Quotes and enquiries
Request a quote form: collect what you need before you price the job
A good request a quote form turns a vague enquiry into a usable brief. It should collect the details that genuinely affect price without forcing every customer through a long questionnaire.
By Formni · Updated · Editorial standards
Quick answer
Ask for contact details, the service or job required, a clear description of the scope, location where relevant, preferred timing, budget information if your business uses it, and optional files or photos that help you understand the work.
Fields to include
- Customer name and a reliable contact method
- Service, product or type of work required
- A short but specific description of the request
- Location, postcode or service area when price or availability depends on it
- Preferred start date, deadline or urgency
- Budget range only when it changes how you qualify or price the enquiry
- Quantities, measurements or specifications where they affect the quote
- Optional photos, plans or reference files when they reduce follow-up questions
- A final notes field for anything the structured questions did not cover
Example questions you can adapt
These are suggested additions. The linked starter form does not contain every field below; add only the questions your team will use.
| Question to ask | How to use the answer |
|---|---|
| What would you like us to quote for? | Routes the enquiry to the right service or team. |
| Please describe the work or requirement. | Captures the scope in the customer’s own words. |
| Where will the work take place? | Helps with service-area, travel or delivery decisions. |
| When would you like the work to start or be completed? | Shows urgency and whether the timeline is realistic. |
| What budget range are you working with? | Use only when budget genuinely changes the solution or qualification process. |
| Do you have photos, plans or specifications to share? | Can reduce unnecessary calls or site visits for visual work. |
A quote request is not the same as a final quote
The form should collect enough information to decide the next step. It does not need to calculate a binding price unless your pricing rules are genuinely complete and automated.
For many services, staff still need to review the scope, confirm availability, check measurements or ask one or two follow-up questions before giving a price. Make that clear in the form so customers do not mistake submission for acceptance of the job.
Keep the form shorter than your internal checklist
Only ask the customer for information they can reasonably know before speaking to you. Internal questions such as margin, lead quality, scheduling notes or who should own the enquiry belong in your response workflow, not in the public form.
If a question is useful only for one service, use conditional logic so it appears only when relevant. This keeps the form easier to finish while still collecting detailed information for complex jobs.
Use files only when they save real back-and-forth
Photos, sketches and specifications can be valuable for trades, agencies, custom manufacturing and other visual or specification-heavy work. Tell customers what kind of file will help rather than adding a generic upload field with no guidance.
Keep uploads optional when they are not required for every enquiry. A customer with a simple request should not be blocked because they do not have a file ready.
What should happen after someone requests a quote?
Send or show a confirmation that the request was received and explain what happens next. If your team reviews enquiries manually, say that a member of the team will check the details before confirming price or availability.
Route the response to the right person, review the information, request anything genuinely missing, then provide the quote using the process your business normally follows. The form is the intake step; it should make that process faster rather than pretend to replace it.
Use the free Formni template
Open the ready-made form, change the questions to match your workflow, preview it and publish your own version. You can customise the form before creating an account.
Open the free quote request template