Businesses put in a lot of work to reach interested people, so it’s always great when a new contact lands in your inbox out of nowhere. A contact form lets you connect securely with the people who want to know more about you—and jumpstarts your relationships with customers.

Contact forms are straightforward (and pretty hard to mess up), but some are definitely better than others. Here’s how to optimize your contact forms and boost your form conversion rate.

Best practices for your Contact Form

When it comes to collecting new leads, two things matter: quantity and quality. So how can you increase the number of qualified responses you get from your contact forms? Here are some simple ways to build contact forms that encourage people to approach your business.

• Add context to the contact. Why do people contact your business? Add context to your Contact Us page (“Get in touch with a sales agent“ or “Reach out for support”) so people understand why they might want to fill out your form. You can also build multiple contact pages—for example, one for sales inquiries and one for support questions.
• But keep it brief. It’s good to add context to your Contact Us page, but make sure to cut out any fluff like extra form fields. Hubspot finds that cutting out a form field can improve your conversion rate by up to 50%. If you need to edit your fields, consider axing the phone number field. People tend to abandon forms that require their digits.
• Hide extra fields with conditional logic. It can be hard to keep your forms brief when you’re trying to qualify leads at the same time. Get all the information you need and keep your form short by adding hidden questions with conditional logic. These questions only pop up when it makes sense. So say you ask for a country and the respondent chooses “United States.” Another field could pop up asking the respondent to choose a state.
• Use the right type of form fields. Some people use default text fields for every contact form question, but this can mess with autofill. Use the right type of field (like first name, last name, email, address, and so on) so autofill works for your respondents.
• Embed your form. When you embed your contact form on your website, you’re putting it directly in the path of customers and potential customers. This makes it easier to find, which is always a plus for people who are trying to get in touch. It also displays your form in context, so customers can take action right away. 
• Make sure your form is mobile friendly. Presentation is key. Contact forms with a responsive design look great on any platform: desktop computers, tablets, mobile phones, you name it. Form design can feel a little technical, but don’t worry—Wufoo has you covered here with responsive mobile web forms.
• Anticipate common questions. If people contact you to ask the same questions over and over, you might want to include links to help articles on your Contact Us page. This is especially true if customers use your contact form to troubleshoot common issues. By linking to a potential answer, you’re providing proactive customer service.
• Suggest other ways to connect. What’s the best way for people to reach you? Email, phone call, online chat, social media? If there are alternative ways to connect, list them. Some people who land on your Contact Us page might want to reach you another way. You could also include a CTA for those people who want to take more direct action.
• Tell people what to expect next. Don’t leave your leads in the dark! After someone submits a contact form, direct them to a confirmation page that outlines the action you plan to take. A simple message like “We’ll be in touch by email” or “Expect a call within the hour” will go a long way.

What to do after you’ve set up your contact form

You received a response from your contact form! That’s definitely cause for celebration, but what you do next matters even more. Set up a process that lets you respond to contact form requests quickly and helpfully, so you can provide top-notch customer service and turn new contacts into new customers.

• Respond quickly. The faster you respond to a contact, the easier it is to turn that contact into a customer. Luckily, you can set up Wufoo forms so you receive a text message as soon as you get a response. The ideal time to get back to a lead is less than 5 minutes. If you can’t make contact that fast, you can also automate a response.
• Route requests to the right person. One of the keys to responding to contacts quickly (and helpfully!) is making sure your responses land in the right inboxes. You can accomplish this with lead routing software, or you can simply create different contact forms for different inquiries—one for support, one for sales, one for partnerships, and so on.
• Get feedback. How are you doing? Without feedback, it’s always hard to tell. Find out what your contacts think of your response process by sending a follow-up survey. Ask respondents to rate your response time, as well as their interactions with your reps. You’ll get a better picture of customer experience and may even uncover gaps and opportunities for your team to tackle.

A great contact form gives you the chance to talk to people who are excited about your business, cement customer relationships, and provide the right support at the right time. By using a few best practices, you can build powerful contact forms—and equally excellent contact pages!—that encourage communication and qualify leads.