Client Questionnaire Template for Agencies (Free Template)

Client questionnaire vs. client intake form: what's the difference?

Use an intake form to qualify and scope. Use a questionnaire to understand. The intake form tells you whether the project is viable because it covers budget, timeline, and deliverables. The questionnaire tells you how to approach it because it covers brand positioning, past agency relationships, decision-making culture, and the nuances that shape how the work should be done.

In practice, many agencies combine both into a single pre-kickoff document. That works well if the questions are grouped clearly. What you want to avoid is asking understanding questions before you have confirmed the project is scoped and budgeted, because it signals you are more interested in the work than in whether it is set up to succeed.

Questions every agency should ask new clients

A complete client questionnaire covers five categories:

Download the free client questionnaire template

The template below is organized by category with space for client responses. Adapt the questions to your project type. If you prefer a pre-written question bank instead of a document scaffold, use /templates/client-questionnaire.

# Client Questionnaire

**Project:** [Project name]
**Client:** [Client name]
**Date:** [Date]

## Brand and Positioning
How would your best customer describe your brand in one sentence?
[Client response]

What do you want customers to feel when they interact with this project?
[Client response]

Are there brands whose work you admire? What specifically works for you?
[Client response]

## Past Agency Experience
Have you worked with an agency on this type of project before?
[Client response]

What worked well? What did not?
[Client response]

Is there anything you specifically want to avoid repeating?
[Client response]

## Decision-Making and Approval
Who has final approval on creative, copy, and technical deliverables?
[Name, role]

How are decisions typically made, by consensus or by a single decision maker?
[Client response]

## Content and Assets
Who provides copy, images, and other content?
[Name, role, expected delivery date]

Do you have existing brand guidelines or a design system?
[Yes / No, if yes describe or attach]

## Competitive Landscape
Who are your top three competitors?
[Client response]

How do you want to position against them in this project?
[Client response]

How Clariva generates a tailored questionnaire from any brief

Generic questionnaires produce generic answers. A brand identity project needs different questions than a web development project or a content strategy engagement. Clariva generates questionnaires from the brief context, which means the questions your client receives are relevant to their specific situation, not a generic list that covers every possible project type.

To generate a tailored questionnaire: describe your project in one to three sentences, or paste an existing brief. Clariva produces a structured questionnaire with sections and questions adapted to what you have told it, and publishes it to a shareable link your client can fill out on any device.