Transform your creative agency's project onboarding with a battle-tested intake form template that captures everything you need to know without the endless back-and-forth emails.
Running a creative agency is challenging enough without the chaos of scattered client communications. This guide will show you how to streamline your work intake process with a template tailored for creative teams.
Understanding Project Intake Forms
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This is a comprehensive document that clients fill in when starting a creative project. Research shows agencies waste up to 30% of their time when they don’t get client requirements right from the start.
There are many tools out there that help with the intake process in different ways. Content Snare specializes in data collection and client communication. Asana has strong task management, Workamajig has a full solution that integrates intake with project management and ManyRequests has a seamless experience with customizable service request forms.
Regardless of the tool chosen, when clients fill in these forms they clearly state their needs, deadlines, and expectations. This prevents common issues like back-and-forth emailing, misunderstandings about the final product, and difficulty in resource planning.
A project submission template is essential because when clients fill in these forms correctly it creates a clear starting point for everyone involved. The agency can plan better, clients feel more confident about what they’ll get and projects are less likely to need major changes later. This prevents delays and keeps the agency team and clients happy.
Flowout, a subscription-based Webflow agency, needed a better way to manage its growing number of client requests and projects in one place. They wanted to offer both subscription and hourly services while tracking project profitability.
Using ManyRequests' customizable service request forms, they streamlined their process allowing clients to submit detailed briefs for everything from simple site edits to complete website builds, all while maintaining clear oversight of their team's time and project efficiency.
What Makes a Great Project Intake Form Template for Creative Agencies?
Your creative agency intake form should gather essential details about goals, budget, timeline, and deliverables in a clear, easy-to-complete format. Keep questions focused on what your team needs to know to start work confidently and avoid future confusion. Make it thorough enough to guide the project but simple enough that clients can fill it out quickly.
Key Elements
- Client Information. Request the client's full name or business name, the primary project contact's role, and their contact details including phone, email, and preferred communication method.
- Project Overview. Include the project title, and overall summary, and list the specific goals to be achieved. For example, "Website Redesign for Blue Ocean Ventures | Complete overhaul of the corporate website focused on improved user experience. Goals: increase lead generation by 30%, reduce bounce rate to under 40%, showcase new service offerings.”
- Project Details. Specify the project type (like graphic design or content creation), define what's included and excluded in the scope, and explain the project's unique value proposition.
- Timeline. State the expected start and end dates, key milestones, and deliverable deadlines.
- Resources Required. List the allocated budget, required team skills, and any necessary tools or special resources needed for completion. You can write "Budget: $75,000 Team: UI/UX designer, frontend developer, backend developer, project manager | Tools: Figma for design, WordPress CMS, custom API integration with client's existing CRM"
- Target Audience. Identify the target audience to ensure all project deliverables are properly tailored.
- Priority Level. Mark the project's priority level as high, medium, or low to help with resource allocation. For example, "Priority: High - Website launch must align with Q2 product release and international marketing campaign"
- Attachments and Additional Information. Provide space for relevant file uploads like reference materials, examples, or contextual documents.
How to Customize Service Request Forms with ManyRequests
Basic Setup:
- Go to your Dashboard and select Services > All Services
- Click "Create Service" in the top right (or select an existing service to edit)
- Fill in the basic service details and click Next
- Set your pricing details and click Next
Building Your Form:
- Start with the default Title field– you can rename this to "Project Name" or "Project Title"
- Add new fields using the available types:
- Short Answer: For quick responses
- Paragraph: For detailed explanations
- File Upload: For client materials
- Single/Multiple Selection: For specific choices
- Date: For deadlines and timelines
- Rich Text: For formatted responses
- FAQs: For common questions
🔥 Tips and Best Practices
- Use everyday language to write your form so anyone can understand it immediately. Skip unnecessary jargon and technical terms, and when you need to use them, explain what they mean. Instead of "Provide comprehensive brand positioning elements," write "Tell us how you want people to think and feel about your brand."
- Break down complex questions into bite-sized pieces that are easier to answer, and add helpful examples wherever clients need extra guidance.
- Focus on collecting essential information that covers all project basics– from the client's contact details to their project goals, timeline, budget, and target audience.
- Make sure to include space for them to share any reference materials or specific requirements to help your team understand their vision better.
- Design your form to be user-friendly by keeping it concise and logically organized, with similar questions grouped.
- Include only the most necessary fields, and ensure clients can easily upload any reference files they want to share. Always leave room for them to add extra thoughts or clarifications.
- Create a smooth process after form submission by sending immediate confirmations and clear next steps.
- Keep all submissions organized in one central place where your team can easily access them.
- Regularly check if the form works well by gathering client feedback and updates as needed to improve the process.
FAQ’s
What should a project intake form include?
This form captures essential project details like scope, timeline, and resources needed, ensuring clients and creative teams have clear expectations. It provides a structured way to gather key information about your project requirements, helping agencies accurately assess and plan project execution while minimizing potential misunderstandings or scope creep.
How do I create a custom intake form for clients?
Create a streamlined client intake form by selecting a user-friendly form builder (like ManyRequests Service Request Forms), then customize it with essential sections including client details, project requirements, and budget/timeline information, ensuring it aligns with your brand and facilitates efficient data collection.
Conclusion
Thank you for taking the time to read through our guide!
A well-designed project intake form is crucial for creative agencies to save time, reduce confusion, and deliver successful projects. By gathering essential information upfront about client needs, timelines, and expectations, you can eliminate unnecessary back-and-forth and keep your projects running smoothly. With tools like ManyRequests, you can streamline your client onboarding process for your team and clients.
Moving forward, you can start with our template as a foundation and customize it for your agency's specific needs. Choose key questions that will give you the most valuable information from clients, and sign up for a 14-day free trial with ManyRequests to create and automate your intake forms.
