Capturing enquiries with forms and WhatsApp Business

A client messages you on WhatsApp at 11 a.m. while you are deep in an edit. You see it at 7 p.m. By then they have also messaged two other freelancers, and one of them replied in ten minutes. Most lost enquiries are lost this way, not on price. An afternoon of setup fixes most of it, and none of it needs a chatbot or a paid tool.

The setup has three pieces: a short enquiry form, WhatsApp Business configured properly, and a booking link for calls.

An enquiry form that sorts people for you

Your form has two jobs: get enough information to decide whether to call, and make that easy for the client on a phone. Google Forms, Tally or the form block in your website builder are all fine. Put the link in your LinkedIn Featured section, Instagram bio and website menu.

These fields cover what you need:

That is six required fields and one optional. Each extra required field loses some people, so resist adding "How did you hear about me?" as a required box; ask it on the call instead and log it in your tracker (see the few numbers worth tracking).

The budget range

Most clients will not type a number into an empty box, but they will pick a range. Set the ranges around your own prices. For a freelance web developer whose smallest project is ₹25,000, it might look like this:

• Under ₹25,000
• ₹25,000–₹60,000
• ₹60,000–₹1.5 lakh
• Above ₹1.5 lakh
• Not sure yet

"Not sure yet" is honest and common; treat it as a question for the call. If you are unsure where to set your ranges, start from how to price freelance work. The finding out a client's budget playbook covers what to do when the range they pick is below your minimum.

The auto-reply

Set the form to send an automatic email (most form tools can, or use a simple Gmail filter and canned response). Say what happens next and when.

Subject: Got your enquiry

Hi,

Thanks for sending the details. I read every enquiry myself and will reply by 7 p.m. today (or by 11 a.m. the next working day if this arrived in the evening).

If it would be quicker to talk, you can pick a 20-minute slot here: [booking link]

Priya
Freelance brand designer | priyadesigns.in

Then keep the promise. The auto-reply buys you a few hours, not a few days.

WhatsApp Business, set up properly

Many Indian clients will skip your form and message you on WhatsApp. Use the free WhatsApp Business app rather than your personal account. It runs on a separate number (a second SIM or a cheap prepaid number works) or can replace WhatsApp on your existing number.

Fill in the business profile first: a one-line description of what you do, your website, email, working hours and city. Clients check it before they message.

Then set up the greeting message, which goes out when someone messages you for the first time or after a long gap:

Hi, thanks for messaging. I'm Arjun, a freelance video editor for YouTube and Reels.

To help me reply properly, please send:
1. What you need edited (and roughly how much footage)
2. Your deadline
3. Your budget range, if you have one

I usually reply within a few hours, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday to Saturday.

Add an away message for outside your working hours, with a time you will reply and your booking link.

Quick replies

Quick replies are saved messages you send by typing "/" and a shortcut. Set up four or five for the questions you answer every week:

• /rates: your starting prices or "projects usually start at ₹X; I'll quote once I see the brief"
• /portfolio: a link to your work and one line on what to look at
• /process: how a project runs, from brief and deposit to delivery
• /call: your booking link with a line on what the call covers
• /payment: how you take payment (UPI, bank transfer, invoice with GST if registered) and your deposit terms

Use labels to sort chats into New enquiry, Quote sent, Active client and Paid. It takes a second per chat and makes it easy to see who you owe a reply.

A booking link for calls

"When are you free?" "Thursday after 3?" "Can't, Friday morning?" can eat a day. A booking link ends that. Google Calendar's appointment schedules, Calendly, Cal.com and Zoho Bookings all have free options that connect to your calendar and show only free slots.

Keep it tight:

• One call type: a 20-minute discovery call.
• A handful of fixed slots a week, at times that suit you, in IST with automatic conversion for clients abroad.
• Two or three questions on the booking page: what the project is, budget range, deadline.
• A buffer of 15 minutes before and after, so calls do not stack.

Share the link only after someone has filled the form or messaged you with real details. A booking link on your homepage invites calls from people who have not thought about their project yet. For what to ask on the call itself, see discovery calls that close.

Where a free offer fits

If you offer something free, such as a short audit or checklist, the same form can collect requests for it with one extra field. The lead magnet ideas piece shows a worked example that feeds into this setup.

What not to automate

Keep the reply to the actual enquiry personal. Mention what they told you in the form ("You mentioned a ₹60,000–₹1.5 lakh budget for the store redesign and a November launch"). That one line shows a person read it. Do not send automatic follow-ups chasing people who went quiet; do that yourself, with judgement, a few days later.

If you only do one thing today, install WhatsApp Business and write the greeting message. It takes ten minutes and every new enquiry gets an instant, useful answer.