Making a phone number or budget compulsory means deciding that an enquiry cannot proceed without it. That is a business decision, not just a setting in your website.
The useful question is what your team needs to do next. A request for a callback has different requirements from a general enquiry, while an initial conversation should not automatically demand the detail needed for a final quote.
Start with the response you need to provide
Before changing the form, agree what happens after somebody submits it. Is your team arranging a conversation, checking whether it can help, or preparing a price? Work backwards from that action.
The GOV.UK guidance on structuring forms recommends establishing why each question is needed and how the answer will be used. Although written for public services, this is a useful discipline for a commercial enquiry form.
Review each field with the person who handles the replies:
- What decision does this answer help us make?
- Who uses it, and how?
- Do we need it before we can give a useful first response?
- What happens if the visitor cannot provide it?
Give each question an outcome: keep it required, make it optional, ask later, or remove it. 'Sales would like to know' is a starting point for discussion, not a complete reason to make an answer compulsory.
Require a phone number only for a genuine need
For a requested callback, a number is necessary to deliver that specific response. For an enquiry your team can answer by email, making a number optional, or asking only when a visitor chooses a call, may be more appropriate.
That choice also affects accessibility. The GOV.UK Design System's phone number guidance notes that not everybody has or can use a phone, and recommends offering a choice of contact method.
Explain when and why you would call. Mark optional information clearly and check that the form actually accepts an empty field. A preference for speaking to prospects is worth discussing, but it should not be mistaken for an unavoidable requirement.
Ask about budget without demanding false certainty
A budget question can be useful when the answer changes which service or approach you recommend. Before adding one, agree how the team will use it. If it changes neither the first response nor how the enquiry is handled, consider asking later.
Where an indicative amount is enough, consider ranges rather than an exact figure. Explain whether you mean a one-off project cost or ongoing spending, and make clear whether tax is included. Design the options around genuine commercial decisions, not arbitrary bands.
Give people a way to say they have not set a budget when that is a valid answer. GOV.UK's guidance on question pages explicitly allows uncertainty where appropriate. Do not treat 'not sure yet' as proof that an enquiry is unsuitable.
If your company has a genuine minimum project value, consider explaining it before the form. Clear pricing context lets visitors consider suitability without first disclosing their own figure. Only publish amounts and conditions the business can stand behind.
Move later-stage questions out of first contact
Apply the same test to company name, postcode and project details. A postcode may matter immediately if you need to check a service area; a full billing address may belong later. Ask only for the level of detail needed at the current step.
The NHS guidance on deciding which questions to ask recommends postponing information that is not needed yet. Making every extra field optional is not the same as removing unnecessary collection.
There is a privacy consideration too. The Information Commissioner's Office guidance on data minimisation says personal information must be sufficient and relevant for its purpose, while limited to what is necessary. Optional fields still need a justified purpose; collecting information 'just in case' is not a sound default.
For a project description, explain what would help with the first response. Avoid demanding a finished brief when the visitor is asking for help defining the work.
Judge the change by the enquiries you can help with
Before editing, record what problem you are trying to solve. That might be visitors struggling with a question or staff repeatedly chasing information they genuinely need. Agree what a better result would look like.
The NHS guidance on testing questions recommends involving both people completing the form and staff dealing with the answers. Watch where visitors hesitate and check whether the resulting information helps your team respond.
After a change, review completed enquiries alongside relevance and the effort needed to follow up. Define a useful enquiry by whether your company can help, not whether every optional box is filled. Roled's article on making website reports useful explains why numbers need this wider context.
Do not assume a rise or fall in enquiries was caused by the form change; campaigns and visitor numbers may also be involved. Start with one field whose purpose is unclear, agree what to change, and set a review date with the person responsible for answering.
