- Ask only questions whose answers change what happens next.
- Choices beat blank boxes, especially on a phone.
- Order matters: easy and interesting first, contact details near the end.
- If nobody on your team reads an answer, remove the question.
The test for every question
Before a question goes on the form, ask what you’ll do differently with the answer. If the answer routes the lead, changes the price range, or prepares your estimator for the visit, keep it. If it just feels thorough, cut it.
Forms grow by committee. Someone wants to know how the homeowner heard about you, someone else wants the age of the house. Your tracking already knows the source, and the house age can wait for the visit.
A question bank, grouped by purpose
Pick from each group. You won’t need all of them on one form.
- Routing: Which project are you planning? (show your job types as buttons)
- Scope: How big is it? (rooms, square footage bands, or stories)
- Condition: What’s going on now? (leak, worn out, upgrading, new build)
- Area: What’s the ZIP code of the project?
- Timing: When do you want this done? (ASAP, 1–3 months, 3–6 months, just planning)
- Budget: Which range fits what you have in mind? (three or four bands from your real jobs)
- Contact: Name, mobile number, email, and a clear checkbox to agree to texts
Order: earn the contact details
Start with the project. It’s easy, it’s about them, and it gets them invested. Move to scope and timing. Ask budget once they’ve told you enough that the question feels reasonable.
Ask for contact details last on most forms. By then the homeowner has put in effort and wants the result. If you show a price range at the end, ask for contact details right before it.
Wording that keeps people going
Small wording changes decide whether a homeowner finishes or leaves halfway.
- “Which range fits what you have in mind?” instead of “What is your budget?”
- “When are you hoping to start?” instead of “Project start date (required)”
- “Best number to text you” instead of “Phone”
- Tap-to-select buttons instead of dropdowns and open fields
- A short line under sensitive questions saying why you ask
What to leave off
These questions add effort without changing what you do next.
- How did you hear about us? Your ad tracking should answer this
- Full street address before you’ve booked anything. ZIP is enough to start
- Long open text boxes as required fields
- Questions your estimator answers better on site, like exact measurements
Use the answers, or stop asking
Every answer should land somewhere useful: in the text your team gets, on the calendar invite, in the CRM record. A homeowner who told you their timeline and then gets asked it again on the phone feels unheard.
Review the form every few months. Look at which questions people quit on, and which answers your estimators actually use. Cut the rest.
