Many businesses think more enquiries means more visitors. But a website only brings in enquiries when the whole chain works: from the first impression to the moment someone on your team calls back. An enquiry is not a form, it is a process. If one link breaks, you lose customers who were almost through the door.
This article is about that process: what has to be on the page, what has to happen after sending and how you make sure nothing is left waiting. If you do get visitors but no enquiries, also read why visitors do not make an enquiry, about tracking down where it leaks.
An offer that is clear at once
A visitor wants to know three things within a few seconds: what do you do, for whom, and what should I do now? An installer promising “complete solutions for your home” says less than one who writes “heat pumps and boilers in the Utrecht region, free advice within a week”.
- A concrete offer: name the service and the type of customer, such as a hair salon offering online booking or a garage scheduling MOTs and servicing.
- One main action per page: request a quote, book an appointment or call. Not four buttons side by side.
- Proof close by: real photos of your work, reviews and a clear address. Not only on a separate page.
A form that gives context
A form with just name, email and an empty text box brings in enquiries you first need to send three emails about. A form with twenty fields scares people off. Find the middle.
What you usually ask
- Contact: name, email and phone number, so you can choose how to get back to them.
- Type of request: a dropdown with your services. Then you know straight away who picks up the enquiry.
- One or two questions that make the difference for you: for a restaurant the date and number of guests, for a staffing agency the role and start date.
- Short explanation: an open field for the rest, not required.
Ask no more than you need to follow up well. That is good for privacy too, see privacy and cookies on your website.
A confirmation that builds trust
Right after sending, a visitor wonders: did it arrive? A good confirmation takes that doubt away, on screen and by email.
- What was received: a short summary of the enquiry.
- What happens next: who will get in touch and roughly when.
- What the visitor can do: for example send photos or pick a time straight away.
Keep that promise realistic. “We will call you within one working day” is stronger than “as soon as possible”, but only if you deliver on it.
Quick follow-up
Someone who sends an enquiry often compares several businesses at once. The first to respond well has a head start. Follow-up should therefore not depend on whoever happens to open the mailbox.
- Notification: the right person gets a notification at once, not a general inbox that is only read in the evening.
- Assign: every enquiry has an owner, so nobody assumes a colleague already has it.
- First contact: call or email with a concrete proposal, such as a time for a site visit or a first price indication.
- Reminder: if there is no response after a few days, a short second attempt follows.
Recording follow-up in your software
Enquiries in a mailbox get lost. Who called this customer? Was the quote sent? Why did they drop out? Without a record you do not know which pages and channels bring in customers, and so you do not know where to improve.
So record every enquiry in one place, with status, owner and next step. That can be a simple CRM, see CRM automation for small businesses, or the software you already run your business with.
How we set it up
With the websites we build, an enquiry can land directly in your business software instead of a separate mailbox. For an installer using our software for trade businesses, that means the enquiry is ready to be turned into a quote. For a hair salon or studio it often becomes a direct booking instead of an enquiry. You see the status of each enquiry and who is handling it, and the confirmation goes to the customer automatically.
Frequently asked questions
How many fields should an enquiry form have?
As few as possible, as many as you need to follow up well. For most businesses that means contact details, the type of request and one or two questions that matter for your work.
Should I call or email after an enquiry?
That depends on your customers. Ask for a phone number and an email address in the form, so you can choose what fits the request.
Why record enquiries if I already have them in my email?
A mailbox does not show who is handling an enquiry, what its status is or where it came from. With a record nothing is left waiting and you see which pages bring in customers.