Template

Downloaded times
Use template
Legally vetted
E-signature
Track opens & views

Between:


FIRST_NAME
LAST_NAME
Corporation Corp.
‍ Acme LLC.
Client

FIRST_NAME
LAST_NAME
Corporation Corp.

First_name
Last_name
Acme LLC.
Client

First_name
Last_name
Corporation Corp.

Client Intake Form

Fully editable with custom branding. Send, print or embed online.

Bonsai has helped create 1,023,928 documents and counting.

Trusted by 500,000+
business owners

“My best friend in scaling my business

Like putting my finances on auto-pilot”

Bonsai does the hard work”

Everything is streamlined”

Huge timesaver”

It’s been the most stress-free year of my life!”

I feel more confident”

Backbone of my business”

“So simple”

“Clients love how easy my systems are

A must-have!”

“I do less admin and do more of what I love

“Worry-free contracts and invoices

“It pays for itself”

Great customer service!”

A life-saver!”

Clients take me more seriously”

“I upped my rates and won more clients

Coaching
Contract

Date: March 8th 2023


Between:

Coach:

First_name
Last_name
Acme LLC.
Client:

First_name
Last_name
Corporation Corp.

This Contract is between Client (the "Client") and Acme LLC, a California limited liability company (the "Coach").

The Contract is dated January 23, 2023.

1. WORK AND PAYMENT.

1.1 Project. The Client is hiring the Coach to develop a coaching relationship between the Client and Coach in order to cultivate the Client's personal, professional, or business goals and create a plan to achieve those goals through stimulating and creative interactions with the ultimate result of maximizing the Client's personal or professional potential.

1.2 Schedule. The Coach will begin work on February 1, 2023 and will continue until the work is completed. This Contract can be ended by either Client or Coach at any time, pursuant to the terms of Section 4, Term and Termination.

The Coach and Client will meet by video conference, 4 days per month for 2 hours.

1.3 Payment. The Client will pay the Coach an hourly rate of $150. Of this, the Client will pay the Coach $500.00 (USD) before work begins.

1.4 Expenses. The Client will reimburse the Coach's expenses. Expenses do not need to be pre-approved by the Client.

1.5 Invoices. The Coach will invoice the Client in accordance with the milestones in Section 1.3. The Client agrees to pay the amount owed within 15 days of receiving the invoice. Payment after that date will incur a late fee of 1.0% per month on the outstanding amount.

1.6 Support. The Coach will not be available by telephone, or email in between scheduled sessions.

2.DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES.

- A coaching relationship is a partnership between two or more individuals or entities, like a teacher-student or coach-athlete relationship. Both the Client and Coach must uphold their obligations for the relationship to be successful.

- The Coach agrees to maintain the ethics and standards of behavior established by the International Coaching Federation (ICF).

- The Client acknowledges and agrees that coaching is a comprehensive process that may explore different areas of the Client's life, including work, finances, health, and relationships.

- The Client is responsible for implementing the insights and techniques learned from the Coach.

3. REPRESENTATIONS.

3.1 Overview. This section contains important promises between the parties.

3.2 Authority To Sign. Each party promises to the other party that it has the authority to enter into this Contract and to perform all of its obligations under this Contract.

3.3 Coach Has Right To Give Client Work Product. The Coach promises that it owns the work product, that the Coach is able to give the work product to the Client, and that no other party will claim that it owns the work product. If the Coach uses employees or subcontractors, the Coach also promises that these employees and subcontractors have signed contracts with the Coach giving the Coach any rights that the employees or subcontractors have related to the Coach's background IP and work product.

3.4 Coach Will Comply With Laws. The Coach promises that the manner it does this job, its work product, and any background IP it uses comply with applicable U.S. and foreign laws and regulations.

3.5 Work Product Does Not Infringe. The Coach promises that its work product does not and will not infringe on someone else's intellectual property rights, that the Coach has the right to let the Client use the background IP, and that this Contract does not and will not violate any contract that the Coach has entered into or will enter into with someone else.

3.7 Client-Supplied Material Does Not Infringe. If the Client provides the Coach with material to incorporate into the work product, the Client promises that this material does not infringe on someone else's intellectual property rights.

