Set Up Your Coaching Intake Form + 14 Customizable Questions

Getting your first life coaching client can make any coach feel like jumping for joy.

And the more clients you book, the more confident you become that you can grow your coaching business, become more profitable, and live the lifestyle you truly want.

But once the clients start piling up, things can start getting messy.

Did you remember to prep your questions for Sara’s kickoff call? Where did that email from Lucy go? Has Jonathan made the payment for his upcoming coaching session yet?

A life coaching intake form is an amazing tool that can help you sort through the mess, facilitate your onboarding process, and stay organized.

Why You Need a Life Coach Intake Form

As a life coach, you’ll need to know a ton about your new clients. Life coaching is a complex process, and every person is unique, so even when you have a signature program and process, you’ll need to adapt your approach to fit every client.

Many coaches opt to gather this information on a kickoff call, but here’s the thing: Going straight to a call without an intake form is a recipe for going way over your allotted time.

Why? If you only learn key information about your clients during the call, you’ll have no time to prepare follow-up questions.

It will also be difficult for you to simultaneously use the kickoff call to gather information and provide a plan of action that actually ‘kicks off’ your relationship with this client.

A life coach intake form solves all these issues. Instead of asking every single question during your kickoff call, your client can take some time beforehand to fill out your questionnaire.

Adding an intake form to your client onboarding can help you build a repeatable, streamlined process that saves you time and standardizes the client experience. There’s no risk of forgetting to ask a question or losing your notes when all your client’s information is in the same place.

If your client struggles with any question, they can discuss it during your kickoff call. If they don’t, this is one more task you can wipe from your to-do list.

More time on your hands means you can serve your clients better and provide a higher level of service, which can, in turn, help you increase your profits.

Coaching Intake Questions to Include

Some intake form questions will be unique to each of your programs, while others will be universal to every client.

Your basic client information should be recorded for each person you work with, namely:

• Their full name
• Billing information
• Email address and/or phone number they would like to use for communication

Now, onto the good stuff. Here are 14 questions you can survey your clients with:

1. What are X changes you would like to make in your life over the next X years?
2. What short-term goals would you like to accomplish over the next X months?
3. Why do you want to achieve these goals?
4. On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your current happiness level? What makes you the most happy in your life currently?
5. On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your current stress level? What is causing you stress?
6. What is the most challenging obstacle you have had to overcome in your life thus far? How did you overcome it?
7. What has been the most significant success in your life thus far? How did you achieve it?
8. What are X things that you feel are hindering you from [happiness, fulfillment, feeling motivated, etc]?
9. What does success look like to you?
10. What changes would you like to see in your life? What do you feel is hindering you the most from making those changes?
11. Who are the most important people in your life, and what is your relationship to them?
12. What do you value most in your life right now?
13. What previous steps have you already taken to achieve your goals? What has been the result so far, and what have you learned?
14. Where do you see yourself X months from now, when this program is over? What will it take to get there?

In addition to these, you can also add questions specific to your life coaching niche.

When and Where to Share Your Coaching Intake Form

Depending on your onboarding process, you’ll want to share your coaching intake form at the right moment.

First, consider creating two separate intake forms:

1. One form designed to give you more information about potential clients who book a free call with you.
2. A second, more detailed form for confirmed clients.

Why is that? Filling out a coaching intake form can take a lot of time, especially when clients work to provide thorough answers.

If they haven’t yet gotten to talk to you and get a feel for whether or not you would be a good fit for their needs, they may get discouraged by a form that is too long and detailed.

Instead of dumping everything into a single form, consider the following process:

1. Create a basic form with contact information and several qualifying questions about the client’s needs. Keep it detailed enough to qualify them without wasting your time (or theirs).
2. Conduct a discovery call with potential clients to establish whether you are a good fit to work together.
3. Close the client either on the phone or via a proposal.
4. Send your new client (yay!) a contract and payment link that takes care of the first deposit.
5. Send a second, more thorough intake form. This form should provide enough information for you to plan your kickoff call, even if it takes time to complete. Optionally, you can allow clients to book their call first and pay/sign the contract afterward.
6. Allow your client to book their kickoff call once their intake form is complete.

That’s it! You should also create separate intake forms for different packages since not all require the same information from your clients.

How to Create a Fillable Life Coaching Form

You can send a Google Doc to your clients, but you’ll run the risk of them messing up your formatting—not to mention the hassle of making a new copy every time.

Google also has forms, but sending them out every time a client books a call will also mean manual work.

The easiest way to create a coaching form for your clients to fill out is to set it up in Paperbell. This all-in-one client management tool integrates your forms into a seamless client onboarding process, along with your scheduling, payments, and contracts.

Here’s how it works.

1. Grab your free trial with Paperbell or log in to your existing account. (Paperbell’s free forever with your first client without the need to enter your card information.)

2. Click the “Packages” tab in your main navigation menu.

3. Choose the package you want to create an intake form for.

4. Go to the “Survey” section of your coaching package.

5. Click on the “Add Question” button.

6. Write your question in the text box and hit “Save.”

7. Your question will appear in the Survey menu. You can add as many questions as you like. To edit your question, click “Modify” on the right.

8. Keep adding questions until you’re satisfied with your intake form.

It’s as simple as that! Now, you have a working intake form that all your clients can fill in before they begin their session with you. They’ll automatically receive the questionnaire when they book and pay for your package.

But what if you want to add an intake form for a free discovery session?

In this case, you can create a free package in Paperbell. Instead of paying to book a call with you, your prospective clients can book directly without making a payment and then answer the required intake questions before their free call.

FAQ

What is a Coaching Intake Form?

A coaching intake form is a questionnaire to gather initial information about a new client’s goals, challenges, and expectations before starting the coaching relationship.

How to Do a Coaching Intake Session?

In your first client session, discuss the answers your client has submitted in their intake form. Clarify their goals, set expectations, and establish rapport to set the right tone for the coaching engagement.

How Do I Create a Coaching Form?

The easiest way to create a coaching form is to set up surveys for your clients in your Paperbell account. These questionnaires will be automatically linked to your packages and sent to each new client.

What is an Intake Form for a Health Coach?

As a health coach, you can collect information on a client’s health history, lifestyle, nutrition habits, fitness levels, and specific health goals to tailor the coaching program to their needs.

Streamline Your Onboarding Process Intake Forms

Setting up automated coaching intake forms can save valuable hours during your busy week.

With Paperbell, you can easily create them, and they will seamlessly integrate with your packages and calendar. Get started with Paperbell for free today.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in April 2021 and has since been updated for accuracy.