enquiry always takes three emails to become useful.
Why use the client intake form generator?
Asks for a budget range
Awkward on a call, easy in a form. It is the single most useful filter you have.
Asks who else decides
A conversation with someone who cannot approve anything is a conversation you will have to have again.
Promises an answer either way
It ends by committing to reply within two working days, including a no. That is why people fill it in.
Intake form or discovery questionnaire?
Two different jobs, sent at two different times.
| Intake form | Discovery questionnaire | |
|---|---|---|
| When | At the first enquiry | Once they are a client |
| Length | 5–6 questions | 10–15 questions |
| Purpose | Decide whether to take the call | Understand the project properly |
| Key question | What budget are you working with? | What made you start looking now? |
Tips for getting the best results
Ask for a range, not a number
'Under $2k / $2–5k / $5–10k / more' is answerable. 'What is your budget?' often is not.
Keep it to five or six questions
This is a filter, not a discovery session. Long forms lose the good enquiries along with the bad.
Ask what is prompting it now
The most informative question in the form. It tells you whether anything is actually driving a decision.
Always reply, including with a no
A prompt, kind no is remembered, and it comes back as a referral more often than you would expect.
Say rough answers are fine
Otherwise the people who are busiest — often your best clients — will put it off.
Frequently asked questions
What is a client intake form?
A short set of questions sent to a new enquiry to establish what they need, how urgent it is, what they can spend and who makes the decision.
Is it the same as a discovery questionnaire?
No. Intake is a filter at the enquiry stage. Discovery is the deeper set of questions you ask once someone is a client.
Should I ask about budget in an intake form?
Yes, as a range. It is the most efficient filter available, and people are far more willing to answer it in writing than on a call.
Will a form put people off?
A short one will not put off anyone serious. It filters out the enquiries that were never going to become work, which is the point.
How many questions is too many?
More than about eight at the enquiry stage. Save the rest for discovery, once there is a project to discuss.
What do I do with a poor-fit enquiry?
Reply promptly, say no clearly, and point them somewhere better if you can. It costs two minutes and generates referrals.
