Lead capture form: how it works and how to set it up

A lead capture form is only as good as what happens in the minute after someone submits it. The form gathers a name and a reason to talk; the response that follows decides whether that person becomes a client or fills in a competitor's form next. This article answers one question: what should an enquiry form ask, and how do you wire it on the levelpartner.ai platform so every lead is recorded, sourced and answered straight away?

What a lead capture form is for

It has three jobs. Record who the person is and how to reach them. Capture enough context to route them to the right person. And note where they came from, so you know which marketing is paying for itself.

Most enquiry forms do the first job, half the second and none of the third. Fixing the second and third is where a firm with flat revenue usually finds its easiest gains, because the leads are already arriving.

The fields worth asking for

Ask for first name, email, phone and one qualifying question. The qualifying question changes by business. An agency might ask about monthly marketing budget. A consultant might ask what problem the prospect wants solved. A mortgage broker might ask whether the person is buying, remortgaging or investing. A real estate team might ask whether the person wants to buy, sell or let.

Keep the qualifying question to a short list of options rather than free text. Options can be used to route and report. Free text has to be read.

Add hidden fields to capture the source. When someone arrives from an advert or an email, the link carries tags describing the campaign. Hidden fields store those tags on the contact without the visitor seeing them.

Before you start

You need access to Sites, Automation and Opportunities. Create a pipeline for new enquiries if you do not already have one, and decide who should receive leads and in what order. Agree a response message with your sales lead, and check your SMS and email sending are set up in Settings.

How to set it up

1. Go to Sites, then Forms, and click + Create New Form.
2. Add Name, Email, Phone and one qualifying question.
3. Make the qualifying question a custom field for filtering and reporting.
4. On the Notifications tab, turn on Email Notification for the sales inbox.
5. Set the confirmation message or redirect, then save and test.
6. Click Integrate and add the form to your enquiry and landing pages.
7. In Automation, create a workflow with the Form Submitted trigger.
8. Set the Form Is filter to this form and save the trigger.
9. Add Create Opportunity with your enquiry Pipeline and first Pipeline Stage.
10. Add Send Email confirming receipt with your booking link.
11. Add Assign to User to share leads across your salespeople.
12. Add Send Internal Notification with To User Type set to assigned user.
13. Turn the toggle to Publish, then click Save.
14. Submit a test lead and check the contact, owner and emails.

Why speed matters more than the form

A prospect who fills in your form is usually filling in two or three others. The first firm to respond with something useful tends to get the conversation. That is why the response steps sit in the same workflow as the form, rather than waiting for someone to check an inbox.

When a form is the wrong tool

If your buyers want to talk now, a form can slow them down. Offer a booking calendar or a chat widget alongside the form, not instead of it. And where most leads arrive by phone, put your effort into call tracking and missed-call text-back first.

For the design side, the guide to form layout and labels covers field order and button wording. To place the form inside a full site built around enquiries, read setting up a lead capture website. If you need multi-step approval after the enquiry, see routing form submissions through a workflow.

Troubleshooting

Leads appear with no source. The links in your adverts or emails do not carry campaign tags, or the hidden field names do not match. Add tags to every outbound link and check the field names.

The confirmation text never arrives. The phone number was entered without a country code, or SMS sending is not set up. Use a phone field that formats numbers and check your messaging settings.

Leads are assigned to the wrong person. The routing condition does not match the option text. Use the exact option values in the workflow condition.

Duplicate opportunities appear. The same person submitted twice. Add a condition that skips opportunity creation if one already exists for the contact.

Frequently asked questions

How many fields should a lead capture form have?

Four is a good default: name, email, phone and one qualifying question. Add more only if the next step genuinely cannot happen without them.

Should I ask for a phone number?

Yes, if you plan to call or text. Explain why under the field, for example "so we can confirm your appointment". Leave it optional only if email is your main channel.

Can AI respond to leads from the form?

Yes. An AI agent for SMS or chat can reply to new enquiries, answer common questions and offer a booking slot, with handover to a person when needed.

Where do I see all the leads in one place?

In Opportunities, as cards in your enquiry pipeline, and in Contacts, filtered by the form or source.

The journey this guide describes