Clearer enquiries: a practical review of your contact page

1. Start with questions you actually have to ask

Review ten recently handled enquiries internally. Record the type of missing information, not the senders' personal details. Did you need the postcode, the service requested or the urgency of the task?

Count which clarification appeared repeatedly. This is a better starting point than assuming that a longer form produces better leads. If your existing enquiries are already complete, you do not need a new feature for this purpose.

• Identify a repeated clarification
• Try the current contact journey yourself
• Do not copy customer records into a public AI service

2. Every additional question should support a decision

For each field, ask: what would I do differently depending on the answer? A postcode may help a local business check its service area. A full street address may be unnecessary at first contact. For a consulting enquiry, a description of the task may be more helpful than a compulsory telephone number.

Fictional example: a repair business first needs to establish the location and type of work. A useful prompt might be: 'Please include your postcode and a short description of what needs repairing.' That does not amount to immediate acceptance or a fixed-price quotation.

• Limit required fields to the first handling step
• Clearly mark optional details
• Explain requests for unusual information

3. Explain what happens after submission

'Submit' describes an action, not a process. Explain whether you will ask clarifying questions, arrange a visit or prepare a proposal. Only promise a response time that your team can reliably meet.

For example: 'Your enquiry has arrived. We will check whether we can help with the requested work and reply using the contact details you provided.' An enquiry is not yet a confirmed booking. Make that distinction visible, not hidden in the terms.

4. Test on a real phone

Read the page without background knowledge. Can you find the service and the contact route? Do field labels remain visible while typing? Does an error identify the relevant field? Placeholder text is not a substitute for a permanent label.

Submit a clearly marked internal test. Check receipt, confirmation and routing to the responsible person. A button that looks right is not proof of a working enquiry process.

• Keyboard access and visible focus
• No unnecessary required fields
• Understandable, correctable errors
• Actual receipt of the test and confirmation

5. Change one thing first

Record the change and its date. Afterwards, check how often the selected clarification is still needed. Compare similar periods and allow for differences in the enquiries received. A handful of enquiries is not enough to establish a reliable improvement rate.

Today's task: choose one repeated question, write a short prompt, test it on mobile and verify the existing delivery path. This does not automatically require a new form or an AI assistant.

Sources & scope

The examples are illustrative, not customer case studies. This checklist supports your own review; it does not promise a business outcome.

• W3C: Forms Tutorial