Customer Forms#

Customer Forms let people outside your team send you information. They don’t need a login, and there is nothing for them to install. You build a form once. Customers then fill it in on a web page, on your own website, or from a private link you send. Every response is saved. A form can also create a new record or update an existing one for you.

Think of it as the other half of the Client Portal. The portal lets a customer follow records you choose to share. Forms let a customer give you information.

The short version:

1. 1Create the form in Admin → Forms.
2. 2Choose its audience and action in the form’s settings.
3. 3Add your fields and, if you like, save each answer to a field on the record.
4. 4Click Publish.
5. 5Share the link, embed it on your website, or send it from a record.

Choose the kind of form#

Every form has an audience. It decides who can open the form and what happens when they submit.

• →Public (anyone with the link). A web page of its own that you can also embed on your website. Visitors don’t sign in. Each response can create a new record, or it can simply be saved. Good for contact forms, quote requests and intake.
• →Magic link (tied to one record). You send a private link from a record. Whoever opens it fills in the form for that record. Each response can update that record, or it can simply be saved. Good for asking a customer to confirm their details or finish an onboarding checklist.
• →Staff only. The original kind of form. Your team fills it in from inside a workflow, and it has no public link. This page is about the first two kinds.

Create a form#

Forms live under Admin → Forms. Building them needs Read & Write access to Forms (see Permissions).

1. 1Open Admin → Forms and click New Form.
2. 2Type a Name. The Slug fills in from the name, and you can change it.
3. 3Add a Description if you like, then click Create.
4. 4The form editor opens. The form is saved as a Draft, so nobody outside your team can see it yet.

The slug is the form’s short name, and it becomes part of a public form’s web address. Use lowercase letters, numbers, hyphens and underscores. Start with a letter and keep it to 63 characters or fewer. You choose the slug when you create the form. The editor shows it but doesn’t let you change it, so pick one you’re happy with.

The Forms list

The list shows each form’s name, slug, audience, number of fields, whether it is Published or a Draft, where it is used, and when it last changed. Badges show the audience (Staff, Public or Magic link) and what a response does (Creates records or Updates records). The All, Staff, Public and Magic link buttons narrow the list.

To remove a form, click its trash button and confirm. The form is hidden and its link stops working, but you can bring it back. Tick Show deleted and click Restore.

Set the audience and action#

A new form starts as Staff only. Set the real audience before you add fields. The audience decides which field types you can use and which record fields you can save to.

Open the Settings tab. Under Form options, the Audience and action tab holds these choices.

• →Audience. Staff only, Public (anyone with the link) or Magic link (tied to one record).
• →Action. What happens when someone submits. A public form can Create a record or Just collect responses. A magic-link form can Update the linked record or Just collect responses. A staff form only saves the submission. To update an existing record, use a magic-link form.
• →Record type. Required when the action creates or updates a record. On a public form it is the kind of record each response creates, for example a Lead. On a magic-link form it is the kind of record the link is sent from.
• →Default owner. Required when the form creates records. New records are assigned to this person, so someone is responsible for following up.
• →Accepting responses. Turn this off to close the form. Visitors see that it isn’t accepting responses. Turn it back on when you’re ready.
• →Keep submissions for (days). Enter a whole number of days from 1 to 3650, and older submissions are deleted automatically. Leave it blank to keep them forever.

Nothing changes until you click Save changes. Discard changes puts everything back.

If a change would break a field

Changing the audience, the action or the record type can leave some fields unable to work. For example, a field type the new audience doesn’t allow. Before saving, Coeffection checks every field. If one would break, you see These fields will stop working with each field and the reason. Nothing is saved. Click Fix fields to jump to the first one, fix or remove each, then save again.

Add fields#

1. 1Open the Schema tab and click Add field.
2. 2Type a Label. This is the question people see.
3. 3Type a Key. It is the field’s internal name. It must start with a letter and use only letters, numbers and underscores.
4. 4Pick a Type. For Select and Multi-select, add the options too.
5. 5Click Add. New fields go to the bottom of the form.

