How to design a professional consultation form

A professional consultation form can be the foundation of a great appointment. But it could also set you up for failure at a few points along the way.

Following the structure laid out in this article should help you create a basic template you can replicate in your salon.

Basic information

Contact information, date of birth, basic introduction questions that you can to get accurate up to date records for your clients. These are the sort of questions that you could put at the beginning of all your consultation forms, so you don’t want too many.

The Salon App has a feature where these questions will directly update your client’s contact details on their profile so you don’t have to cross-reference anything.

Relevant questions

Here you can ask the relevant questions for the service you are performing or the conversation you are having. Keep in mind when you phrase the questions whether the client is filling this in at home without you, or if a team member is asking the questions and recording the answer themselves.

Make sure you are getting clear answers from clients, with space to record any additional information or details based on their answers. Consider which questions are mandatory, and guide clients with different answer types based on how you want the information. For example, for a simple ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ question, give these as the only answer options rather than a text box to type out something that might not give you the answer you need.

GDPR

Having a GDPR agreement on your consultation forms allows you to outline how you will store the information; for how long; and also to reassure your client that you are handling their data responsibly. Some consultation information might be personal or delicate so appearing conscientious is never a bad thing.

Date and sign

Finish with a simple date and signature. This leaves no ambiguity for the client should you need to refer back to the form later.

Keep it simple

There is a temptation with consultation forms to make them 15 pages long, with 283 questions, and a 10-year history. As with everything, don’t overcomplicate it!

While some pseudo-medical services will require additional information for compliance, you don’t want to overwhelm your client with unnecessary questions. Get the information you need with the clarity you want and then move forward with the treatment, the exciting part your client came for!

A well-thought-out consultation form helps you do your job better and is your client’s first introduction to you for a new service or to your business as a whole. Follow this structure and put your best foot forward for a smooth process as your client tries something new.