How to create an intake process without Airtable & Zapier?

Most intake processes today depend on expensive tools like Airtable and Zapier, which can quickly add up in cost. But the truth is, you don’t need them to build a complete, automated workflow for capturing and qualifying leads.

In this guide, I’ll show you how to create an end-to-end intake process without relying on those tools. By the end, you’ll know how to:

• Capture leads with a smart intake form

• Qualify them into categories like cold, warm, and hot

• Automate lead nurturing with personalized emails

And the best part? You’ll do it all in the simplest and most cost-effective way using Formester.

How to Create an Intake Process in Formester?

Step 1: Build an Intake Form

Your intake form is the very first touchpoint with potential clients. A well-designed form helps you collect all the important details upfront, so you don’t waste hours chasing information later.

With Formester, creating an intake form takes just seconds thanks to its AI-powered form builder. Here’s how:

• Click New Form.

• Select Create with AI.

• Describe the intake form you need. For example: “Create an intake form for my software development company.”

• If you want specific questions, include them, then click Generate.

• The AI will instantly create a ready-to-use intake form.

A sample form might include:

• Page 1: Project type and required features

• Page 2: Contact details (email, company name, website)

• Page 3: Budget and timeline estimates

Want more? Add extra questions from the Add Elements tab, or even include a Scheduling field so prospects can book appointments directly.

Once your fields are set, head to the Design tab to add your logo, customize fonts, and match your brand style. Publish the form and embed it on your website—it’s that easy.

Step 2: Qualify Your Leads

The next step is lead qualification. Normally, people use Airtable or other tools to do this manually. But with Formester, you can handle it all in one place.

Go to the Results tab, and you’ll see all submissions neatly organized in a table. Open any submission to view it in detail.

From there:

• Click the three dots above and add a new column, e.g., Lead Type.

• For each submission, click the three dots → Edit Columns.

• Assign a type based on the answers.

For example:

• Cold Lead: Low budget, vague project details.

• Warm Lead: Mid-range budget, clear interest.

• Hot Lead: High budget and specific project type.

This way, you can prioritize who to contact first. You can also filter by lead type, export the list as CSV, or push leads to a database like Notion.

Notion works as a free, flexible CRM. Plus, you can invite unlimited team members with different levels of access—similar to Google Sheets.

Step 3: Automate Follow-Up Emails

If you don’t want to review and qualify leads manually, you can automate the follow-up process with Formester’s Conditional Autoresponder.

Here’s how:

• Go to Automate → New Autoresponder.

• Name it (for example, Hot Lead).

• Use AI to generate a personalized email subject and body tailored to the lead type.

Example prompt: “Write a professional yet friendly email for a hot lead who filled out our intake form. Highlight their interest, mention the budget, and invite them to book a call.”

Make sure you set the email field as the recipient address. Then, connect your SMTP integration so emails are sent from your own account.

• Finally, head to Advanced → Rules to set up conditions. For example:

• Project type = Web Application

• Budget > $50,000

When these conditions are met, the autoresponder will send your personalized follow-up automatically.

Step 4: Test the Workflow

Before you go live, test everything. Submit the form as if you were a prospect.

Once submitted, check your inbox. You should see a personalized follow-up email that matches the details you entered.

This test ensures your conditions, autoresponder, and SMTP setup are working correctly.

Why Use Formester for Your Intake Process?

With Formester, you can manage your entire intake process in one place:

• Capture details with AI-powered forms

• Qualify leads directly in the dashboard

• Automate follow-ups with personalized emails

All of this happens without relying on multiple expensive tools like Airtable or Zapier. You save money, keep your workflow simple, and scale your intake process with ease.

If you want to try Formester, check out our pricing page and see how much you can save.