Get started with forms

Forms let you collect structured data from your contacts, event registrations, customer feedback, preference updates, survey responses, and more. You create the form in Flexmail, share it with your contacts, and the responses flow directly into your account for reporting and follow-up.

Forms are different from opt-in forms. Opt-in forms are specifically for subscription sign-ups and always use double opt-in. Forms are for collecting any other type of data from contacts who are already in your database.

What forms can do

• Collect event registrations and attendance confirmations
• Gather customer feedback or post-event survey responses
• Ask contacts to update their profile data or preferences
• Invite contacts to participate in a loyalty programme or competition
• Collect any structured data you want linked to a contact's record

How forms connect to your database

When you link a form field to a contact database field, every submission automatically writes that answer to the contact's record. This is what makes forms powerful, not just data collection, but automatic database enrichment.

One important rule: forms cannot create new database fields. If you want to collect a piece of data that doesn't yet have a corresponding field in your account, create the field first in Settings > Manage custom fields.

How to share a form

You can share a form in two ways:

• As a link in a Flexmail campaign: the contact is automatically identified, known fields are pre-filled, and responses are linked to their contact record. Personalisation works in this mode.
• As a public web link: the form is accessible to anyone with the URL, but without connection to a specific contact. Responses come in without linking to an existing record. Personalisation doesn't work in this mode.

Create a form

Step 1: Create and name the form

1. Go to Forms
2. Click Create new form.
3. Enter a name for the form and select a category.
4. Click Save. The form editor opens.

Step 2: Add intro text

At the top of the editor, add intro text that appears above your questions. Use it to explain what the form is for, or personalise it with a placeholder like #firstname# to greet the contact by name.

Step 3: Add fields

1. Click Add a field to add a question.
2. Choose a field type. See 'Form fields and validation reference' for a description of each option.
3. Enter the question label, what the contact sees.
4. Mark the field as required or optional.
5. Link the field to a database field if you want the answer saved to the contact's record.
6. Optionally add a validation filter to enforce a specific answer format.
7. Add help text below the field if the question needs extra clarification.

To add a text block or section heading between questions, click Add an editor field. This inserts an HTML Editor block you can format freely.

Step 4: Reorder and manage fields

Move fields using the arrows on the right to reorder them.

Step 5: Add a closing text or redirect

Below your fields, add a message that appears after the contact submits. For example, a thank-you message, confirmation of what happens next, or a link to relevant content.

You can also set a redirect after submitting: instead of showing a message, you forward the submitter to either a specific landing page or URL.

Step 6: Configure form settings

Use the gear icon to go to form settings and configure:

• Template: change the general appearance of your form
• Colours and fonts: finetune to match your brand
• Language: for button labels and default texts
• Header banner: an image at the top of the form
• Limit submissions: allow each contact to submit only once, or allow multiple submissions
• Close the form after an amount of entries and/or on a specific date
• Send a confirmation message to the subscriber upon submission
• Receive a notification for every submission

Get the form link

• Click the gear icon to get the weblink.

To use the form in a campaign with personalisation, use the Form link type when adding a link to your message. See 'Link to forms, surveys, and landing pages' in the Messages section.

Form features overview

• 9 different field types: text, dropdown, radio buttons, checkboxes, date, and more
• Validation filters: ensure answers meet a specific format before submission
• Personalisation: pre-fill fields with existing contact data
• Custom styling: colours, fonts, and a header banner
• Intro and closing text
• Multilingual support: form buttons in the contact's language
• Form reports: view all submissions and export the data

Next steps

• See 'Form fields and validation reference' for a complete description of all field types and validation options.
• See 'Personalise a form' to pre-fill fields with contact data.
• See 'How do I get the most out of forms?' for advanced use cases and tips.
• See 'Link to forms, surveys, and landing pages' to add a form link in a campaign.

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