4. TERM AND TERMINATION

This Contract is ongoing until it expires or the work is completed. Either party may end this Contract for any reason by sending an email or letter to the other party, informing the recipient that the sender is ending the Contract and that the Contract will end in 7 days. The Contract officially ends once that time has passed. The party that is ending the Contract must provide notice by taking the steps explained in Section 9.4. The Coach must immediately stop working as soon as it receives this notice unless the notice says otherwise.

If either party ends this Contract before the Contract automatically ends, the Client will pay the Contractor for the work done up until when the Contract ends. The following sections don't end even after the Contract ends: 3 (Representations); 6 (Confidential Information); 7 (Limitation of Liability); 8 (Indemnity); and 9 (General).

3. INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR.

The Client is hiring the Coach as an independent contractor. The following statements accurately reflect their relationship:

- The Coach will use its own equipment, tools, and material to do the work.

- The Client will not control how the job is performed on a day-to-day basis. Rather, the Coach is responsible for determining when, where, and how it will carry out the work.

- The Client will not provide the Coach with any training.

- The Client and the Coach do not have a partnership or employer-employee relationship.

- The Coach cannot enter into contracts, make promises, or act on behalf of the Client.

- The Coach is not entitled to the Client's benefits (e.g., group insurance, retirement benefits, retirement plans, vacation days).

- The Coach is responsible for its own taxes.

- The Client will not withhold social security and Medicare taxes or make payments for disability insurance, unemployment insurance, or workers compensation for the Coach or any of the Coach's employees or subcontractors.

6. CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION.

6.1 Overview. This Contract imposes special restrictions on how the Client and the Coach must handle confidential information. These obligations are explained in this section.

6.2 The Client's Confidential Information. While working for the Client, the Coach may come across, or be given, Client information that is confidential. This is information like customer lists, business strategies, research & development notes, statistics about a website, and other information that is private. The Coach promises to treat this information as if it is the Coach's own confidential information. The Coach may use this information to do its job under this Contract, but not for anything else. For example, if the Client lets the Coach use a customer list to send out a newsletter, the Coach cannot use those email addresses for any other purpose. The one exception to this is if the Client gives the Coach written permission to use the information for another purpose, the Coach may use the information for that purpose, as well. When this Contract ends, the Coach must give back or destroy all confidential information, and confirm that it has done so. The Coach promises that it will not share confidential information with a third party, unless the Client gives the Coach written permission first. The Coach must continue to follow these obligations, even after the Contract ends. The Coach's responsibilities only stop if the Coach can show any of the following: (i) that the information was already public when the Coach came across it; (ii) the information became public after the Coach came across it, but not because of anything the Coach did or didn't do; (iii) the Coach already knew the information when the Coach came across it and the Coach didn't have any obligation to keep it secret; (iv) a third party provided the Coach with the information without requiring that the Coach keep it a secret; or (v) the Coach created the information on its own, without using anything belonging to the Client.

6.3 Third-Party Confidential Information. It's possible the Client and the Coach each have access to confidential information that belongs to third parties. The Client and the Coach each promise that it will not share with the other party confidential information that belongs to third parties, unless it is allowed to do so. If the Client or the Coach is allowed to share confidential information with the other party and does so, the sharing party promises to tell the other party in writing of any special restrictions regarding that information.

7. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY.

Neither party is liable for breach-of-contract damages that the breaching party could not reasonably have foreseen when it entered this Contract.

8. INDEMNITY.

8.1 Overview. This section transfers certain risks between the parties if a third party sues or goes after the Client or the Coach or both. For example, if the Client gets sued for something that the Coach did, then the Coach may promise to come to the Client's defense or to reimburse the Client for any losses.

8.2 Client Indemnity. In this Contract, the Coach agrees to indemnify the Client (and its affiliates and their directors, officers, employees, and agents) from and against all liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) related to a third-party claim or proceeding arising out of: (i) the work the Coach has done under this Contract; (ii) a breach by the Coach of its obligations under this Contract; or (iii) a breach by the Coach of the promises it is making in Section 3 (Representations).

8.3 Coach Indemnity. In this Contract, the Client agrees to indemnify the Coach (and its affiliates and their directors, officers, employees, and agents) from and against liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) related to a third-party claim or proceeding arising out of a breach by the Client of its obligations under this Contract.

9. GENERAL.

9.1 Assignment​. This Contract applies only to the Client and the Coach. Neither the Client nor the Coach can assign its rights or delegate its obligations under this Contract to a third-party (other than by will or intestate), without first receiving the other's written permission.

