Practice Better gives you several ways to get a form in front of a client, and the right one usually comes down to timing: do you need the form completed before you confirm a booking, right after one's confirmed, on a recurring basis, or just whenever it's convenient? This hub walks through each method and links to the full instructions so you can pick the one that fits best.
In this article:
- Before You Begin
- Choosing the Right Method
- Sending a Form to One or More Clients Manually
- Requiring Forms During Booking
- Sending Forms Automatically After Bookings or Packages
- Sending Forms on a Recurring Schedule
- Sharing a Public Form Link
- Resending or Reminding Clients About a Form
Before You Begin
You'll need at least one form built in your My Practice > Forms & Waivers section before using any method below. Haven't built one yet? See Creating Forms and Waivers Manually in Practice Better →
Choosing the Right Method
A few relationships are worth understanding before you pick a method:
Booking Page Forms and post-booking Automations
These methods may sound similar, but they solve different problems.
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Booking Page Forms gate the booking itself: the client can't submit their request until the form is done.
- Post-booking Automations send a form after the booking is confirmed; they're supplementary and don't hold anything up.
You can use both on the same service at once, one form required at booking, another sent automatically afterward.
Automations vs. Recurring Forms
Both methods may get called "automatic," but they're triggered differently.
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Automations fire off a specific event (a booking or package confirmation), once per trigger unless you allow multiple completions.
- Recurring Forms run on a calendar schedule (daily, weekly, monthly) that you set per client, independent of any booking.
Public Forms
This form type is the outlier: they're the only method that doesn't require an existing client record. Anyone with the link can submit one, and what happens next (a Prospective Client entry or a full client profile) depends on your Automations settings.
Every other method on this page assumes you're sending to someone already in your client list.
Sending a Form to One or More Clients Manually
The most direct option: pick a form, pick a client (or several), send.
📍 This method works whether or not your client has an active Client Portal; you just need their name and email. If they do have a portal, the link brings them to sign in first. If they don't have a portal, the form opens directly in their browser and autosaves their progress so they can finish it across multiple visits.
- Go to My Practice > Forms & Waivers.
- Click Send to Client.
- Select one or more clients or tag groups from the checklist provided.
- Select one or more forms to send.
- Click Send in the top corner and then the Send button in the confirmation pop-up.
💡 This same flow handles both single-client and bulk sends, so there's no separate "send to multiple clients" button to look for.
Requiring Forms During Booking
Attach up to three forms directly to a service, package, or program so clients complete them as a required step before their booking request can be submitted. Best for essential intake information you need before deciding whether to confirm an appointment.
📍 No client portal is required for the client to complete these forms; they're filled out as part of the booking flow itself. A portal is only needed afterward if the client wants to retrieve a copy of what they submitted.
Learn more about Requiring Forms During the Booking Process →
Sending Forms Automatically After Bookings or Packages
Set up an Automation that delivers a form the moment a session or package booking is confirmed, either immediately or on a delayed schedule. Best for supplementary paperwork that doesn't need to hold up the booking itself.
📍 No client portal is required for the client to receive or complete the form, delivery works the same as a manual send. A portal simply keeps their submission history organized in one place going forward.
Learn more about Sending Forms Automatically after Bookings and Packages are Confirmed →
Sending Forms on a Recurring Schedule
Set a form to go out to a specific client on a repeating daily, weekly, or monthly schedule, ideal for ongoing check-ins or progress tracking.
📍 No client portal is required for the client to receive or complete the form, delivery works the same as a manual send. A portal simply keeps their submission history organized in one place going forward.
Learn more about Sending Recurring Forms →
Sharing a Public Form Link
Generate a link (or an embeddable website widget) that anyone can use to submit a form, no client record and no portal login required. Best for prospect intake or general-purpose forms you want to post publicly.
📍 Submitting a public form doesn't automatically create a client record. What happens depends on your Automations settings: without an automation, the submission lands in your Prospective Clients list for manual review; with an automation, it can become a full client profile automatically.
Learn more about Sharing Public Forms with Prospects and Clients →
Resending or Reminding Clients About a Form
Two related but distinct actions, both handled from the client's Forms & Waivers section:
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Resend for edits: creates an editable copy of a form the client already completed, so they can update their answers. Requires an active Client Portal.
- Send a reminder: nudges a client who hasn't finished a form yet, via email and in-app notification. No portal required.
Learn more about Resending Forms and Sending Form Reminders to Clients →