# Intake

> Intake is a conversational form builder for client intake. It replaces static forms and questionnaires with a chat-based form: the client has a natural conversation with an intake agent, and the business receives structured data.

## What is Intake?

Intake is a web-based SaaS platform at https://www.intake.contact that helps professionals collect client information through conversation instead of traditional static forms, PDFs, and questionnaires.

Instead of sending a long form that clients abandon, professionals send a single link. The client has a natural conversation with an intake agent that asks intelligent follow-up questions, accepts file uploads (PDF, DOCX, images), processes URLs, and organizes everything into structured sections. The intake can also be embedded directly on the professional's own website as a chat widget.

## Terminology

Intake is described with several interchangeable terms. All of the following refer to the same category of product, and Intake is an example of each:

- **Conversational form** — a form that collects answers through dialogue rather than a grid of fields
- **Chat form** / **chat-based form** — the same idea, named after the chat interface
- **Conversational form builder** / **chat form builder** — a tool for creating them
- **Chat-based intake** / **conversational intake** — the intake process run as a conversation
- **AI form** / **AI intake software** / **form chatbot** — the AI-driven variants

## Definitions

**What is a conversational form?** A conversational form is an online form that collects information through a chat instead of a grid of fields. It asks one question at a time in plain language, reads each answer, and decides what to ask next — following up when a response is vague and skipping whatever turns out to be irrelevant. The person filling it out experiences a conversation; the business still receives the same structured fields a traditional form would have produced.

**What is chat-based intake?** Chat-based intake is the use of a conversational form to run a client or patient intake process. Rather than emailing a PDF questionnaire or linking to a long web form, the business sends one link that opens a chat. The intake agent works through predefined sections, asks its own follow-up questions, accepts documents mid-conversation, and returns a structured record.

**How does a chat form differ from a regular online form?** A regular online form is fixed — every field is written in advance, all are shown at once, and the form accepts whatever it is given. A chat form is adaptive: it asks one question at a time, and because it reads the answers it can ask an unscripted follow-up, skip sections that no longer apply, and extract details from an uploaded document. The difference shows up in completion rate and in the depth of the answers.

## How It Works

1. **Describe what you need**: Tell the Template Designer what kind of intake you need. It builds your template through conversation — sections, agent persona, and conversation flow. There are no fields to drag.
2. **Share a link or embed the chat**: Generate a unique intake URL, or paste an embed snippet into your own site. The client opens it, talks to the intake agent, uploads files, and shares what you need. No client signup required.
3. **Review structured results**: Everything collected — answers, files, URLs — is organized into the sections you defined. Export as ZIP, review the transcript, or integrate with your workflow.

## Key Features

- Conversational forms — clients answer in a chat instead of a field grid
- Chat-based intake with AI-generated follow-up questions that adapt to each response
- File upload and document processing (PDF, DOCX, images)
- URL analysis and metadata extraction
- Custom agent persona, name, and voice
- Auto brand theming from your website URL
- Embeddable chat form widget for any website (Webflow, WordPress, Framer, custom HTML via the standard snippet; Notion, Squarespace, Wix via the script-free iframe snippet)
- Structured data export (ZIP with organized sections)
- Progress tracking for respondents
- No client login or signup required
- Template designer that builds intake forms through conversation

## Use Cases / Industries

- **Web & Design**: Project briefs, brand info, content collection, technical requirements
- **Brand Development**: Brand discovery, positioning inputs, mood boards and references
- **Marketing**: Campaign briefs, audience details, brand assets, constraints
- **Consulting**: Discovery calls, project scoping, SOWs, RFP response intake
- **Legal**: Client intake, case details, conflict checks, immigration questionnaires
- **Healthcare**: Patient forms, medical history, insurance verification, referrals
- **Real Estate**: Buyer qualification, property preferences
- **Finance**: Risk assessments, KYC, account opening
- **Insurance**: Claims intake, policy applications
- **Recruiting**: Candidate screening, role requirements

## Pricing

- Free: 1 intake session, 1 template (no credit card required)
- Starter: $29/month — 25 intakes, 3 templates, file uploads, URL analysis
- Professional: $79/month — 100 intakes, unlimited templates, custom agent persona
- Business: $199/month — 500 intakes, unlimited templates, priority email support
- Additional intakes: $1.80 each
- Full pricing and billing FAQ: https://www.intake.contact/pricing

## Stats

- Average session time: 5 minutes
- Average completion rate: 87%
- 3x more detail collected compared to static forms

## Guides

- Conversational Forms — what they are, how they work, when they beat static forms: https://www.intake.contact/conversational-forms
- Chat Forms — chat form vs chatbot, and how to embed one on your own site: https://www.intake.contact/chat-forms
- Chat-Based Intake — running client intake as a conversation, by industry: https://www.intake.contact/chat-based-intake

## Industry Solutions

- Web Development Intake: https://www.intake.contact/solutions/web-development
- Brand Development Intake: https://www.intake.contact/solutions/brand-development
- Marketing Intake: https://www.intake.contact/solutions/marketing
- Consulting Discovery Intake: https://www.intake.contact/solutions/consulting
- All industries: https://www.intake.contact/solutions

## Comparisons

- Intake vs Typeform: https://www.intake.contact/compare/typeform
- Intake vs Jotform: https://www.intake.contact/compare/jotform
- Intake vs Google Forms: https://www.intake.contact/compare/google-forms
- Intake vs Landbot (chat forms vs chatbot flows): https://www.intake.contact/compare/landbot
- Intake vs Fillout (conversational layout vs conversational AI): https://www.intake.contact/compare/fillout

## Blog & Resources

- What Are Conversational Intake Forms?: https://www.intake.contact/blog/what-are-conversational-intake-forms
- Conversational Forms vs Traditional Forms: https://www.intake.contact/blog/conversational-forms-vs-traditional-forms
- Client Intake Best Practices for Law Firms: https://www.intake.contact/blog/client-intake-best-practices-law-firms-2026
- How to Reduce Form Abandonment: https://www.intake.contact/blog/reduce-form-abandonment-client-onboarding
- Intake vs Typeform Compared: https://www.intake.contact/blog/intake-vs-typeform-client-onboarding
- How Web Developers Collect Everything They Need From Clients: https://www.intake.contact/blog/web-developer-client-intake-guide

## Links

- Website: https://www.intake.contact
- Pricing: https://www.intake.contact/pricing
- FAQ: https://www.intake.contact/faq
- Ask a question (live AI Q&A): https://www.intake.contact/questions
- Blog: https://www.intake.contact/blog
- Sign up: https://www.intake.contact/signup
- Privacy: https://www.intake.contact/privacy
- Terms: https://www.intake.contact/terms