A good booking form needs to do three things: make it easy for customers to schedule, collect the right details to facilitate the booking, and prequalify leads (if required) so you're talking to the right people.
But too often, businesses overcomplicate their forms—asking for too much information or making them confusing.
If your form is too long, people won’t book. If it’s too short, you won’t get the information you need. So how do you create a booking form that strikes the right balance?
In this guide, we’ll cover what to include (and what to leave out), best practices to keep your form simple yet effective, and real-world booking form templates you can use to inspire your own.
Let’s begin!
For a lot of small businesses, scheduling appointments and meetings is a big part of the day-to-day. Your booking form plays a crucial role in this process. It serves as a vital touchpoint that influences conversions, efficiency, and the overall customer experience.
Here’s why you should pay extra attention to designing your form:
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👉 Don’t have a cancellation policy yet? Check out our guide on how to create an effective meeting cancellation policy. |
A good booking form asks just enough to get the job done—no more, no less. Here’s what to ask (and not to ask):
Every booking form needs to capture essential details: who’s booking, how to reach them in case of rescheduling or cancellation, and when they want to meet.
Also, if you offer multiple services or appointment types, include a dropdown menu so customers can select what they need.
When designing your form, ensure your available time slots are clear, and if needed, leave buffer time between appointments to avoid back-to-back scheduling stress.
If you run a consulting/coaching or service-based business, you probably don’t want to waste time on leads that aren’t the right fit.
An easy way to filter them out? Add a few quick lead qualifying questions to your booking form. Just keep them relevant and to the point—only ask what you really need to know.
For example, if you’re a hairstylist, a simple question like “Have you had your hair colored in the past six months?” can help you plan the right treatment.
If you’re a marketing consultant, asking about the prospect’s budget ensures they have sufficient funds for your services.
Below, Roberto (E) Suarez demonstrates how a few simple lead qualifications in his booking form help him screen for the right coaching clients.
No-shows and last-minute cancellations are frustrating. A simple checkbox—"I agree to the cancellation policy"—can help set clear expectations. The example from USADefend Law Firm below shows how this can be done. If you require deposits or have specific rules, be sure to mention them here too.
Depending on what you do, you might need extra info to prepare for the appointment. Keep it brief and relevant.
Examples:
Anything that doesn’t serve a clear purpose. Longer forms lead to more drop-offs, so keep it concise.
A good booking form should be short and to the point. Consider removing any questions that don’t directly impact the appointment.
Check out a few common questions below that often appear in booking forms but aren’t always necessary.
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Question |
Why it’s bad |
What’s a better alternative? |
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“How did you hear about us?” |
It’s a marketing question, not a booking necessity. Customers are here to schedule, not fill out a survey. |
If needed, ask this in a follow-up email after the appointment, not during booking. |
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“What’s your full home address?” |
Unless you’re delivering a physical product or offering an in-home service, this is unnecessary and feels invasive. |
If location is relevant, just ask for city and ZIP code instead of a full address. |
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“What’s your preferred payment method?” |
If you’re not collecting payment at the time of booking, this question adds unnecessary friction. Most customers don’t want to make that decision before they even commit. |
If prepayment is required, integrate payment into the booking form instead of just asking about it. Otherwise, handle payment at the appointment. |
How you design your booking form matters too. It should be clean and optimized for all devices.
Let’s unpack the best design practices!
Your booking form should feel minimal and intuitive—not like a long, complicated survey. Too many fields, unnecessary drop-downs, or cluttered layouts create friction, making people “work hard” to book an appointment with you.
It’s tempting to ask for every possible piece of information upfront. But the longer your form, the more likely people are to abandon it.
If a question isn’t absolutely necessary for confirming the booking or preparing for the appointment, leave it out.
Apparently, studies have been done on this! According to the CXL Institute, single-column forms are completed 15.4 seconds faster than multi-column ones.
So, it would be silly not to follow this advice! Ultimately, your form should be easy to scan and quick to complete from top to bottom.
A bad mobile experience = lost customers.
Most people book on the go, so your form needs to be touch-friendly, readable, and easy to complete on a small screen. That means large, tap-friendly fields, a responsive design that adjusts to different screen sizes, and no unnecessary scrolling or zooming.
If people have to pinch, zoom, or struggle with tiny buttons, they won’t book. Test your form on different devices to make sure it works fine!
Right, now that we’ve got the theoretical part out of the way, let’s jump straight into the booking form templates.
We’ve handpicked a few real-world examples so you can easily get inspired and apply the best practices to your own booking page. Whether you're a service provider, consultant, or business owner, these templates will help you structure your form for maximum efficiency and conversions.
If you’re designing your hair salon booking form, you need to collect essential information without making the client call in to confirm details. Customers should be able to book their appointment, choose a service, and note any special requests in just a few clicks.
