How to Create Client Questionnaires That Actually Get Completed

You’ve sent the questionnaire. It’s been three days. Still nothing.

Sound familiar? Most freelancers and agencies know this pain: you craft what feels like a reasonable intake form, hit send, and then… silence. Or worse, you get back half-completed answers, vague one-liners, and a polite “Can we just hop on a call instead?”

The problem isn’t your clients. It’s that most client questionnaires are designed for the sender, not the receiver.

A well-designed client intake questionnaire does three things: it respects your client’s time, asks questions they can actually answer, and gives you everything you need to start work confidently. When you get this right, questionnaire completion rates jump from 40% to 90%+, projects start faster, and clients feel like you already understand them before the first call.

Why Most Client Questionnaires Fail

Before we fix the problem, let’s understand it. Most client questionnaires fail for predictable reasons.

They’re too long. The average person’s attention span for a form is about 4-5 minutes. After that, completion rates drop off a cliff. Yet many freelancers send 30+ question intake forms that take 20 minutes to complete.

They ask the wrong questions. “What is your brand essence?” “Describe your ideal customer in detail.” These questions sound professional, but they’re hard to answer. Your client doesn’t think in marketing frameworks. They think in problems and goals.

They lack context. Why do you need their brand guidelines? What will you do with their competitor list? When clients don’t understand why you’re asking, they’re less motivated to put in effort.

They’re sent at the wrong time. Sending a comprehensive questionnaire the day after signing a contract feels like homework. Your client is excited to start, not fill out forms.

The Psychology of High-Completion Questionnaires

Before we dive into specific questions, it helps to understand why people complete (or abandon) forms.

Start with easy wins. The first 2-3 questions should be effortless: name, company, email. This creates momentum. Once someone has started, they’re psychologically invested in finishing.

Show progress. Progress bars increase completion rates by 10-20% on average. When clients can see “Step 2 of 4”, they know the end is in sight.

Group related questions. Our brains process information in chunks. Group questions into clear sections: “About Your Business,” “Project Goals,” “Brand Assets.”

Use conversational language. “Tell us about your business” lands better than “Provide a comprehensive overview of your organization.” Write like you talk.

Provide examples. Instead of asking “Describe your target audience,” ask “Who is your ideal customer? (Example: Marketing managers at B2B SaaS companies with 50-200 employees)”

Essential Questions for Every Client Questionnaire

Here are the questions that belong in almost every client intake form.

Business Background

What does your company do? (Keep your answer to 2-3 sentences)
Who are your ideal customers? (Be specific: industry, role, company size)
What makes you different from competitors?
What’s your biggest challenge right now?

Project Goals

What specific outcome do you want from this project?
How will you measure success? (Specific metrics you’ll track)
Have you tried to solve this before? What happened?

Scope and Constraints

What’s your timeline? ASAP / 1-2 weeks / 1 month / 2-3 months / Flexible
Are there any hard deadlines we should know about?
What’s your budget range? (Offer ranges rather than open field)
Who needs to approve deliverables?

Working Style

How do you prefer to communicate? Email / Slack / Phone / Video calls
How often would you like updates?
What timezone are you in?

Assets and Resources

Do you have brand guidelines? Yes / No / In progress
Please share any relevant materials (logos, previous campaigns, etc.)
Are there examples you like or dislike?

How to Handle Incomplete Responses

Even with a perfect questionnaire, some clients will submit incomplete answers. Here’s how to handle it:

Prevent it upfront. Mark essential questions as required. Use validation rules. Show a completion percentage before they can submit.

Send smart reminders. If they’ve started but not finished, send a personalized nudge: “Hey [Name], noticed you got about halfway through. Take 5 more minutes to finish and we’ll get your kickoff scheduled this week.”

Offer alternatives. Some people hate forms. Offer a 15-minute call to walk through the questionnaire together. You’ll often get richer answers this way.

Document assumptions. If you must proceed without complete info, document your assumptions in writing and get approval before proceeding.

Questionnaire Timing: When to Send What

Pre-sales/Discovery (before contract): Keep it short, 5-10 questions max. Focus on qualifying and understanding scope.

Post-contract/Pre-kickoff (1-3 days after signing): This is your main intake questionnaire. 15-25 questions, 10-20 minutes to complete.

Project-specific (during the project): Short, focused questionnaires for specific phases like content briefs or design preferences.

Offboarding/Feedback (project complete): Quick feedback and testimonial request. 3-5 questions.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Asking questions you won’t use. Every question should connect to an action you’ll take.
Using jargon. “What’s your UVP?” means nothing to most clients.
Asking two questions in one. Split “What are your goals and how will you measure success?” into separate questions.
No character limits. Without guidance, some clients write novels, others write one word. Set expectations.
Making everything required. Only mark truly essential questions as required.
Never updating. Your questionnaire should evolve. After every 10 clients, review what’s working.

The Bottom Line

A client questionnaire isn’t just a form. It’s the foundation of your entire project. Get it right, and you start every engagement with clarity, alignment, and momentum. Get it wrong, and you’ll spend weeks chasing information.

The key principles are simple: keep it short, make it easy, explain the why, and follow up consistently. Start by auditing your current questionnaire against this guide. Which questions can you cut? Which need clearer wording?

Great client relationships start with great questions. Ask them well, and you’ll never chase a half-completed intake form again.

We built equest to solve exactly this problem. One link. Clear questions. Built-in reminders. Try it free.