Collect the minimum routing information
Start with contact details, requested service, job location and a plain-language description. Ask for a preferred contact method and timing only when the team can honour it. Explain whether the business will call, request more information or propose a visit.
Use service choices customers recognise. Internal trade terminology may cause inaccurate selections. Always provide an ‘other’ route and a free-text description so an unusual but suitable job is not blocked.
- Name and reliable contact route
- Service category in customer language
- Postcode or locality needed for coverage
- Short description and next-step expectation
Add questions that change the response
Qualification fields should influence routing, priority or preparation. Depending on the trade, this may include property type, approximate dimensions, occupied status, urgency, access restrictions or whether a decision maker is involved. Avoid asking for a budget unless the answer will be used consistently and its purpose is clear.
Separate emergencies from ordinary quote requests. If no emergency service exists, state that clearly and direct users to an appropriate channel rather than letting the form imply immediate monitoring.
- Job scale or property type
- Relevant access and safety constraints
- Realistic timing or urgency
- Decision stage where operationally useful
Use photos only when they improve triage
Photos can reveal access, condition and scale, but customers need simple instructions about what to show. Make uploads optional unless the business truly cannot assess a request without them. State accepted file types, size limits and whether personal or sensitive details should be excluded.
Treat uploads as customer data. Limit access, storage and retention to what the process needs. Staff should not rely on images for conclusions that require an inspection.
- Wide view and relevant detail
- No people or unrelated private information
- Clear file limits and upload status
- Inspection caveat where necessary
Test the process after submission
Confirm the request on screen and, where appropriate, by email without exposing sensitive details. Send the complete context to a monitored destination, preserve the originating service page and define who responds during absence or holidays.
Run test submissions on phone and desktop for every language. Check validation, spam controls, attachments, notifications, CRM records and consent behaviour. Review rejected and unsuitable enquiries periodically to improve wording rather than adding fields reflexively.
- Successful and failed submission tests
- Notification and backup owner
- Source page and service context
- Review of qualification outcomes
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
Should a quote form ask for the customer's budget?
Only if the answer changes routing or scope and the business can explain why it is needed. Service, scale, location and timing often provide better first-stage qualification.
Should photo uploads be mandatory?
Usually not. Make them optional unless the trade cannot sensibly triage the request without images, and give clear privacy and file guidance.
Can the form promise a quote?
Only if the submitted information is sufficient for the business to price responsibly. Otherwise promise a review, call or site-visit decision rather than a binding quote.