Setting up an inquiry service
An inquiry service lets a client tell you what they're after without booking anything. They send their details, you reply, and once you've agreed on the plan you send a proposal or create the booking. It's the right fit for weddings, commercial work and anything where the price depends on a conversation.
How an inquiry works
- Your client finds the service on your booking page and fills in a short form.
- It lands in Bookings → Inquiries with everything they entered.
- They see a confirmation page saying their inquiry is in, and get an acknowledgement email straight away.
- You reply, attach a price guide or sample gallery if it helps, and talk it through.
- When you're both ready, you turn the inquiry into a proposal or a booking. See Turning an inquiry into a booking.
Your calendar stays untouched until step five. Nothing is held and nothing is charged.
On Free, inquiries still arrive and you can read them, but replying from CoreHue opens an upgrade prompt. See Messages on the Free plan.
Setting up the service
- Go to Bookings → Services, choose Add service, name it and pick Inquiry.
- On the Details tab, write the description and add a cover image.
- Choose how the price appears under Pricing and where the session happens under Location.
- Open the Inquiry flow tab to decide what the form asks and what the client sees afterwards.
- Choose Publish.
An inquiry service only has two tabs, Details and Inquiry flow. Its pricing and location sit on Details.
Showing a price, or not
Nothing is charged at the inquiry stage, so the price is a signal. Pick one under Pricing:
| Option | What clients see |
|---|---|
| Fixed price | One price, shown as it is |
| Starting at | A "from" price |
| Per hour | An hourly rate, shown with "/hr" |
| Don't show a price | No price anywhere on the page |
"Starting at" works well for weddings. It filters out clients whose budget is far off, without pinning you to a number before you know the details. The real price goes in your proposal. More in Pricing, deposits and payment deadlines.
What the form asks
Your client sees one step headed Contact Info. First name, last name and email are always collected. On the Inquiry flow tab, step 1 Client details, you can switch on:
- Phone number
- Additional notes, which clients see as "Anything we should know?"
- Referral source, which clients see as "How did you hear about us?"
Each has a tick box to make it required. If the service asks the client for a location, that field appears too. The button at the end reads Send inquiry.
The inquiry form has no date field. If the date is the first thing you need to know, turn on Include questionnaire in step 2 Questionnaire and ask it there, along with the venue and guest count.
The acknowledgement
Step 3 Confirmation holds the message your client sees after sending. It's emailed to them too while Inquiry auto-reply is on. Use Variables to add Client's first name, and say when you'll reply and what happens next. That one line can stop a client emailing three other photographers while they wait.
Leave it blank and CoreHue uses your account-wide Inquiry auto-reply message from Bookings → Settings → Emails. With the auto-reply off, your message only shows on the Inquiry received page, and clients get a plain receipt by email instead. See Booking confirmation and reminder emails.
What your client sees
They pick the service, fill in Contact Info, answer your questionnaire if you added one, and choose Send inquiry. The confirmation page shows their name, the service and the date they sent it, plus your acknowledgement and a way to contact you.
Frequently asked questions
Does an inquiry block the date in my calendar?
No. An inquiry is a conversation, not a booking. The date is only reserved once you create the booking or your client accepts a proposal that books it.
Can clients upload files with an inquiry?
Only through a questionnaire. Add one in step 2 Questionnaire with a file upload question, and clients can attach things like a mood board or venue map.
Can I add add-ons to an inquiry service?
No. Add-ons, deposits and contracts belong to bookings. Put optional extras in the proposal you send after the conversation.
Where do I reply to an inquiry?
Open it from Bookings → Inquiries. Your conversation starts with your reply, and the client's original message stays on the inquiry page. See Managing inquiries.