The first week with a new client is often spent chasing information: the billing address for the invoice, the name of the person who actually approves things, the login for the website, the brand files someone "will send over." Each request is small. Together they delay the start by days and make you look less organized than you are.
A client intake form collects all of it in one pass. This template is a general-purpose version for freelancers and small studios across disciplines: design, development, marketing, writing, consulting and admin support. Delete the sections you don't need, and add one or two questions specific to your service.
TL;DR
The client intake form template is a downloadable questionnaire covering business and billing details, contacts and decision-makers, project goals, scope, budget range, timeline, existing assets and access, past providers, and communication preferences. Send a short version before the discovery call and the full version once the client signs. Keep it to 10-15 minutes to complete, and use the answers to fill your proposal and first invoice.
What's inside
- Business details — legal name, trading name, address, tax ID and website.
- Contacts and roles — main contact, decision-maker, billing contact.
- About the business — what they do, who their customers are, and what sets them apart.
- Project goals — the problem, the outcome they want, and how they'll measure it.
- Scope and priorities — what they think they need and what matters most.
- Budget and timeline — budget band, hard deadlines and launch dates.
- Existing assets and access — brand files, accounts and logins to share later.
- History — previous providers and what didn't work.
- Communication preferences — channels, response expectations and meeting times.
- Anything else — an open question that often surfaces the real concern.
When to use it
Use the short version (sections 1, 2, 4 and 6) as a qualifying step when a new inquiry arrives. It tells you whether the budget and timeline fit before you spend an hour on a call. Then use the full version after signing, as part of your onboarding. The client onboarding checklist shows where it fits among the other first-week steps.
For specialized projects, a discipline-specific questionnaire works better than a general form: the brand questionnaire for identity work, the website questionnaire for site builds, or the wedding planning questionnaire for weddings.
How to get clients to actually complete it
Tell them why. One line at the top explaining that the form replaces a dozen emails gets better completion than a bare list of questions.
Make it editable. Send it as a Word or Google Doc, or a fillable PDF. Clients won't print and scan.
Pre-fill what you know. If you already have their name and website, fill them in. It signals the form is personal, not generic.
Set a deadline tied to the start date. "Please return by Thursday so we can start on Monday" works better than "when you get a chance."
Never ask for passwords in the form. Ask which accounts exist and who owns them, then arrange access through the platform's own sharing or a password manager.
Follow up once, then call. If the form hasn't come back two days before the deadline, send one short nudge. If it still hasn't arrived, book 20 minutes and fill it in together on the call. Some clients simply prefer talking to typing, and the project start matters more than the method. The client onboarding guide covers the rest of the first-week sequence.
Customize it in your COLO workspace
COLO doesn't host intake forms, so download this template and send it as a file. Once you have the answers, add the client in COLO client management and create their project. Clients can upload the completed form and their brand files through the client portal, and you can keep those files with the project so the whole team works from the same answers.
Common mistakes
- Asking everything up front. A 60-question form before the first call scares off good clients.
- No budget question. You end up writing proposals for clients who were never going to afford them.
- Skipping the decision-maker question. The person filling in the form is often not the person who signs off.
- Collecting credentials in a document. It ends up in email threads forever.
- Not reading it before the call. Clients notice when you ask what they already wrote down.
FAQ
Q: What is a client intake form?
A client intake form is a questionnaire a new client fills in before the project starts. It collects the practical details you need to quote, plan and invoice: who they are, who decides, what they want, what they can spend and when they need it.
Q: When should I send a client intake form?
Send it either right after the first inquiry, as a short qualifying version, or right after the client signs, as a full onboarding version. Many freelancers send a short form before the discovery call and a longer one after the contract.
Q: How long should an intake form be?
Short enough to finish in 10 to 15 minutes. Ask only for information you will actually use. Anything you can learn faster on a call, such as nuance about goals, is better asked live.
Q: Should I ask about budget on an intake form?
Yes. A budget range question with three or four bands saves you from writing proposals clients can't afford. Phrase it neutrally and include an option for not sure yet.
Q: What do I do with the answers?
Use them to prepare for the discovery call, set up the client and project records, write the proposal scope, and fill in billing details on the contract and first invoice. Keep the completed form with the project files.