Field types

Public and magic-link forms offer these types, grouped as they appear in the picker:

• •Text: Text, Long text.
• •Numbers: Number, Currency, Percent.
• •Choice: Select, Multi-select, Checkbox.
• •Date & time: Date, Date & time, Timestamp (read only).
• •Contact & address: Email, Phone, URL, Address, Country, State, Postal code.
• •Files: File upload (Dropbox), File upload (Drive), Image upload. See File uploads and storage.
• •Layout: Section heading. It adds a title to split a long form into parts. It isn’t a question, so it has no answer to save.

Choices for Select and Multi-select

Select and Multi-select need at least one option. Click Add option for each choice. Every option has a value, which is what is saved with the answer, and a label, which is what people see. Every option needs both, and no two options can share a value.

Required fields

Click the arrow on a field’s row to open it. You will see Key, Label, Field type and a Required switch. Turn it on and the form can’t be submitted until the field is answered. A required Checkbox must be ticked. A field hidden by a rule is never required.

Reorder fields

Drag the grip handle on the left of a field to move it. You can do the same from the keyboard. Tab to the handle (it is called Drag to reorder field), press Space or Enter to pick the field up, use the arrow keys to move it, then press Space or Enter to drop it. Escape puts it back.

A field with a show or hide rule has to stay below the field its rule depends on. If a move would break a rule, the new order isn’t saved and the field tells you why.

Remove a field

Click the trash icon at the end of a field’s row, then Remove field. Answers customers already submitted are kept with their submissions.

• •If the form already has submissions, the field is hidden instead of deleted. Its old answers stay readable, and its key stays reserved, so you can’t reuse it.
• •If another field’s show or hide rule depends on it, Coeffection won’t remove it and tells you why.
• •On a published form, customers keep seeing the published version until you publish your changes.

Save answers to the record#

A form that creates or updates records needs to know which answer goes where. You decide that for each field. It works once the audience is Public or Magic link and the action creates or updates a record. Until then, each field shows a note telling you to change the Audience or Action in Settings.

1. 1Open a field.
2. 2Under Save to record field, choose the field on the record that should receive the answer.
3. 3To keep the answer only on the submission, choose Don’t save to the record.

• →The list only shows record fields that can take that kind of answer. If none can, you’ll see “No field on this record takes this kind of answer.”
• →One record field is filled by one form field. If another form field already fills it, it shows Used by and that field’s name, and you can’t pick it.
• →Record name sets the name of a new record. It is offered on forms that create records. If no field is saved to it, the new record is named after the form and the date, like Contact Intake - 2026-11-02.
• →Protected fields such as owner, stage, pipeline, status, team and anything Coeffection manages for you are never offered. A form can’t change them.
• →File uploads aren’t saved to a record field. They are kept with the submission and in your storage.

New records

A record created by a form starts in the first stage of its pipeline and belongs to the form’s Default owner. Workflows that start when a record is created run as usual, and your plan’s record limit still applies.

Updating a record

On a magic-link form, each response is written to the linked record right away. The submission keeps the old and the new value of every field it changed, so you can always see what was overwritten.

A mapped field on a magic-link form also has a switch called Show the record’s current value. Turn it on and the customer sees what is on the record now, so they can correct it instead of typing it again. It is off by default, and it only works on fields that are saved to the record.

Show or hide a field#

Some questions only matter when an earlier answer says so. A short rule keeps the form tidy. For example, ask for a company name only when “Buyer type” is “A business”.

1. 1Open the field. Under it you will see “This field is always shown.” and an Add a rule button.
2. 2Click Add a rule. After Show this field only when, choose a field from the list.
3. 3Choose a condition: is, is not, is filled in or is empty. For a Multi-select the first two read includes and doesn’t include.
4. 4Choose or type the value. The rule saves as soon as it is complete. Click Clear rule to go back to always shown.

