How to Collect Customer Info in Blinko: Intake Forms, Quote Requests & Photos
Build a custom intake or quote form in Blinko — ask for text, photos, and location, put it on your spot, broadcast it, or DM it. Submissions land right in the conversation. Free plan included.
Blinko Team
Blinko Local
Half the job is knowing what the job is. Before you can quote a junk-removal pickup, price a landscaping project, or book the right service, you need details — and often a photo or two. Blinko's Customer Data Collection automation turns that into a simple form your customers fill in themselves: you choose what to ask, they tap, answer, and send. No back-and-forth, no "can you text me a picture of it?"
- 1Get Paid: Deposits, Requests & Contributions
- 2Invoice a Customer
- 3Book Appointments
- 4Collect Customer Info (this guide)
What is the Customer Data Collection automation?
It's a customizable intake form you put in front of your customers. Out of the box it asks for a name, what they need, and how to reach them — but you can add, remove, and reorder steps to ask for exactly what your business needs, including photos and location. Customers tap your CTA, fill it in, and their answers land in your conversation with them. It's available on every plan, including Free.
When to use it
- You need details to do (or quote) the work — a description of the junk to haul, the room to paint, the event to cater. (Junk removal, trades, landscaping, events.)
- You want customers to come to you with a request — "Get a quote," "Request a consultation," "Tell us what you need." (Any service business.)
- You want feedback or info to improve — a quick survey, a satisfaction check, a preference form.
What you can collect
Build your form from the data types you need:
| Ask for | Step type |
|---|---|
| A typed answer (name, phone, email, a description) | Question |
| A photo | Photo |
| Where the job is | Location |
| Several fields at once | Form |
| A choice, a yes/no, or a rating | Single-select · Yes/No · Rating |
Mix and match as many as you like — Blinko walks the customer through them one at a time.
How to set it up
1. Pick it and make it yours
- In the Engage tab (Automations) — or Automations in the web portal — tap Browse all automations and choose Customer Data Collection (under "Collect customer info").
- Customize the steps — keep, edit, reorder, or add steps with "+ Add a step," choosing the data type for each (Question, Photo, Location, Form, and more). For a junk-removal quote, for example: ask for a description of the junk → then a photo → then their contact.
- Name the button so customers know what it's for — "Get a Quote," "Request a Consultation," "Tell us about your project."
- Tap Activate.
Not sure how to structure it? Tap Describe a goal and say it plainly — "ask for a description of the junk, then photos, then confirm" — and Blinko builds the form for you to approve.
2. Put it where customers will use it
Once it's active, your form is ready in three places:
- On your spot — it shows as a CTA on your spot screen, so anyone who scans your Blinko QR can tap and submit.
- As a broadcast — send it to all your customers at once.
- In a DM — attach it to a specific customer's conversation (attachment → "Send Automation") when you want one person to fill it in.
Where the answers go
Every submission lands right in your conversation with that customer — questions, photos, location, and all — so you can reply, quote, or follow up on the spot. Need the bigger picture? Open the automation's analytics to see every submission in one place.
Tips for better results
Ask only what you need. The shorter the form, the more people finish it.
Lead with the photo for quotes. A picture answers more than three questions ever will.
Name the CTA for the outcome. "Get a Quote" converts better than "Submit."
Frequently asked questions
Which plan includes data collection? Customer Data Collection is on every plan, including Free.
What can I ask customers for? Typed answers (names, phone, email, descriptions), photos, location, multi-field forms, single-select choices, yes/no, and ratings.
Can customers send photos? Yes — add a Photo step, and customers can attach a picture right in the form.
Where do submissions show up? In your conversation with that customer, and in the automation's analytics.
Can I run different forms for different needs? Yes — adopt and customize as many as your plan's active-automation limit allows (one at a time on Free, three on Indie, unlimited on Business).
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