Forms (intake)

Build digital intake and anamnesis forms, let staff fill them in or send them to clients as a link, and review answers per client -- with GDPR-protected storage for health data.

Forms (intake)

With forms you collect relevant information from clients, such as known allergies before a hair colour or a skin-type questionnaire before a facial. A form can be completed in two ways: by a staff member in the salon (the default), or by the client themselves via a secure link.

You work with forms on the Forms page (/app/formulieren). It shows per client whether a form has already been filled in, and lets you fill in, assign or send forms to the client. You configure a form's fields in the form builder.

Screenshot of the Forms page

Building a form

  1. Go to Forms in the side menu.
  2. Click Manage forms at the top right. This opens your forms overview (under Settings).
  3. Click New form.
  4. Give the form a name and an optional description.
  5. Choose how the form is filled in (see Choosing the fill method).
  6. Add the fields you want to ask (see Field types).
  7. Set the retention period and the Active toggle.
  8. Click Save.

Choosing the fill method

At the top of the builder you find the Who fills in the form? switch:

  • Salon (staff) -- the default. A staff member fills in the form on behalf of the client, for example during or just before the appointment. You can still send the form to the client as a link at any time.
  • Client -- the client fills in the form themselves via a secure link. With this method you can link the form to one or more services, so it is offered automatically when a client books such a service.
Not sure? Leave it on **Salon**. You keep control yourself and can still email the form to the client whenever that is more convenient.

Field types

TypeUse
TextShort open question (e.g. name of the GP).
Text areaLonger open question (e.g. describe your skin concern).
Multiple choice (single)Selection list with one answer (e.g. hair colour).
Multiple choice (multiple)Selection list where several answers can be ticked.
CheckboxA single yes/no tick (e.g. a consent or confirmation).
DateDate field (e.g. date of birth).
NumberNumeric field.
PhotoThe person filling in uploads up to 5 images (e.g. reference or skin photo).

Per field you can set:

  • Required -- the form cannot be saved without this field.
  • Help text -- an explanation below the question.
  • GDPR: special category data -- marks the field as health data (see below).
  • Consent field -- on a checkbox only; marks the tick as the consent for sensitive data.

For Multiple choice fields you enter the options, one per line. For a Photo field you set the maximum number of photos.

Order fields with the up/down arrows; remove a field with the bin icon.

Health data and GDPR

Salonnare distinguishes between ordinary data and special category personal data (GDPR Art. 9), such as allergies, skin conditions or medication use.

Turn on GDPR: special category data for a field if it concerns health data. Those answers are stored encrypted in a separate vault using AES-256-GCM -- kept apart from the regular client card. The field gets a GDPR Art. 9 badge in the builder.

Always add a **consent checkbox** when you use GDPR fields, and mark that checkbox as a **Consent field**. Salonnare blocks the submission of sensitive answers without that consent and records the consent in the audit log.

Having a staff member fill in a form

  1. Go to Forms and search for or select the client in the list.
  2. The panel with that client's forms opens. Click Fill in now on the relevant form (or Edit if answers already exist).
  3. Fill in the fields. On photo fields you can upload photos directly.
  4. Click Save.

Does the client not have a form in the list yet? Click Assign form, choose a form and then Fill in yourself.

Sending a form to the client

  1. In Forms, open the client.
  2. Click Email to client on the form (or via Assign form > Email to client).
  3. The client receives an email with a secure fill-in link.
The same form can only be emailed to the same client once every 24 hours. If you try sooner, Salonnare reports that the form has already been sent.

How a client fills in the form

  1. The client opens the secure link on phone or computer.
  2. The client fills in the fields; the draft is saved automatically as they type.
  3. For sensitive (GDPR) fields, the client must first give consent via the consent field.
  4. After Submit, the form is completed and visible on the Forms page.
Clients can fill in the form partially and continue later -- the draft is saved automatically. Sensitive fields are only stored definitively after submitting.

Reviewing answers

  1. Go to Forms and open the client.
  2. On a completed form the View button appears. Click it to see the answers.
  3. Uploaded photos are shown as a gallery.

In the client list and the forms panel you see per form whether it is Filled in or Not filled in, and when it was last sent. Answers to GDPR fields are only visible to admin users or staff with explicit intake read rights; access is logged.

Deactivating or deleting a form

In the form builder:

  • Deactivate -- turn off Active. A client form is then no longer offered automatically for new bookings, but answers already filled in are kept.
  • Delete -- removes the form. Earlier answers are kept according to the set retention period.

Automatic sending on appointment creation

If a form is set to Client (the client fills it in themselves) and the form is linked to a service, Salonnare automatically sends the form the moment an appointment for that service is created -- provided the client has not already filled it in previously.

The client receives a secure fill-in link directly alongside the booking confirmation email. Nothing needs to be sent manually.

The periodic **24-hour reminder** stays active as a safety net. If the client has not filled in the form 24 hours before the appointment, they receive a reminder email automatically. This ensures the information arrives in time.

Deleting answers (GDPR)

If you want to remove a client's completed answers -- for example at their request under GDPR -- you can do so per form:

  1. Go to Forms and open the client.
  2. Click View on the completed form.
  3. At the bottom of the answers you will find the button Delete answers.
  4. Confirm the deletion.

Deleting removes the plain answers, the encrypted sensitive (Art. 9) answers, and any uploaded photos. The withdrawal of consent is recorded in the audit log.

Deletion is irreversible. Always make sure you have identified the client and can justify the request before wiping data.

Public intake page -- your branding

The page where a client fills in the form adapts to your salon settings:

  • Logo -- your salon logo appears at the top of the page (as set in Settings > General).
  • Accent colour -- the buttons and accent bar use the email colour you have set in Settings > Branding.
  • "Powered by Salonnare" footer -- a subtle credit appears at the bottom of the page. On the Pro plan with the white-label option, this footer disappears.
Set your logo and accent colour in **Settings > Branding** before you send out the first forms. That way the intake page looks professional to the client straight away.

Retention period

Each form has a retention period in months. After it expires, the answers are wiped automatically by a background task. The default is 24 months. Set 0 to keep answers indefinitely.

Related articles

Managing clientsPrivacy and GDPRManaging AppointmentsServices and categories