• •A rule can only depend on a field above it. If there is no field above, the editor tells you to add one first.
• •Address, file and image fields, Date & time and Timestamp can only be checked with is filled in or is empty.
• •A hidden field is never required, and anything a customer typed into it before it was hidden is thrown away.
• •Rules can chain. If a rule depends on a field that is itself hidden, Coeffection treats that field as empty.

Branding and the thank-you#

Open Form options → Branding. A Preview shows your changes as you make them. These settings apply to public and magic-link forms. On a staff form the tab reminds you that visitors never see them.

• →Logo. The path of an image already hosted on Coeffection, such as /images/your-logo.png. It must start with a single slash. Pictures hosted on other websites can’t be used. Leave it blank for no logo.
• →Accent color. A six-digit hex color for the submit button, links and focus rings, for example #0e7490. Use the color picker or type it in. If the color is too light for white button text, visitors see the default color instead. You can still save it. Use the default clears the field.
• →Headline. Shown above the form, as plain text. Leave it blank to use the form’s name.
• →Intro. Shown under the headline, as plain text.

After a submit

Choose what people see when they submit:

• →Show a thank-you message. Visitors stay on the page and see your message as plain text. Leave the Thank-you message blank to use the default, “Thank you! Your response has been submitted.”
• →Send them to another page. Visitors go to a web address you choose as soon as they submit. Enter it as the Redirect address. It must start with https://. On an embedded form, your whole page moves to that address.

Click Save changes when you’re done. A field shows a problem right away if a value isn’t allowed.

Publish and versions#

A new form is a Draft, and customers can’t open a draft. When you’re ready, open the Schema tab and click Publish. After the first time, the button reads Publish changes. It stays off until the form has at least one field.

Coeffection checks the whole form first. If something needs fixing, a red box lists each problem in plain language. Next to a problem with a field is a Go to field button that jumps to it. A problem with the form as a whole has Open settings instead. Dismiss closes the box.

• •The form has no fields yet.
• •The record type the form uses was turned off or no longer exists.
• •A form that creates records has no default owner, or the owner is no longer an active user.
• •A file field is on the form but storage isn’t connected.
• •A field is saved to a record field that it can no longer fill.

Versions

Each time you publish a form that has changed, Coeffection saves a new version and tells you, for example “Published version 2”. If nothing changed, it says “No changes to publish”.

Customers always see the latest published version, never your draft edits. Edit freely and publish when you’re ready.

Each submission remembers the version it was made with. When you open it later, you see the questions and choices as the customer saw them, even if the form has changed since.

Share a public form#

Once a public form is published, open Form options → Embed. Only public forms have this tab. Magic-link forms are sent from a record instead.

• →Hosted page. A web page just for this form. Share the link anywhere. Visitors don’t need to sign in. It looks like https://coeffection.com/f/your-workspace/contact-intake. Use the Copy button next to Hosted page link.
• →Sites that can embed this form. To show the form inside your own website, list that site here. Enter each address exactly, such as https://www.example.com, with no path and no wildcards. List www and other subdomains separately. Click Add a site for each one, then Save changes. You can add up to 20 sites, and the page counts them, for example “1 of 20 sites”.
• →Embed code. Paste this into your website where the form should appear. It only works on the sites you have listed and saved. The frame resizes itself to fit the form.

What visitors see

The page shows your logo, headline and intro, then the questions and a Submit button, with a small “Powered by Coeffection” tag at the bottom. It fits phones as well as desktops. If you switch the form off, visitors see “This form isn’t accepting responses”. A draft or a deleted form shows “Form not found”.

Send a form from a record#

A magic-link form is sent from a record. The customer gets a private link. Whoever opens it fills in that form for that one record, with no login.

Before you start, publish a magic-link form whose Record type matches the record, for example a Lead. You also need the Can send forms to customers permission and permission to edit the record.

