Client Intake Form Template

A client intake form collects everything you need from a new client once, at the start, so you never ask for the same thing twice. Copy the template below, send it right after the contract is signed, and use the answers to set up the project before kickoff.

The client intake form template

Group the questions so the client can answer them in one sitting. Every field has a one-line hint.

CLIENT INTAKE FORM

ABOUT YOU

Company name
  As it should appear on invoices and in the work.

Website and social accounts
  Links to everything that's live today.

What you do
  One or two sentences, in your own words.

Your customers
  Who buys from you, and why they choose you.

Competitors
  Two or three businesses you compete with or get compared to.

PEOPLE

Main contact
  Who we talk to day to day. Name, email, phone.

Approver
  Who gives the final yes on work. Name and email.

Billing contact
  Who receives invoices, if different.

Others to keep in the loop
  Anyone who should see updates but doesn't approve.

THE WORK

What you've hired us for
  In your words, what you expect from us.

What success looks like
  How you'll judge this went well in six months.

Deadlines and key dates
  Launches, events, busy seasons or holidays we should know about.

Budget
  Confirm the agreed fee or monthly retainer.

BRAND AND FILES

Brand files
  Logo files, fonts, colors and guidelines. Attach or link.

Photos and content
  Any images, copy or past work we can use.

Accounts we'll need
  List the tools we need access to. We'll send a secure way to share access.

WORKING TOGETHER

How you prefer to send requests
  Email, a portal, calls. Whatever is easiest for you.

Response time
  How quickly you can usually review and reply.

Anything else
  Past agency experiences, worries, or things you'd like done differently.

Note the "accounts we'll need" field asks for a list, not passwords. Never collect logins in a form or an email.

What each section is for

The form is split into five sections so the client can see how much is left, and so each answer goes to the right place on your side.

• About you shapes the work. "What you do" in the client's own words often becomes the first draft of a homepage line or a social bio. "Your customers" tells you who the work is really for, which is not always who the client thinks.
• People prevents the most common delay in client work: not knowing who decides. Ask for the main contact and the approver separately, because they're often different people, and the approver is usually busier.
• The work sets expectations. "What success looks like" gives you something to report against later, and "Deadlines and key dates" stops a busy season or holiday catching you out.
• Brand and files is where most forms fail. Ask for files to be attached or linked, not described, so you know on day one what's missing.
• Working together tells you how to run the account. A client who prefers email and replies in two days needs a different rhythm from one who answers the same afternoon.

New client questionnaire vs client onboarding form

People use these names for the same thing, but it helps to split them.

• A new client questionnaire is about the business: what they do, who they sell to, what they want. It shapes the work.
• A client onboarding form is about logistics: contacts, approvers, billing, files and access. It shapes how you work together.

The template above covers both in one form, which most small teams prefer. If your form gets long, send the questionnaire before kickoff and the logistics part on day one. For everything that happens after the form comes back, see our client onboarding checklist for agencies.

Website design questionnaire add-on

If the engagement is a website, add these to the intake form.

WEBSITE DESIGN QUESTIONNAIRE

Current site
  What works, what doesn't, and what you'd keep.

Main action
  The one thing visitors should do on the new site.

Pages
  The pages you expect. Mark the most important.

Sites you like
  Two or three links, and one line on why.

Content status
  Who writes the copy, and is it ready?

Platform and tools
  Any platform, booking tool, shop or forms the site needs.

Domain and hosting
  Who manages the domain and hosting today.

A filled-in example

Here's the core form filled in for a small marketing agency's new retainer client, a family-run physiotherapy clinic.

• Company name: Riverside Physio
• Website and social accounts: riversidephysio.example, Instagram and Facebook pages
• What you do: Physiotherapy and sports injury rehab, two clinics in one town.
• Your customers: Runners, older patients after surgery, and office workers with back pain. They choose us because we're fast to book.
• Competitors: Two clinic chains in the same town.
• Main contact: Elena, practice manager.
• Approver: Dr. James Hale, owner.
• Billing contact: Elena.
• Others to keep in the loop: The front desk lead, for anything about bookings.
• What you've hired us for: Monthly social content and two email newsletters a month.
• What success looks like: More new patients booking online, fewer phone bookings.
• Deadlines and key dates: New clinic opening in September. August is quiet.
• Budget: Monthly retainer as agreed.
• Brand files: Logo attached, no written guidelines.
• Photos and content: A photo shoot from last year, link attached.
• Accounts we'll need: Instagram, Facebook, the email newsletter tool.
• How you prefer to send requests: Email. "We're not great with new tools."
• Response time: Usually within two days. James is slower.
• Anything else: The last agency posted without approval. "We want to see everything first."

Two lines in there change how you run the account: the approver is slow, and the client wants to approve every post. Plan for both from week one: send drafts earlier than you normally would, and agree a set day each week for James to review.

How to use it

1. Send it the day the contract is signed, while the client is still keen. A week later it competes with everything else.
2. Pre-fill what you already know from the sales calls, so the client only confirms it.
3. Give a deadline, two or three working days before kickoff, and say why: "so we can start on day one."
4. Review it before kickoff. Flag anything missing and ask for it in one short message, not ten.
5. Confirm the approver in writing. The client's main contact and the approver both sign off on the intake summary, so nobody is surprised later about who has the final say.

Common mistakes

• Sending it too late. If kickoff happens before the form comes back, you'll run the project on guesses.
• Asking for passwords. Ask which accounts you need, then share access a safer way.
• Making it a 50-question survey. Ask what you'll use in the first month. The rest can come later.
• Filing it and forgetting it. The answers are only useful if the team reads them. Share a short summary with everyone working on the account before kickoff, and keep the form where people will look for it.

How Dora does this for you

Even a good intake form gets half-filled. The client answers the easy parts and leaves "brand files" and "approver" blank.

With Dora, each client gets their own branded client portal, and clients can send requests from the portal, by email or from their own AI tool. When the first request comes in, Dora writes the brief from it and asks only for what's missing. If the client goes quiet, she follows up. Files and decisions stay on record, so nobody asks for the logo twice, and the client approves work in one click. If nobody replies, it auto-approves after a few days.

Every hour you spend chasing intake answers is an hour you don't bill. See how Dora works as your AI account manager. Your first client is free, then $10 per client per month with unlimited team seats. See pricing.

Frequently asked questions

What should a client intake form include?

The client's business details, who their customers and competitors are, the main contact, the approver and the billing contact, what they hired you for, what success looks like, key dates, budget, brand files, the accounts you'll need access to, and how they prefer to work.

When should you send a client intake form?

The day the contract is signed, with a deadline two or three working days before kickoff. That gives you time to review the answers and ask for anything missing before the work starts.

Is a client intake form the same as a client onboarding form?

The names are often used for the same thing. A useful split: a new client questionnaire is about the business and shapes the work, and an onboarding form covers logistics like contacts, billing, files and access. Many small teams combine both into one form.

Should a client intake form ask for passwords?

No. Ask which accounts you'll need access to, then share access a safer way, such as an invite to the account or a password manager. Logins sent in a form or an email can end up anywhere.

What goes in a website design questionnaire?

What works and doesn't on the current site, the one main action visitors should take, the pages needed, sites the client likes, who writes the copy, any platform or tools the site needs, and who manages the domain and hosting.