Choosing who gets a consultation form, and how often

Every consultation form has a simple rule: who fills it in, and how often. Whenever an appointment is booked or changed, FullColumn checks your rules, adds the forms that visit needs, and puts the link in your client's booking confirmation and reminder. You set the rule near the top of each form in Settings → Forms, under Before the visit (building a form). Feedback forms, asked after the visit, have rules of their own: see who's asked for feedback.

#Choosing who fills in a consultation form

Under Who fills it in, choose one:

A form set to Only when sent shows as Manual in your list and has no How often choice. The list sums up every other form's rule, such as "Colour services · every 12 months" or "New clients · once".

#Picking the services that need a form

With Certain services, a list of your services appears, grouped by category.

• Tick a category to take every service in it, or open it with the arrow and tick services one by one.
• Archived services aren't listed.
• The foot of the list counts what's ticked. With nothing ticked, the form isn't sent automatically, and your forms list warns "No services picked yet – it won’t be sent automatically".

An appointment needs the form when any service on it is ticked, whoever it's with.

#How often a client is asked to fill in a form

Under How often:

Every few months is counted back from the appointment's date. With a colour consent every 12 months, a client who signed on 3 March 2026 isn't asked for an appointment on 1 March 2027, but is for one on 10 March 2027.

#How consultation form rules work with several appointments

• One copy waiting, with the earliest visit. For Once and Every few months forms, a client has at most one copy waiting, and it goes with their earliest appointment still to come that needs it. Book them an earlier appointment, or move this one after their next, and the form moves to whichever is now earlier. It moves rather than being sent again, so the link they already have keeps working, and shows the visit it's for now.
• Due by each visit's date. With Every few months, "needs it" is counted from each appointment's date, so the form goes with the earliest visit it's due for, which may not be their next one.
• Carried forward. If the visit a waiting Once or Every few months form was for is cancelled, missed or checked out without it being filled in, the form moves straight to the client's next appointment that needs it. If the visit's day ends without it being checked out, the form moves to their next appointment that needs it once the day is over. With none booked yet, one from a visit that's been (or whose day has passed) waits and moves to their next appointment once it's booked; one from a cancelled or missed visit is withdrawn.
• Booking requests and unpaid online bookings come after bookings. A request waiting for your approval, or an online booking Awaiting payment while your client pays, only gets a Once or Every few months form when the client has no booked appointment that needs it. Approve an earlier request, or once your client pays for an earlier booking, and the form moves to it, before the confirmation goes. If the payment never comes, the booking is let go with its forms, and the client's next appointment that needs a Once or Every few months form gets it.
• Every visit means each one. An Every visit form is added to each matching appointment, and is done once it's filled in for that appointment. One not filled in is withdrawn once its visit's day is over, since the next visit asks again, and an appointment whose day has already passed isn't asked for one.
• Repeat appointments follow the same rules: a Once form goes with the first visit in the series, an Every visit form with each (repeat appointments).
• Several forms can go with one visit. The message links to the first, and when your client finishes it, the page takes them to the next.

#What happens to forms when an appointment changes

FullColumn checks the rules again whenever an appointment is booked or changed, for that client's other appointments too:

• Services changed so a form no longer applies: a copy still waiting for that visit is withdrawn, or, for a Once or Every few months form, moves to the client's next appointment that needs it. Forms already filled in stay on the client's record.
• Moved to another day: forms that are now due (say, a yearly consent that's run out by the new date) are added. A Once or Every few months form moves if the visit is no longer the client's earliest one that needs it, or now is.
• Cancelled or marked as a no-show: forms still waiting for that visit are withdrawn, feedback about it included, and their links stop working. A Once or Every few months form moves to the client's next appointment that needs it instead, if they have one, and its link keeps working.
• Checked out, or marked Completed: a Once or Every few months form not filled in moves to the client's next appointment that needs it, or waits for their next booking. Void the sale the same day and the appointment is back to arrived, so the form comes back to it if it's still the client's earliest appointment that needs it.
• Two clients merged (merging duplicate clients): the client you keep has one copy of each Once or Every few months form waiting, with their earliest appointment that needs it. Any other copy waiting is withdrawn.
• Given to another client, or made a walk-in: the first client's waiting forms are withdrawn, except a Once or Every few months form, which moves to their own next appointment that needs it if they have one. Ones they've filled in stay on their record. The new client gets the forms their own rules say.
• A booking request that needs your approval: its forms are added straight away, but the link goes out with the confirmation once you approve it (approving online bookings).
• A form you withdrew from an appointment isn't added back to that appointment. A Once or Every few months form can still go with the client's later appointments.

An appointment without a client (a walk-in with no name) gets no forms.

#Rules for feedback forms after the visit

Feedback forms aren't added when appointments are booked or changed. They're asked for after a completed visit, with the After the visit message, and their rule reads differently: Who’s asked is After certain services, First visits, Every visit or Only when sent, and How often is Once, Every visit or At most every few months. See who's asked for feedback, and how often.

#When a new form or a rule change takes effect

Forms are added as appointments are booked or changed. A new form, a form switched back on, or a change to a form's rule (Who fills it in, How often or the services ticked) applies to appointments from then on. For appointments already in the book, FullColumn asks when you save, if any still to come match the rule and don't have the form ("Add it to the 3 appointments already booked?"), or have a copy waiting that the rule no longer covers or that isn't due any more, after a change to How often ("Take it off 2 appointments already booked?").

• Add it (or Take it off) adds the form to those appointments, as often as its rule says, and the link goes out with their reminders. A form asked Once or Every few months goes with each client's earliest visit that needs it (a copy already waiting moves there), and not to anyone who has filled it in (within the months). Copies still waiting that the rule no longer covers, or that aren't due any more, are withdrawn. Only this form changes.
• Not now leaves appointments already booked as they are. They follow the rule if they're changed later.

You can also add it to one appointment yourself: open it and press Add on its Forms card, or send the form from the client's profile (sending forms). Forms set to Only when sent aren't offered.

#Common questions

#Why didn't a client get the colour consent form?

Check that the form is switched on, that the service they booked is ticked, and when they last filled it in: with Every few months, a recent one means they're not due. Also check the appointment was booked or changed after you set the form up, unless you pressed Add it for appointments already booked. You can always add it to the appointment by hand.

#Is a client who's been in before ever asked the new client form?

No. New clients only covers a client's first appointment with you. Use Everyone with Once to ask every client a single time, regulars included, as their next appointment is booked or changed.

#Can one form be for new clients and for certain services?

No, each form has one rule. Make two forms, such as a new client consultation and a colour consent; a client booking colour for the first time gets both.

#Can I send a form that isn't due?

Yes. Any switched-on form can be sent by hand at any time, whatever its rule (sending forms).