What should an inquiry form ask?
Choose questions that change your first reply, write permanent labels and test the route from a submitted form to the receiving mailbox.
Start with a reply address and a short description of the request. A name helps you address the reply. Add other questions only when you need the answer to assess the work or respond.
Ask what changes your first reply
For a commercial shoot, location and intended use may determine whether you can take it on. For a brand project, the service being launched may matter more than a precise date. Take a recent inquiry and remove each proposed field in turn. Could you still give a sensible first reply?
| Question | Why ask it? | Suggested use |
|---|---|---|
| Email address | Have somewhere to send the reply. | Required when you will reply by email. |
| Name | Know how to address the person. | Ask for the name they want you to use; decide whether you need to require it. |
| What do you have in mind? | Understand the request in the visitor’s words. | Required, with a short example or hint. |
| Business or website | Give useful context without asking for a company biography. | Optional unless essential to your service. |
| Timing or location | Check availability or practical fit. | Ask when it changes the response; allow uncertainty. |
| Budget range | Check scope expectations. | Use when needed, and offer “not decided.” |
If you need a phone number, explain the reason. If an assistant may inquire on someone else’s behalf, let them use their own reply details. Ask for a broad location when that is enough; a private address can wait.
A professional office can use its first form to arrange a conversation and explain how detailed material should be shared later. Do not invite confidential files into a general website form simply because the template has an upload button.
Write the first-contact instructions with the person who receives the messages. For example: “Briefly describe the kind of help you need. Please leave out confidential details and attachments at this stage.” A legal practice should approve its own wording and next steps before that text is published.
Keep the label visible after someone starts typing
Keep a visible label associated with each field. Place an example in the placeholder if it helps, and mark optional questions. Explain errors in words, keep the other answers and avoid relying on colour alone. The W3C forms tutorial covers labels, instructions and feedback.
Use a button such as “Send inquiry,” then say who receives it and what happens next. Offer a direct email address if the form fails. Publish a response time only if someone is responsible for meeting it.
Test delivery, not just the success message
For a form that sends email, check both ends. A page can display a success message before anyone has confirmed that the message reached the intended mailbox.
- Submit a clearly labelled test using an address you control.
- Check the recipient mailbox, including junk, and the reply address.
- Reply to it and confirm the reply arrives.
- Try an invalid email and a failed connection. Check that the page explains what to do and preserves the answers.
Repeat this check after changing the domain, mail provider or form service. Record the test time and result. Use fictional project details and an address you control.
Make the first reply useful
Thanks for the outline. Could you confirm the location, intended use and preferred date? We need those details to check availability and outline the work.
Adapt that example to the request. Remove any question the person has already answered. If you cannot help, say so before asking for a longer brief.