1. 1Open the record and go to its Forms tab.
2. 2Click Send form and pick the Form.
3. 3Choose Link expires: 7 days, 30 days (the default) or 90 days. People with Read & Write access to Forms also see Never, with a warning that anyone with the link can update the record until you revoke it.
4. 4Click Copy link to get the link and send it yourself. Or check the Recipient email, which starts as the record’s first email address, and click Send email.
5. 5Copy the link now if you need it. Coeffection shows it once. If you lose it, revoke it and send a new one.

What the customer sees

The customer opens the link and sees the form. Any field with Show the record’s current value turned on is already filled in with what is on the record, so they can correct it. When they submit, the record is updated right away and they see your thank-you message.

Opening the link never uses it up. Only a submit counts, so an email scanner that opens the link first can’t break it. The same link works until it expires or you revoke it, and each submit is saved as its own submission.

Track and revoke links

The record’s Forms tab shows the history. The tab appears on records of any type that has a form, for people with Read access to Forms or the Can send forms to customers permission. It has two parts:

• →Submissions. Each response with the form’s name, where it came from (Public form, Magic link or Staff) and when. A badge appears only when something needs attention. Each field the response changed is listed from the old value to the new one. View submission opens it in Admin → Forms.
• →Magic links. Each active link with its Recipient, when it Expires, how many Times used, and when it was Last used.

To stop a link, click Revoke next to it, then Revoke link. It stops working right away, and this can’t be undone. Anyone who opens it sees “This link isn’t active”. They see the same page if the link has expired, if the form was switched off, unpublished or deleted, or if the record was deleted.

Coeffection also writes link events to the record’s history: when a link is created or revoked, on its first use, and on every 10th use. Without Read access to Forms you can still send and revoke links, but you won’t see the submissions list.

File uploads and storage#

Files customers upload are saved in your own Dropbox, in a folder you choose. A file question works like any other. The customer picks a file, and it uploads before they submit. You set this up once for your workspace, and you need Read & Write access to Forms.

1. 1Open Admin → Forms and click Storage. The page is called Forms storage.
2. 2Under 1. Connect a storage provider, click Connect Dropbox and finish connecting. The row then shows Connected. The Dropbox page has the steps.
3. 3Under 2. Choose the root folder, click Choose folder and pick a specific folder. The top level of Dropbox can’t be used.
4. 4Click Save. The page now says File uploads are on and shows where customer files are saved.

Until you finish, file fields are locked in the field picker with a Needs storage tag, and you can’t publish a form that has one. The Forms list also shows a reminder with a Connect Dropbox to accept file uploads link.

Choose a folder for each form

Open Form options → Storage on a public or magic-link form.

• →Subfolder. A folder for this form inside your storage root. Leave it blank to use the root itself.
• →Folder template. Optional. Sorts each submission into its own folder, for example /submission/{client-name}. Tokens are filled in when someone submits.

You can use these tokens:

• •{date} is the day of the submission.
• •{form-name} is the form’s name.
• •{submission-id} is a unique ID for each submission.
• •{client-name} is, on a public form, the answer to the field saved to Record name. On a magic-link form it is the record’s name.
• •{field:key} is the answer to one field, by its key. Public forms only.

Click a token under Insert a token or Insert an answer from this form to add it. A live Preview shows the folder that will be used and explains anything that isn’t allowed. Click Save changes.

Limits and file types

A response can include up to 10 files of up to 25 MB each. File upload accepts PDF, DOCX, XLSX, PNG, JPG, GIF and WEBP files. Image upload accepts PNG, JPG, GIF and WEBP. Coeffection checks the file itself, not just its name, and refuses anything else.

Where the files show up

On each submission, under the question’s answer, with a Download button. They are also in the Dropbox folder you chose. A Files saved badge means they were filed. If a file can’t be filed in your Dropbox, the response is still saved, the badge reads Files failed, and your team is notified.

Spam protection#

Public forms protect themselves. There is nothing to turn on or set up.