9.2 Arbitration. As the exclusive means of initiating adversarial proceedings to resolve any dispute arising under this Contract, a party may demand that the dispute be resolved by arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association in accordance with its commercial arbitration rules.

9.3 Modification; Waiver. To change anything in this Contract, the Client and the Coach must agree to that change in writing and sign a document showing their contract. Neither party can waive its rights under this Contract or release the other party from its obligations under this Contract, unless the waiving party acknowledges it is doing so in writing and signs a document that says so.

9.4. Noticies.

(a) Over the course of this Contract, one party may need to send a notice to the other party. For the notice to be valid, it must be in writing and delivered in one of the following ways: personal delivery, email, or certified or registered mail (postage prepaid, return receipt requested). The notice must be delivered to the party's address listed at the end of this Contract or to another address that the party has provided in writing as an appropriate address to receive notice.

(b) The timing of when a notice is received can be very important. To avoid confusion, a valid notice is considered received as follows: (i) if delivered personally, it is considered received immediately; (ii) if delivered by email, it is considered received upon acknowledgement of receipt; (iii) if delivered by registered or certified mail (postage prepaid, return receipt requested), it is considered received upon receipt as indicated by the date on the signed receipt. If a party refuses to accept notice or if notice cannot be delivered because of a change in address for which no notice was given, then it is considered received when the notice is rejected or unable to be delivered. If the notice is received after 5:00pm on a business day at the location specified in the address for that party, or on a day that is not a business day, then the notice is considered received at 9:00am on the next business day.

9.5 Severability. This section deals with what happens if a portion of the Contract is found to be unenforceable. If that's the case, the unenforceable portion will be changed to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable, unless that change is not permitted by law, in which case the portion will be disregarded. If any portion of the Contract is changed or disregarded because it is unenforceable, the rest of the Contract is still enforceable.

9.6 Signatures. The Client and the Coach must sign this document using Bonsai's e-signing system. These electronic signatures count as originals for all purposes.

9.7 Governing Law. The validity, interpretation, construction and performance of this document shall be governed by the laws of the United States of America.

9.8 Entire Contract. This Contract represents the parties' final and complete understanding of this job and the subject matter discussed in this Contract. This Contract supersedes all other contracts (both written and oral) between the parties.

THE PARTIES HERETO AGREE TO THE FOREGOING AS EVIDENCED BY THEIR SIGNATURES BELOW.

Coach

First_name
Last_name
Acme LLC.
Client

First_name
Last_name
Corporation Corp.
Table of contents

You know how much first impressions matter — especially in business. Every new client is an opportunity to make a great first impression that could result in a long-term business relationship.

While you may be thinking that a client’s first impression of your business has everything to do with how you and your team members treat them, there’s actually another critical factor at play: the client intake process.

A well-designed client intake form can make a world of difference in how smoothly a new client is onboarded and how successful they are with your services.

Think about it — when you meet someone for the first time, you probably ask them questions to get to know them better. The same is true for business relationships. But instead of relying on memory or taking notes, a client intake form captures all of the important information in one place. 

This allows you to hit the ground running with a new client, and it also gives you a valuable reference point to refer back to throughout the engagement.

In this article, we’ll discuss why intake forms are so important in the client onboarding process and we'll also walk you through the process of creating a client intake form.

By the end, you’ll have everything you need to create a successful client intake experience for your business.

Note: Try our free client intake form provided by Bonsai. You'll get access to a document that has all the right questions to properly onboard a new client. Try a 14-day free trial today.

What is a client intake form?

A client intake form is a document that captures important information about a new client and their project. It’s typically used in service-based businesses, but can also be used in other types of businesses such as law firms or financial planning practices.

The goal of a client intake form is two-fold:

  • To collect important information about a new client and their project
  • To make a great first impression

When done correctly, a client intake form will accomplish both of these goals and set the stage for a successful business relationship.

Client intake forms typically include questions about:

  • The client’s business or organization
  • The project scope and objectives
  • The budget
  • The timeline
  • Point of contact information

That said, client intake forms serve an important purpose in the onboarding process — they help to ensure that both the client and the service provider have a clear understanding of what’s expected from the engagement.

In addition, client intake forms help to establish a relationship between the business and the client. By taking the time to fill out a form, the client is indicating that they’re serious about working with you. And by reviewing the form in detail, you have an opportunity to learn more about the client and their needs.

