When you have your Portal Settings configured to allow clients to create their own accounts, you can select any fields from the Client Details to be included in your new client form. Here are our tips for best practices for customizing your new client form.
Keep The New Client Form Simple
While it’s possible to add every Client Details field to this form, prospective clients are much more likely to complete the form the shorter and simpler it is. Every field on the new client form will be required regardless of whether you have it marked as required in Client Fields, so don’t include fields that do not apply to all clients to avoid confusion. Also, remember that prospective clients who have never met you may be reluctant to fill out the more personal information. For example, if you only need a client’s zip code or city to determine whether they are in your service area, you could leave off the field for the client’s street address.
Filling out a longer form is also a waste of your prospective client’s time if it turns out you won’t be able to service them. Your goal should be to gather enough information to quickly determine whether the client may be a good fit and get their contact information so you can get in touch with them to schedule a Meet & Greet. For most pet-sitting companies, that means gathering address information to determine if the client lives within your service area and a name, email address, and phone number so you can contact them.
Creating “New Client Only” Form Fields
There may be certain information you’d like to gather from prospective clients who are filling out your new client form but don’t need from your existing clients. You can create fields that are visible on the new client form but not visible in the client portal by adding the fields in Client Fields and making the fields “Client Editable” but not “Client Visible”. To create a new field, follow these steps:
Navigate to Client Fields Settings:
Go to
Settings > Company Settings > Client Fields.
Create a New Field:
Click to add a new field and enter relevant information, such as the field name (e.g., Preferred Contact Method). Dropdown options might include "Call," "Text," or "Email".
Add to New Client Form:
Assign the newly created field to the New Client Form so that prospective clients are prompted to complete it during their submission.
Control Field Visibility:
Uncheck the "Client Visible" option to make the field visible only on the New Client Form, ensuring it does not appear in the Client Portal while retaining visibility in internal data records.
If you have a set of fields that are only used on the new client form, you can group them together and move them to the bottom of your Client Fields so they take up less space on the main part of the client profile:
Managing Visibility Settings for Existing Contact Fields
To customize the visibility of existing fields such as 'Primary Phone' or 'Primary Email':
Go to
Settings > Company Settings > Client Fields.Find the specific field you want to edit.
Adjust its visibility by checking or unchecking the "Client Visible" option based on your preferences.
Note: For steps on how to create and rearrange Client Fields, check out our help doc on Client And Pet Fields.