• ✓A quick bot check runs when someone opens the form. Most people only see a short “Verifying you’re human” note. If it fails, they can try again.
• ✓A hidden question that real people never see catches simple bots. Their submissions are dropped.
• ✓There are limits on how often one person can submit. Too many tries in a row and they’re asked to wait a minute.
• ✓Magic-link forms skip the bot check. The private link is what keeps them safe, so revoke any link you no longer need.

View submissions#

Everything people send is kept as a submission. Open the list from the Submissions button at the top of a form’s editor. The number beside it shows how many there are.

• →Submitted. How long ago. Hover for the exact time.
• →Source. Public, Magic link or Staff.
• →Status. What happened. The action shows as Processing, Applied, Partly applied, Action failed or No action. Files show as Files pending, Files saved or Files failed.
• →Record. A link to the record the response created or updated.
• →Summary. The first answers on one line.

Tick Needs attention (failed only) to see responses whose action or files failed. Click Load more for older ones.

Open a submission

Click a row. A drawer called Submission opens with:

• •When it was submitted, where it came from, its status, the record, and the Form version it was made with.
• •An Action error block, if the action failed, with the reason.
• •The Answers, shown with the questions as the customer saw them. Uploaded files have a Download button.
• •Changes made to the record, with a before and an after for every field a magic-link response changed.
• •Other files, for any file that no question lists.

The address in your browser changes when you open a submission, so you can share it with a teammate who has access. Notification links open it the same way.

Export to CSV

Click Export CSV (Read & Write access). You get one row per submission with its date, ID, source and form version, then a column for each question. The export follows the Needs attention filter and includes the newest 50,000 submissions.

Retry a failed action

A response is always saved, even when its action fails. If a submission shows Action failed, open it, read the Action error, fix the cause, and click Retry action (Read & Write access). Then confirm Retry.

• •The action runs again with the answers exactly as they were submitted, using the version of the form they were submitted with.
• •If the record was already made, no second one is created.
• •On a magic-link form, a retry writes the answers over the record again. That overwrites any changes made to those fields since, including edits by your team. The confirm warns you.

Notifications#

Coeffection tells your team in the app, in the notification bell:

• →A new record. When a public form creates a record, its owner gets the usual notification for a new record. The owner is the form’s Default owner.
• →Form submission needs attention. A response was saved, but its action failed. Open it and use Retry action.
• →Form files need attention. A response was saved, but its files couldn’t be saved to storage.
• →Customer form link used. The first time a magic link is used, then on every 10th use. You will know the link works, and when it keeps being used.

The alerts about failures and link use go to the person who created the form and its default owner, as long as they are still active users.

A form doesn’t email customers on its own. They see your thank-you message on screen. The only email is the one you choose to send with Send email. See Notifications for how alerts are set up overall.

Run a workflow when a form is submitted#

A workflow can start every time a customer submits a form. It runs on the record the response created or updated.

1. 1Open Admin → Workflows and create or edit a workflow.
2. 2Choose the Form submitted trigger. It runs when a customer form submission creates or updates a record.
3. 3Under Form, pick the form from the list (“Choose a form”).
4. 4Add the actions you want, then save.

• •Only published forms whose action is Create a record or Update the linked record are listed.
• •A form set to Just collect responses doesn’t start workflows, because there is no record for the workflow to run on.
• •If the workflow is tied to one record type, only forms for that record type are listed.

Permissions#

Open Admin → Roles & Permissions, choose a role, and find the Forms row.

• →None. No access to Forms.
• →Read. See forms and their submissions. Read opens Admin → Forms.
• →Read & Write. Everything in Read, plus build, publish and delete forms, set up storage, export submissions, retry failed submissions, and create links that never expire.
• →Can send forms to customers. A separate checkbox under the Forms row. It lets someone create and revoke magic links from a record’s Forms tab. They also need permission to edit that record. Owners, Admins and Managers have it to begin with. Tick it for any other role that should send forms.

Troubleshooting and FAQ#