How do I send an automatic reply when someone fills out my MONA contact form?

Quick answer: click Contacts in the sidebar, then Forms. Pick the form, scroll to Auto-reply, edit the Subject and Message, click Send me a test to check it in your own inbox, click Save, then switch Auto-reply on.

Your contact form (some designers call it an inquiry form or lead form) is the page prospects fill out from your website or a link you share. Every submission becomes a contact in MONA and you get an email about it. The auto-reply adds one more thing: the person who wrote in gets a short thank-you right away, so they know you received it.

Where are my contact forms?

Click Contacts in the sidebar, then the Forms button at the top of the contacts list. The Forms window has a Form dropdown at the top. Your website form, the one your MONA site buttons point to, is marked (website). Everything on this page is set per form.

Each form shows:

• An Active switch. When it is off, the form does not accept submissions.
• Name and What it’s for: New project inquiries (each submission becomes a lead in your contacts) or Service requests from clients (each request is logged on the client’s project and opens a task).
• A Shareable link and an Embed snippet, each with Copy, for your own website.
• The questions, and the Auto-reply.

How do I turn on the auto-reply?

1. Click Contacts in the sidebar, then Forms, and choose the form in the Form dropdown.
2. Scroll to Auto-reply and edit the Subject and Message.
   • The default subject already contains the placeholder for your studio name. Keep it and MONA fills in your studio name.
   • A second placeholder fills in the first name of the person who wrote in. The hint under the Message box shows both placeholders exactly as you type them.
   • A blank line starts a new paragraph.
3. Check the preview under the message. It shows the email as it will arrive.
4. Click Send me a test. It goes to your own email address only, with [Test] in front of the subject.
5. Click Save.
6. Switch Auto-reply on. The line under it changes to "Everyone who fills out the form gets this email. Replies come to you."

The auto-reply is off until you turn it on. It is sent with your studio name as the sender, and when someone replies to it, the reply comes to you, the form owner.

Who never gets the auto-reply?

Anyone on your Do not email list is skipped. That list lives under Marketing in the sidebar, then Audiences, at the bottom of the page. Type an address in Add an address and click Add. MONA checks the list at the moment it sends, so an address you add a minute after a submission is still skipped. Contacts who unsubscribe or whose email bounces are added to the list automatically.

How do I add my own questions?

1. In Forms, pick the form and scroll to the questions. Built-in questions are labeled Built-in.
2. Click Add question and type it.
3. Pick a type: Short answer, Paragraph, Dropdown (one option per line) or Checkbox.
4. Tick Required if it has to be answered.
5. Use Move up and Move down to reorder, or Remove to delete one of yours, then click Save questions.

Name, email, phone, project type and message are always on the form. You can rename and reorder them. A form holds up to 15 questions in total, so up to 10 of your own.

Answers are saved on the contact as notes and included in the email MONA sends you about each new submission.

Can I have a separate form for service requests?

Yes. In Forms, click New form, type a Name such as "Maintenance request", choose Service requests from clients under What it’s for, and click Create form. Then pick the Project (or leave it as the client’s own project, and MONA matches the submitter’s email to their project) and who the Task goes to. This form gets its own link, questions and auto-reply.

Can MONA do this for me?

Yes. In chat, ask something like "turn on my contact form auto-reply and say we reply within two business days" or "add a budget dropdown to my contact form with Under $50k, $50k to $150k and $150k+". MONA changes the same settings you see in Forms.

What it does not do (yet)

• One auto-reply per form. There is no follow-up sequence after it.
• The auto-reply is plain text with paragraphs. There are no images or attachments in it.
• The built-in name, email, phone, project type and message questions cannot be removed.

Want a hand?

If you want help wiring the form into your website or writing the reply, book a 30-minute setup call at calendly.com/mona-justin/30min.

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Frequently asked questions

Is the auto-reply on by default?

No. It stays off until you switch it on, so nobody gets an email you have not written and checked. Each form has its own Auto-reply switch.

Who does the auto-reply come from?

It shows your studio name as the sender and is sent from MONA’s verified address, so it does not land in spam. Reply-To is the form owner, so when the person replies, it reaches you.

Will someone on my Do not email list get it?

No. MONA checks your Do not email list at the moment it sends and skips any address on it. The list lives under Marketing, then Audiences.

What does the default message say?

Subject: Thanks for reaching out to your studio name. Message: Thanks for your message. Someone from your studio will get back to you within 24 to 48 hours. Change either one at any time.

Can I have more than one form?

Yes. In Forms, click New form, give it a Name, and choose what it is for: New project inquiries or Service requests from clients. Each form has its own link, embed snippet, questions and auto-reply.

Where do the answers to my own questions go?

They are added to the contact’s notes as Question: Answer lines and shown in the email MONA sends you about the new submission.

Can I remove the name or email question?

No. Name, email, phone, project type and message are built in on every form because every submission becomes a contact. You can rename and reorder them, and make phone, project type and message optional. Name and email are always required.

How many questions can a form have?

Up to 15 in total, which is the five built-in ones plus up to 10 of your own.

Can I ask the MONA agent to do this?

Yes. Ask MONA to turn on your contact form auto-reply, change its wording, or add a question such as a budget dropdown. It edits the same settings you see in Forms.