Other benefits of using client intake forms include:

  • They help you weed out unqualified leads. If you have a detailed intake form, you can use it to screen out leads that are not a good fit for your services.
  • They help you save time. By having all of the important details in one place, you can avoid having to track down information from the client later through endless email exchanges.
  • They help you avoid scope creep. Scope creep is when the scope of a project starts to expand beyond the original scope. By having a clear understanding of the project scope and objectives from the start, you can avoid scope creep down the road.
  • They help you stay organized. With all of the important information in one place, you can easily reference it later on if you need to.

Now that we’ve discussed the importance of client intake forms, let’s talk about how to create one.

Guidelines you need to follow

When it comes to creating a client intake form, there are a few key things to keep in mind:

  • Keep it short and sweet. No one wants to fill out a long, tedious form. The goal is to collect the essential information without overwhelming the client.
  • Make it easy to read and understand. Use clear and concise language that can be easily understood by everyone. If your form is too technical or uses jargon, your prospective or new clients may not be able to understand it — which means they won't fill it out correctly (or at all).
  • Include only the essentials. Don't try to include everything under the sun on your form. Stick to the basics and only ask for information that you absolutely need.
  • Make it user-friendly. In addition to being easy to read and understand, your form should be easy to use. This means using a logical structure and organization. For example, you might want to consider grouping related questions together.
  • Include helpful instructions. If there are any questions on the form that may be unclear, include some brief instructions to help guide the client.

Essential elements of a client intake form

Now that we’ve discussed some general tips for creating a client intake form, let’s talk about the essential elements that every form should include.

These elements are:

Company and contact details

This should include the client’s name, email address, phone number, and company name. This basic information will be used to identify and contact the client later on.

This section should always be included at the top of your form -- it doesn't matter whether you're creating a corporate client intake form, legal client intake form or a patient intake form template.

What exactly does the client do?

You need to have a basic understanding of what the client does to provide them with the best possible service. This doesn’t need to be overly detailed — a brief description will suffice.

What are the challenges that the client faces?

This is one of the most important sections of the client intake form. In this section, you want to get an understanding of what specific challenges or problems your potential client is currently facing.

Getting into the specifics here will help you understand whether you can actually help them and, if so, how you might be able to do so.

If you know what challenges they're facing, you can position your agency as a possible solution to those specific problems.

What the client wants to achieve

After delving into the specifics of their challenges, you want to get an idea of what sort of outcomes or results they're hoping to achieve.

Are they looking for short-term gains or long-term sustainability? Are they trying to increase brand awareness or generate more leads

Asking these types of questions can help you understand what their priorities are and how you might be able to help them best.

What's their budget?

Budget is always a touchy subject. But it's an important one, nonetheless. In this section, you want to get a sense of what kind of budget they're working with for the project at hand.

Knowing their budget can help you understand what kinds of services or results they might realistically be able to achieve given their constraints. It can also help you determine whether the project is worth your time and resources.

What's their timeline?

In a similar vein, it's important to know what kind of timeline they're working with. Are they looking for immediate results or are they willing to wait a bit longer for more sustainable growth?

Asking about their timeline can help you understand their level of urgency and, as a result, how you should prioritize their project. Ensure you include this section in all your new client intake forms.

Competitors and other reference points

In this section, you want your potential client to give you some reference points. These can be their competitors, other companies or brands they admire, or even just general industry trends they're keeping an eye on.

Getting a sense of who and what their frame of reference is can help you understand how they see themselves in relation to the larger marketplace. 

Download Bonsai's client intake form templates

Asking the right questions is only half the battle — you also need to format your intake form in a way that's easy for prospective clients to understand and fill out.

Our free online client intake form template takes care of the heavy lifting for you. It takes the guesswork out of creating an effective intake form and makes it easy to get started collecting the information you need from your potential clients.

Just download the online intake form template, add your details, and start onboarding new clients.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about this template.

Why is a client intake form important?

An intake form makes it simple for service providers to collect information from new clients and streamline the client onboarding process. You can learn more about your clients at the beginning of your partnership with them by filling out this form.

How do you create a client form?

Sign up and try Bonsai's software to easily design and create new client forms instantly. Customize and personalize an intake form at no cost. Also, get access to all our other templates.

What is the purpose of the intake process?

The intake process serves as a link between the group of business stakeholders outlining what needs to be worked on. I.e. A coach and a client.