What to ask on an enquiry form for a service business

Every question on your enquiry form should help someone reply well. If nobody uses an answer, the question is extra work for the visitor and leaves your business holding information it doesn't need.

This guide is for owners of small service businesses who are rewriting an enquiry form. It helps you decide which questions to ask now, which can wait until you're talking to the customer, and how to word each one. It includes a question check card you can copy, with an illustrative example.

There is no ideal number of questions. The right form depends on what the person replying needs to know first.

Start from the reply, not the form

Before you add or remove any question, picture the person who will answer the enquiry. Ask yourself:

• What do they need to send a useful first reply?
• Which answers would change what they say or do?
• What can they reasonably ask once the conversation has started?

The GOV.UK Design System's guidance on question pages is written for government services, but its starting point works well here. Know why you're asking every question, and only ask for information you really need.

The same idea runs through UK data protection law. The ICO's data minimisation guidance explains that personal data should be adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary. It also says you must not collect personal data on the off-chance that it might be useful in the future. At the time of checking (October 2026), the ICO marked that guidance as under review following the Data (Use and Access) Act.

Common questions, and when each is worth asking

These are options to consider, not a fixed set. Some won't apply to your service at all.

How should we reply?

You need at least one way to get back to the person. Rather than requiring both email and phone, consider letting them choose. GOV.UK's guidance on phone numbers suggests giving people a choice about how they can be contacted.

• Email address. Make it clear what you'll use it for, as GOV.UK's email address guidance recommends. For example: "We'll use this to reply to your enquiry."
• Phone number. GOV.UK suggests only collecting a phone number if you genuinely need it, and telling people why and when you might call. For example: "Phone number (optional). We'll only call if it's quicker to talk through the details, during office hours."

What do you need help with?

This is usually the most useful question on the form. A short list of your services can help the right person pick it up. Add a free-text box so people can describe the job in their own words. Include an option such as "Not sure" if a visitor might not know which service fits. GOV.UK recommends allowing "I do not know" or "I'm not sure" when they're valid answers.

Where?

Ask about location only if it changes your answer, for example if you only cover certain areas. A town or postcode area may be enough to tell you whether you can help. A full address can usually wait.

When?

Timing helps if it affects whether you can take the work on. Keep it simple, such as "As soon as possible", "Within the next month", "Later" and "Not sure yet". Make it optional if the person replying doesn't need it to respond.

Their name

A name makes it easier to reply politely and to spot the same person getting in touch twice. Even so, decide whether you need it to reply. If you don't, it can be optional.

Questions that can usually wait

Some questions are better asked once you're talking to the customer:

• Detailed budget. Many people won't know a figure until they understand the options. A required budget box may produce guesses, and you may not need it to send a useful first reply.
• Full address. You usually need this only once a visit or job is agreed. Until then, a town or postcode area may be enough.
• Documents, photos and uploads. These can help in some trades. But every file is more personal information to store, protect and eventually delete. Ask for them once you know you need them, and agree how they'll be sent.
• Sensitive details. Don't ask for things like health information on a general enquiry form. If your service could involve that kind of information, get advice on how to handle it before you add any question about it.

Ask for each piece of information once. GOV.UK's question-page guidance says to ask for a piece of information only once within a single journey. If your form asks for a postcode, don't ask the customer for it again on the first call.

Labels and wording

Each field needs a visible label. The keyboard and label checks are covered in our website redesign checklist. For the questions themselves:

• Mark optional fields. GOV.UK recommends adding "(optional)" to the label of an optional field.
• Say why you're asking wherever the reason isn't obvious, especially for phone numbers.
• Use your customers' words. Write "What do you need help with?" rather than "Service requirement".

A tick box is not a shortcut

Some guides suggest a consent tick box to make a form "GDPR compliant". A tick box doesn't do that on its own. What matters is collecting only what you need, telling people how you'll use it, and having a proper reason to use it. Choosing the questions carefully is part of that work. If you're unsure what applies to your business, read the ICO's guidance or get advice.

Say honestly what happens next

The form's confirmation message should tell people what to expect, without promising more than you can deliver.

• Make clear this is a request, not a booking. Sending a form does not book a call unless a separate booking step confirms one.
• Only promise a reply time you can keep in a normal busy week. If you're not sure, describe the next step instead.

Here is an example you can adapt:

Thanks, we've received your enquiry. This isn't a booking yet. We'll reply by your chosen method and let you know the next step.

Use the question check card

The card makes you justify each question before it goes on the form. Fill in one for every question on your current form, and for any you're thinking of adding.

1. Copy the blank card into a document or spreadsheet, one card per question.
2. Fill it in with the person who replies to enquiries, not on your own.
3. If nobody uses the answer, remove the question.
4. If the answer is used only later in the conversation, mark it "ask later" and take it off the form.
5. For each question that stays, decide whether it's required or optional, and whether the visitor needs to see the reason.

Illustrative example

Illustrative only: an invented two-person electrical contractor, not a real business or a recommended set of fields.

In this invented example, the form keeps six questions, and the contact field changes with the reply method chosen. Photos come off the form, because the first reply doesn't need them.

Test the form after you change it

When the new questions are live, send a clearly marked test enquiry and check what the visitor sees and what your team receives. The manual enquiry test in our website redesign checklist walks you through it. Once enquiries arrive, our guide to managing customer enquiries covers ownership, response times and follow-up.

ScalePass helps service businesses connect their website, enquiries and everyday work. If you'd like help rewriting your enquiry form and checking where it sends, see how we approach websites.

In short

Ask what the person replying needs, and no more. Let people choose how you contact them, and explain why you're asking for a phone number. Mark optional fields "(optional)", and allow "Not sure" where it's a fair answer. Leave detailed budgets, full addresses and uploads until you need them. Say honestly what happens next, and never imply that an enquiry is a booking. Use the question check card to justify every question before it goes on the form.