Hello all, I have an email form on my website and many people have used it to get in contact with me. It asks for basic information such as name, phone, type of event, etc. I'm wondering if anyone feels like this sort of form is helpful, or if it simply blocks direct contact with customers? I'm worried they might feel like such a form is useless when they could talk to me directly (even though my number is listed all over my site). Or, email forms may seem very authoritative, and I don't want to have it on my site if it may make people feel like they are committing to something they are still unsure about.

Any thoughts? Perhaps it is better to just list name, phone, and address?

Just my opinion, but I think you should give folks several ways
to contact you. No hard data to back this impression up, but I
think that different personalities will respond in the way that
suits them best.

Phone number - some folks will want to call you to hear your
voice and ask questions. That's how they want to move forward.

Email Address - some would rather deal with this through email,
without talking directly. They want to see how you respond.

Webform - this is kind of like email - in fact, I do get a fair
number of folks who send email AND submit the form. My guess is
a fair number don't really understand how the tech works, so they
figure they'd better back it up with another approach.

(Or... they liked my website so much that want to make CERTAIN
I get back to them... that's what I want to believe at least.)

Re: webforms and the amount of info - the general rule of thumb
for internet marketers is the less you ask for, the better chance
you have of getting it.

So... I don't think you scare folks off with a form. I do think, however,
that you should include a phone number and an email as well.

--Jack

You're doing the right thing. As Jack mentions, offering multiple options is best. Some contact me via the phone and others through the web form. I've not listed my email address....maybe I should.

Giving your prospects a choice of ways to contact you is essential. I know of people in this business that hate email and hate to type. IMHO that is a liability for them.

The more barriers you place between you, and potential customers the fewer jobs you book.

I agree, make it easy to contact you however I found when I put my email on my sites I got a lot of spam. Could be worth dealing with a few extra emails every day from some scammer pretending to be pushing pills but that was my motivation for going to a contact form over an email.

I do try to make it easy overall though for people to find my contact info. as I have seen too many sites that make me work to get in touch with them.

Another thought on your form Dave, you could make some fields optional and some mandatory. For an example, look at my site here http://www.lifeismagical.com/contact.html

Best regards,

Keir

I do have basic info manditory, and the rest is optional. I restructured the way I set up my email and phone number, and put the form below that instead of to the side of it. It seems to flow better. I also recently added an email newsletter, so hopefully that will serve me well in the future as well.

I also believe the key is multiple points of contact. I make sure that it is very easy for any prospect to contact me in the way they feel most comfortable with.

I do use an online form on my contact page and it has worked great for us over the years. However, like anything, we researched it and tested it and tweaked it to make sure it functions the way we want it to. It needs to be easy to use and the person entering the information needs to know that the information was sent successfully. In other words, they need a confirmation sent to them or on the webpage stating that their information was sent and someone will get in touch with them ASAP.

The form is also set up so that a lot is check mark boxes or pull down menus. This makes it very easy for the prospect to quickly fill in information that I will need from them. Certain fields are required while others are optional for them. This is also clearly laid out on the form. The form is also not long and only takes a minute or less to fill out.

I also clearly state that the form can be filled out so that we can send additional information to them on their event and answer any questions that they have. They realize they are not committed to anything. This is simply a fast and quick way for them to get information sent to them specific to their event needs.

I think many folks are used to filling out forms online. As long as your form is easy to use, makes sense to them and clearly states they are not committed to anything, they should not have any issue filling it out.

I also make sure I include my email and business phone number and business address as alternative ways for them to touch base with me. By doing so, they have a choice in the way they feel most comfortable. It is their option and they are not forced into any one direction.

In the era of the internet and digital age, I find most people like the instant results that a form gives to them. T can be automated so that an email gets sent to the prospect with anything I personally want to say to them. This happens in real time and is an automated process. No matter when the person sends a request, they will always get one back no matter if I am at a show or away from the phone.

Kyle