Online Business Card Enquiry Form: Get Leads You Can Quote
By Online Business Cards Editorial Team | Published | Updated | Online business cards for local businesses
Which questions to ask so every enquiry arrives ready to price, field lists for common trades, what to leave out, the UK GDPR basics, reply templates and exporting your leads.
"Can you give me a price?" is the most common message a trade or service business gets, and the hardest to answer from one line of text. Without a postcode, you do not know if the job is in your area. Without the job type, you cannot guess the time it will take. So the first reply is always another question, and some customers give up and ask someone else.
An enquiry form on your online business card fixes that. It asks the few questions you need before you can quote, so each lead arrives ready to price. This guide shows which fields to ask for in common trades, what to leave out, the UK GDPR basics for the details you collect, how to reply fast, and how to export your leads.
Enquiries, forms, contact leads, a CRM and export come with the online business card with bookings and enquiries, our Business Plan at £90, paid once.
What a good enquiry form does
A good form has one job: to give you enough to reply with a price, a price range or a time to visit. It should take a customer a minute or two on their phone. Keep these rules in mind.
- Ask only what you need to quote. Every extra field loses some customers.
- Use the customer's words. "What do you need doing?" is better than "Scope of works".
- Make most fields optional. Require only name, one contact method, postcode and job type.
- Offer choices where you can. A short list of job types is quicker than a blank box, and gives you tidier leads.
- Say what happens next. Under the button: "We reply within one working day with a price or a time to visit." Only promise what you can keep.
Fields that work for common trades
Start with the same four core fields for everyone: name, phone or email, postcode, and job type. Then add two or three trade-specific questions.
- Plumbing and heating: job type (boiler service, repair, new boiler, leak, bathroom), boiler make if known, how urgent it is, and when you can be reached.
- Electrician: job type (safety check, extra sockets, rewire, EV charger, fault finding), property type, and roughly when they want the work done.
- Decorator: which rooms or areas, inside or outside, rough size, and the earliest start date.
- Cleaner: property size, one-off or regular, how often, and the start date.
- Gardener or landscaper: type of work, rough size of the garden, and whether there is side access.
- Tutor: subject, level or exam board, in person or online, and the days that suit.
Photos
Photos save a site visit for many trades: a dripping valve, a damp patch, a fuse box. If your form lets customers attach a photo, ask for one, and say which angle helps. If it does not, add a line to the form's final message: "If a photo would help, send it to us on WhatsApp with your postcode."
Preferred contact time
Add a simple choice: morning, afternoon, evening, or any time. People at work often cannot answer a midday call. Calling when they asked you to is a quick way to win the job.
Example: an electrician's enquiry form
This is an Example for a made-up electrician, not a real customer.
- Your name (required)
- Phone or email (required)
- Postcode (required). Help text: "We cover Bristol and Bath."
- What do you need? (required) Safety check, Extra sockets or lights, Rewire, EV charger, Fault or tripping, Something else.
- Type of property: House, Flat, Business premises.
- When would you like it done? As soon as possible, Within a month, Just getting prices.
- Anything else we should know? (optional, one short box)
- Best time to call: Morning, Afternoon, Evening, Any time.
- Button: "Ask for a price".
- After sending: "Thanks. We reply within one working day. Photos help: send them on WhatsApp with your postcode."
What not to ask
Leave these out unless you have a clear reason.
- Date of birth or age. You do not need it to quote.
- Full address. A postcode is enough until the customer books.
- Bank or card details. Never collect these in a form.
- Health details. These count as special category data under UK GDPR, which carries stricter rules. If you genuinely need health information, for example for a therapy service, take advice first.
- A pre-ticked marketing box. Consent to marketing must be a clear, separate choice.
- "How did you hear about us?" as a required field. Make it optional or ask later.
The UK GDPR basics for enquiries
You are collecting personal data, so UK GDPR applies. For a small business taking enquiries, the basics are manageable.
- Say who you are and why you are asking. Add a short line under the form: "We use these details only to reply to your enquiry and quote for the job." Link to your privacy notice if you have one.
- Use the details for that purpose. Replying to a request for a quote is a normal reason to use someone's details. Adding them to a marketing list is a different purpose and needs its own basis, usually consent.
- Keep only what you need, for as long as you need it. Decide how long you keep enquiries that do not turn into work, and delete them after that.
- Keep it secure. Use a strong password on your dashboard, and do not leave exported files lying around on shared computers.
The ICO has a free data protection self-assessment for small business owners and sole traders, and its guidance on collecting information and generating leads explains what to tell people. Our own guide to digital business card leads and UK GDPR covers consent wording and how long to keep leads, in plain terms.
Form, email link or WhatsApp?
Enquiry form on your card | Email link | WhatsApp button
What you receive | The answers you asked for, in the same order each time | Whatever the customer writes | Whatever the customer writes, often in several short messages
Ready to quote | Usually, if the form asks the right questions | Often needs a follow-up question | Often needs a follow-up question
Photos | If your form supports attachments; otherwise ask by WhatsApp | Yes, as attachments | Yes, easily
Saved as a lead | Yes, in contact leads and the CRM (Business Plan) | In your inbox only | In your chats only
Export | Yes, on the Business Plan | No | No
Best for | Jobs you price from a few facts | Longer, detailed requests | Quick questions and photos
Most businesses do best with a form plus a WhatsApp button. The form handles new jobs. WhatsApp handles quick questions and photos.
Reply fast, and reply well
Customers asking for prices often ask more than one business. The first clear reply has an advantage. Aim to reply the same working day.
A good first reply does three things: thanks them, gives a price, a range or the next step, and makes it easy to say yes.
> "Hi Priya, thanks for your enquiry about two extra sockets in your kitchen in BS6. For a job like this we usually quote after a quick look. We can visit on Tuesday at 5.30pm or Thursday at 8am. Which suits you?"
Save two or three reply templates for your most common jobs. Edit the details each time so the reply never reads like a form letter.
Managing and exporting your leads
On the Business Plan, form enquiries are saved as contact leads, and you can track them in the CRM. Mark each one as you go: new, quoted, booked or not going ahead. Look at the list once a week, and follow up quotes you have not heard back about.
Export lets you download your leads, for example to bring them into your accounts software or your own spreadsheet. Store exported files somewhere secure, and delete old exports you no longer need. Our guide to online business card analytics shows a ten-minute weekly routine for checking which enquiries became work.
If you also take bookings, our guide to an online business card with booking explains how to set up services and timings. More guides for local businesses are in the journal.
Frequently asked questions
Which plan includes an enquiry form?
The Business Plan, at £90 paid once. It includes enquiries and custom forms, contact leads, a CRM and export, along with bookings, a reviews button, subscribers and a card scanner. Brand Presence (£45 one-off) has contact buttons but no forms.
What fields should an enquiry form have?
Name, a phone number or email, postcode and job type, plus two or three questions you need to quote for your trade. Add a preferred contact time. Keep everything else optional.
Can customers send photos through the form?
If your form supports attachments, yes, so ask for the photo that helps you most. If it does not, ask customers to send photos on WhatsApp with their postcode after they submit the form.
Do I need consent to reply to an enquiry?
You can use the details to reply to the request the customer made. Adding them to a marketing list is a separate purpose, and usually needs their clear consent. Tell people on the form what you will use their details for.
How long should I keep enquiries?
Only as long as you need them. Decide on a period for enquiries that do not become work, for example a few months, then delete them. Keep jobs you did for as long as your records and accounts require.
Can I export my leads?
Yes, on the Business Plan. Export downloads your leads so you can use them in a spreadsheet or other software. Keep exported files secure and delete them when you no longer need them.