Speed up your lead form and automate follow-up: a TeamWRK tune-up

In our tune-up sessions, Typeform experts take a customer’s form and show how a few changes can make it work better. This article is based on our tune-up with TeamWRK, a Brooklyn-based running club that coaches runners of every level, from beginners to marathoners.

TeamWRK's lead form had more than 30 questions, took 4 minutes to fill in, and the team had to check new submissions by hand. After the tune-up, the form takes 30 seconds, and follow-up happens automatically.

Ready, set, go: here’s how to do the same with your form.

▶️ Watch: the TeamWRK tune-up in our Tune Up Your Typeform Telethon, or read the full story: From 30 questions to 30 seconds.

What you'll need:

Most of the features in this article are available on all plans, including Free. To add a Partial Submit Points, you’ll need the Basic plan or higher, and automations need the Contacts & Automations add-on. Compare all Typeform’s plans to see what’s included in each.

Part 1: Make your form shorter

Only ask what you need right now

What we did for TeamWRK: TeamWRK's form asked about health, emergency contacts, and clothing and shoe sizes before people had even signed up. It also had several open-ended questions that took time to answer. These made the form feel long and slowed people down before they had even decided to sign up.

We removed these questions from the lead form. TeamWRK can ask them in a second form after someone signs up.

How to do it:

1. Go through each question in your form and ask: Do I need this answer to decide what happens next?
2. Delete the questions you don't need yet, or move them to a separate form you send after sign-up, for example, in a welcome email.

3. Replace open-ended questions with Multiple Choice questions where you can. They're quicker to answer, especially on mobile.

Put contact details on one page

What we did for TeamWRK: Instead of asking for first name, last name, email, and phone number one by one, we put them all on one page. Respondents fill them in at once and move on.

How to do it:

1. Click + Add content.

2. Select Contact Info.

3. Delete any fields you don't need, like company name.

You can also group other related questions on one page. See How to add multiple questions to a form page.

Only show questions to the people they apply to

What we did for TeamWRK: TeamWRK offers financial aid, so its form asks about annual salary. But that question is only relevant to people applying for aid. We added logic so that only people who say they want financial aid see the salary question.

How to do it:

Since we recorded this tune-up, you can also hide individual questions, which is the simplest option when only one or two questions depend on an answer. If whole sections of your form depend on an answer, use branching logic to send people down different paths.

See Use logic to hide questions based on previous answers or URL parameters, Use logic to hide upcoming answer choices, and What is branching logic?

Simplify the wording with Typeform AI

What we did for TeamWRK: Short, clear questions are faster to read and answer. We used Typeform AI to simplify the wording across TeamWRK's whole form, without rewriting each question by hand.

How to do it:

1. Open your form and click the Typeform AI chat.

2. Ask, for example: Make the wording of every question shorter and simpler, and keep a friendly tone.

3. Review the changes before you publish.

See Use Typeform AI.

Check how it works on mobile

What we did for TeamWRK: Most forms are filled out on a phone, so we checked that TeamWRK’s form looked right on mobile. We also added images to the Welcome Screen and End Screen, and made sure they displayed well on small screens.

How to do it:

1. When you add an image to a question or screen, set how it looks on mobile too. In the settings on the right, under Layout, choose a layout for Mobile. It can be different from the Desktop layout. If part of the image gets cut off, drag the circle under Focal point to the part you want to keep in view.

2. When you’re ready, preview your form by clicking on the Play icon.

3. Switch to Mobile view.

4. Go through every question and check that the text is easy to read and that nothing is cut off.

See How to create a mobile-friendly form. To add images, see Add images and GIFs to your forms.

Part 2: Don't lose leads who leave early

Capture answers before people leave

What we did for TeamWRK: TeamWRK's form already had a Partial Submit Point, which saves answers up to that point even if someone doesn't finish. We kept it and also added a question near the start for people who aren't ready to sign up yet: Would you like to get updates from TeamWRK? That way, the team can stay in touch with them.

How to do it:

1. Move your most important questions, like email, near the start of your form by dragging and dropping them in the left sidebar.

2. Click + Add content and select Partial Submit Point.

3.  It’s added to the list of questions on the left of the Content panel.

Drag it so it sits directly below the last question whose answer you want to keep, for example, your Email question. Answers to every question above it are saved, even if someone leaves before the end.

See Collect partial responses.

Part 3: Automate your follow-up

Save every lead as a contact

What we did for TeamWRK: We mapped TeamWRK's form answers to our Contacts list, so every new lead, whether they completed the form, left partway, or said they're not ready yet, is saved in one place.

How to do it:

Map your form questions to contact properties, like name, email, and running level. Each new response then creates or updates a contact automatically. Your form needs an Email question or a Contact Info question with an email field.

For step-by-step instructions, see Map form responses to contact properties.

Group your leads into lists

What we did for TeamWRK: TeamWRK coaches beginner, intermediate, and advanced runners, and each group needs different follow-up. We created contact lists based on runners' answers, plus a list of people who asked for updates.

How to do it:

1. Click the Contacts tab.

2. Click the + sign next to Contact lists.

3. Give your list a name and filter your contacts by a property, for example, Running level contains Beginner.

4. Click Save to create the list.

See Filter your contacts and create contact lists based on properties, which explains lists step by step.

Send automatic follow-ups

What we did for TeamWRK: Now that TeamWRK's leads are in lists, we can set up the follow-up to run on its own. People who ask for updates get a confirmation email straight away, and each group of runners can get emails that fit their level. An advanced runner training for an Ironman doesn't need the same email as a beginner.

How to do it:

Create an automation that sends an email when someone is added to a list. You can add a time delay or more emails to build a short follow-up sequence. Repeat for each list. See Set up an email automation when a contact is added to a list and What are Automations?.

Get notified when a new lead comes in

What we did for TeamWRK: TeamWRK's team used to log in to check for new submissions. Now, an automation emails them as soon as someone submits the form, with every answer included, so they can follow up while the lead is hot.

Note! Since we recorded this tune-up, there’s a simpler way to do this: a setting in your form that emails you every new response. Use an automation instead if you want to add conditions or delays.

How to do it:

1. Open your form and click the settings icon in the toolbar.

2. Scroll down to Notifications and toggle on Send email for new responses.

3. Choose Complete responses only, or Complete and partial responses if you also want leads who left partway.

4. Click Save.

The email goes to your Typeform account’s email address and includes every answer. Each person on your team who wants these emails turns the setting on for themselves.

See Receive email notifications from form responses. To set it up as an automation instead, see Send email notifications to respondents or yourself when someone submits your form.

The result

TeamWRK's form went from 4 minutes to 30 seconds. Runners only see questions that apply to them, and the team gets every lead in real time, with follow-up emails that go out on their own.

Want to see more? Watch other tune-ups in the Tune Up Your Typeform Telethon and the Typeform Quick Fixes series on YouTube.