🔹 Key fields to include:
Sandra Mo from Lashes by SxMO has a great booking form on her booking page to capture as much information about the client as possible before the different treatments she offers. For new clients, she also asks them to complete a new client form.👇
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📖 Want to protect your salon from issues like late arrivals or no-shows? Check out our guide filled with salon-specific booking policy examples. |
If you’re a business coach scheduling sessions, you don’t want to waste time on unqualified leads. Your booking form should filter out casual inquiries by collecting key business details and client goals upfront.
🔹 What you could include in your booking form:
Here’s a straightforward booking form from Romana Siracusa, a marketing coach. She collects basic details like your name, email, and website URL. She also asks what you want to cover during the call and what your biggest business challenge is at the moment. 👇
“The booking form was very unique to YouCanBookMe, and it’s something that I absolutely love because it helps you prepare for the meetings.” - Romana Siracusa
Learn more about how Romana leverages her booking page to give her coaching clients a smooth booking experience.
Your clients book sessions because they want guidance, not because they love filling out forms. Keep it simple, but collect enough information to understand their needs before the session, especially if it’s an initial consultation.
Remember: the more prepared you are to tackle their goals and problems, the higher your chances of landing a long-term client!
🔹 Key fields you can include in your form:
Jillian Vorce, a professional coach and career consultant, specializes in helping professionals build relationships that unlock new opportunities. On her booking page, she collects basic details like your name and business name while also allowing you to specify the purpose of the meeting. 👇
A prospect landed on your website and wants to book a demo? Collect enough information to ensure they’re the right fit for your product or service.
🔹 Key fields to include:
Check out this booking page example from Pearl Lemon Leads, a UK-based lead generation agency. They’ve set up their booking form to collect information like basic contact details, your business URL, and the service you’re interested in. 👇
Recruiters need a simple way to schedule interviews without endless email chains. This form should let candidates pick a time and share basic details.
🔹 Some fields you can include are:
Here’s the booking page by Anna Sieniawska, an expert in building and leading international teams. 👇
As a tattoo artist, you probably get bombarded with DMs and emails from people asking about pricing, designs, and availability. Design your tattoo services booking form to collect all the information upfront!
🔹 Key fields to include:
Check out this example of a tattoo artist, Daniele Lugli, hitting a 90% conversion rate thanks to her booking page. 👇
As you can see, Daniele includes a mandatory checkbox confirming the client is 18 or over.
Patients don’t want to call in just to book a dental cleaning. Your booking form should be straightforward and quick while ensuring you collect the medical details needed for the appointment.
🔹 Key fields to include:
Check out dental hygienist Carolina Traviglia’s booking page, where you can easily select whether you're a new or returning patient and choose your treatment in just a few steps. 👇
A financial consultation is personal, so clients need to feel like their time is valued. Your form should collect basic details while helping you understand their financial goals before the call.
🔹 Key fields to include:
Career ownership and financial coach Sara Roy has a straightforward booking form where she asks clients to provide basic contact information, choose their preferred meeting location (phone or online), and agree to her rescheduling and cancellation policy. 👇
Now that you know what makes a great booking form and have seen real-world examples, it’s time to set up your own. If you want a booking system that’s simple, automated, and customer-friendly, YouCanBookMe (YCBM) is a great choice.
Follow these steps to create a booking form that works for your business:
First things first—sign up for a YouCanBookMe account (or log in if you already have one). It only takes a few minutes, and you can use the free plan or upgrade depending on your needs.
Enter your page name, upload your logo, and customize your booking link. Next, you can add your brand colors, choose a booking page layout, set meeting durations, select a location (in-person, phone call, etc.), and tweak other settings to match your needs.
Need more guidance on customization? Check out 10 powerful ways you can customize your booking page.
Once your booking page is up and running, it’s time to create your booking form. To do that, click on “Edit.”
Next, expand the “Additional options” dropdown menu and click on “Booking form.”
In the next window, you can start customizing your booking form by adding questions. You can collect essential details like the booker’s first and last name and email address—or go further by adding custom questions and policy checkboxes.
YouCanBookMe offers a variety of question formats, from short answers to multiple-choice fields. Plus, you can preview your form to see exactly how it will appear on both desktop and mobile devices.
When you're done, just hit “Save all changes.”
Before you start sharing your booking link, test it yourself by booking a dummy appointment.
You don’t want clients to run into issues or feel confused. Plus, it's a good way to double-check that everything works properly.
Once everything looks good, it’s time to go live and start taking bookings. You can add your booking link to your website or social media. Or, include it in your email signature for easy access.
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❓Do your leads come from LinkedIn? Check out our guide on how to include a booking link in your LinkedIn profile. |
There you have it—eight booking form templates plus best practices to help you design a page that actually gets customers to book.
The bottom line? Don’t overload your booking page with unnecessary questions! Your customers don’t want to fill out an application—they just want to book an appointment, fast. Keep it clean, simple, and friction-free, and you’ll see more bookings and fewer abandoned forms.
And if you’re looking for a scheduling tool that makes creating a sleek, functional booking page easy, YouCanBookMe is worth checking out. With customizable forms, automated email and SMS reminders, and seamless calendar integration, it helps you take the hassle out of scheduling—so you can focus on running your business.