Adding a contract and questionnaire to booking
Add questions and a contract to a service's booking flow so clients complete them while booking. You can also schedule follow-up questionnaires to send after confirmation, before the session or after it.
The steps at a glance
| Step | Direct booking and mini sessions | Inquiry |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Client details | Client details |
| 2 | Questionnaire | Questionnaire |
| 3 | Contract | Confirmation |
| 4 | Payment | |
| 5 | Follow-up questionnaires | |
| 6 | Confirmation |
On an inquiry service the tab is called Inquiry flow and has three steps. Payment is covered in Pricing, deposits and payment deadlines.
Step 1: Client details
First name, Last name and Email are always collected. You can also switch on:
- Phone number, "For coordination and follow-ups."
- Additional notes, "Let clients share extra details." Clients see it as "Anything we should know?"
- Referral source, "Track where bookings come from." Clients see it as "How did you hear about us?"
Each switch reveals a tick box that makes the field required. If your contract uses the client's phone number, the phone field locks on and reads "Required by the contract." The referral options come from your booking page settings.
A good rule: require only what you'd otherwise have to email them for.
Step 2: Questionnaire during booking
- Expand step 2 Questionnaire and turn on Include questionnaire.
- Choose Build questionnaire and add your questions.
- Save. The card now shows the title and the number of questions, with Edit to change them.
Use it for what you need before the shoot: what they're celebrating, who's coming, access notes for the venue. Keep it short. Every extra question is a reason to abandon a booking halfway through.
On an inquiry service this step matters even more, because the inquiry form has no date field. Ask for the date, venue and guest count here.
Step 3: Contract
Not available on inquiry services.
- Expand step 3 Contract and choose Build contract.
- Write your contract in the editor. Variables fill in client details like their name for you. See Variables and blanks in contracts.
- Check that Require contract is on. CoreHue switches it on when you finish building the contract, and it reads "Clients sign before the booking is confirmed."
Because you aren't there when your client signs, CoreHue adds your saved signature the moment they sign. The contract is complete straight away instead of waiting on you.
That's why you need a saved signature first. The card shows Signature needed with a Set signature link until you've saved one, then Signature added. Anything else blocking the contract is listed under Finish these first. See Saving your signature.
Free includes 5 contracts and 5 questionnaires that you send by hand. Contracts your clients sign while booking a service don't count toward the contract limit, and questionnaires a booking service sends automatically don't count toward the questionnaire limit.
Step 5: Follow-up questionnaires
Not available on inquiry services.
These are sent after the booking exists, instead of during it.
- Expand step 5 Follow-up questionnaires and choose Add questionnaire.
- Write the questions.
- Under When to send, choose After booking is confirmed, Before service or After service. The last two have a Days before or Days after field, starting at 7.
Each one has its own switch, so you can build it now and turn it on later. Remove in its ⋯ menu deletes it.
Use step 2 for what you need to know before you show up, and a follow-up for anything that can wait: a shot list a week before, or a feedback form a week after. See Sending a questionnaire automatically after booking.
The confirmation message
The last step holds the message your client sees after booking and gets by email. Use Variables to add Client's first name, and tell them what happens next: when you'll be in touch, what to bring, how to reach you.
"Shown after booking. Leave blank to use the default." The default is your account-wide message under Bookings → Settings → Emails. See Booking confirmation and reminder emails.
What your client sees
The steps you've switched on become a short flow with a progress bar: Schedule (or Slot for minis), Details, Questions, Contract, Review when the service collects payment, and finally Booking page. Anything you haven't turned on is skipped. Signing works like any CoreHue contract: draw or type a signature, agree, done.
Afterwards, the signed contract and questionnaire answers sit on their booking page and on the contact's record for you.
Frequently asked questions
Do clients have to sign before they pay?
Yes. The contract step comes before Review, where payment happens, so clients sign first and pay last. If a booking is waiting on something, Why is a booking pending? explains what.
Why can't I turn on Require contract?
Require contract stays off when the contract is empty ("Add a contract first."), when you haven't saved a signature yet, or when a variable in the contract can't be filled in for this service. Use the Set signature link on the card, and fix anything listed under Finish these first.
Can I attach a contract to an inquiry service?
No. Send the contract later as part of a proposal once you've agreed the details.
Can I send a questionnaire the week before the shoot?
Yes. Add a follow-up questionnaire with When to send set to Before service and Days before set to 7.