Getting your first life coaching client may make you feel like jumping for joy.

The more clients you book, the more confident you become that you can grow your coaching business, become highly profitable, and live the lifestyle you truly want.

But once the clients start piling up, things can start getting messy.

Did you remember to prep your questions for Sara’s kickoff call? Where did that email from Lucy go? Has Jonathan made the payment for his upcoming coaching session yet?

A life coaching intake form is a valuable tool that can help you sort through the mess and facilitate your onboarding process with professionalism.

Why Life Coach Intake Forms Are Essential

Life coaching is a complex process, and every person is unique. Even if you follow a structured signature program, you’ll still need to adapt your approach to fit each client.

Many coaches try to gather this information during the kickoff call, but going in without an intake form usually leads to running overtime and missing key details.

Your focus is split between collecting information and delivering value, which makes it harder to ask meaningful follow-up questions or map out a solid plan of action.

Instead, give your client time to reflect and complete a questionnaire beforehand. This gives you the context you need to show up prepared, stay focused, and coach more effectively.

Additionally, adding an intake form to your onboarding process helps you build a repeatable system that saves time for both you and your client. There’s no risk of forgetting a question or misplacing your notes when everything lives in one place.

If you’re using Paperbell, intake forms are built right in. You can set up and automatically send out a custom form to each client who signs up for a particular package.

Their responses will be stored alongside their booking, payment, and session history, so you can refer back to them at any point in your work together.

The more streamlined your onboarding, the more time and energy you can devote to delivering powerful sessions and building a successful coaching relationship, and ultimately, growing your business.

14 Questions to Include in Your Coaching Intake Form

A good intake form helps you understand your client’s goals, challenges, and expectations before your first session so you can show up prepared.

While your questions may vary depending on your niche, here are fourteen options to start with:

Personal Information

1. Full name
2. Preferred contact details (email, phone number, WhatsApp, depending on how you’ll be communicating)
3. Billing details (if you need this for invoicing)
4. How did you hear about this coaching program?

Background

5. What prompted you to seek coaching at this time?
6. What’s one challenge you’re currently facing that you’d like support with?
7. Have you worked with a coach before? If so, what was that experience like?

Aspirations

8. What specific goals would you like to achieve through coaching?
9. How will your life look or feel different once you achieve these goals?
10. What’s standing in your way right now from achieving them on your own?
11.  On a scale of 1–10, how committed are you to making real changes right now?

The Coaching Experience

12. What kind of support or accountability helps you thrive best?
13. Are there any circumstances or limitations (schedule, time zones, finances, etc.) that may affect your ability to fully participate in coaching?
14. Is there anything else you’d like me to know before we begin working together?

You can easily tailor these questions to match your coaching style and process. With Paperbell, each package can include its own custom intake form, so you’re always collecting the most relevant information for your client’s coaching journey.

When and Where to Share Your Coaching Intake Form

Consider creating two separate surveys:

1. One form designed to give you more information about prospective clients who book a free call with you.
2. A second, more detailed form for confirmed clients.

Filling out a questionnaire with thorough answers can take a long time. If a client hasn’t spoken to you and isn’t sure yet whether you’re the right fit for them, they may get discouraged by a long form. 

Instead of dumping everything into a single questionnaire, consider the following process:

1. Create a form for your client’s basic information and a few qualifying questions about coaching preferences.
2. Conduct a discovery call with the client to explain your process, set expectations on what you offer, and explore whether you are a good fit to work together.
3. If the client qualifies for your services, send them a proposal.
4. If they are ready to sign up, onboard them. With Paperbell, you can automate this with a single link.
5. Send a second, more thorough intake form. This should provide enough information for you to create a coaching plan and prepare for your kickoff call.

You can create separate intake forms for different packages so they are tailored to program outcomes. 

How to Create a Fillable Life Coaching Form 

Many coaches start out with Google Docs or Forms, which involve a lot of manual work and difficulty sorting through client information later.

A better way to create, run, and store your coaching forms is to use Paperbell. This all-in-one client management tool integrates your forms into a seamless client onboarding process, along with your scheduling, payments, and contracts.

Here’s how it works.

1. Grab your free Paperbell account (Paperbell is free forever with your first client, all features included).
2. Go to “Packages” and choose the package for which you want to create an intake form.

3. Select “Survey” and start adding questions.

4. Schedule your survey to be sent out after purchase or your first session.

And that’s it! Clients will automatically receive your questionnaire when they book a package.

Now, what if you want to add an intake form for a free discovery session?

In that case, just create a free package for new prospects, set up your form, and schedule it to be sent out upon sign-up. Their initial qualifying survey will be sent to them automatically, the same way as with a paid package.

FAQ

What Is a Coaching Intake Form?

A coaching intake form is a questionnaire to gather initial information about a new client’s goals, challenges, and expectations before starting the coaching relationship.

How to Do a Coaching Intake Session?

In your first client session, discuss the answers your client has submitted in their intake form. Clarify their goals, set expectations, and establish rapport to set the right tone for the coaching engagement.

How Do I Create a Coaching Form?

The easiest way to create a coaching form is to set up surveys for your clients in your Paperbell account. These questionnaires will be automatically linked to your packages and sent to each new client.

What Is an Intake Form for a Health Coach?

As a health coach, you can collect information on a client’s personal history, lifestyle, nutrition habits, fitness levels, and specific health goals to tailor your coaching services to their needs.

Streamline Your Coaching Process With Intake Forms

Setting up automated coaching intake forms can save valuable hours during your busy week.

With Paperbell, you can easily set them up for each package and schedule them to be sent out automatically to new clients. Get started with Paperbell for free today.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in April 2021 and has since been updated for accuracy.