How to Build a Fully Functional Contact Form with Email Notifications and CRM Integration

How to Build a Fully Functional Contact Form with Email Notifications and CRM Integration

What You'll Learn

In this tutorial, you'll discover how to create a professional contact form that doesn't just collect information—it actively works for your business. By the end, you'll have a fully functional form with:

• Real-time field validation to ensure quality submissions
• Automatic email notifications sent to your team
• Lead capture that stores contact information securely
• Direct integration with your CRM system

Whether you're building a landing page, portfolio site, or business website, a well-designed contact form is essential for converting visitors into leads. Let's build one that actually works.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, you'll need:

• A free Vigma account (sign up takes less than 60 seconds)
• Basic understanding of your website's purpose
• Access to your business email account
• (Optional) CRM credentials if you're connecting to a third-party system

Time required: 20-30 minutes

Step 1: Set Up Your Contact Form Foundation

First, let's create the basic structure of your contact form. Log into your dashboard and navigate to your website project.

Add a Contact Form Block:

1. Open your page editor
2. Click the "+" button to add a new section
3. Select "Contact Form" from the components menu
4. Choose your preferred layout (single column, two-column, or sidebar style)

Pro tip: If you're starting from scratch, browse templates that include pre-built contact forms. This can save you significant design time while ensuring mobile responsiveness.

The default form includes standard fields:

• Name
• Email
• Message

But we're going to make this much more powerful.

Step 2: Configure Essential Form Fields

A good contact form balances collecting enough information with not overwhelming visitors. Here's how to optimize your fields:

Add Custom Fields:

1. Click "Edit Form Fields" in the form settings
2. Add these recommended fields:
   • Phone Number (optional field)
   • Company Name (for B2B sites)
   • How did you hear about us? (dropdown for tracking)
   • Preferred Contact Method (email/phone radio buttons)

Configure Field Properties:

For each field, set:

• Label: Clear, descriptive text
• Placeholder: Example text (e.g., "john@company.com")
• Required/Optional: Mark essential fields as required
• Field Type: Text, email, phone, textarea, dropdown, etc.

Example configuration:

Field: Email Address
Type: Email
Required: Yes
Placeholder: your.email@company.com
Validation: Email format
Error Message: "Please enter a valid email address"

Step 3: Implement Field Validation

Field validation prevents spam and ensures you receive quality leads. Here's how to set it up properly:

Email Validation:

• Enable "Email Format Validation" for email fields
• This automatically checks for proper email structure (name@domain.com)

Phone Number Validation:

1. Set field type to "Phone"
2. Choose your country format (US, UK, etc.)
3. Enable "Format as you type" for better user experience

Custom Validation Rules:

For text fields, you can set:

• Minimum length: Prevent single-word submissions
• Maximum length: Keep responses manageable
• Pattern matching: For specific formats (like employee IDs)

Required Field Indicators:

Make sure required fields are clearly marked with an asterisk (*) or "Required" label. This is part of avoiding common website design mistakes that frustrate users.

Step 4: Set Up Email Notifications

Now let's configure automatic email notifications so you never miss a lead.

Configure Notification Settings:

1. Navigate to Form Settings > Notifications
2. Enable "Send Email Notifications"
3. Enter recipient email addresses (you can add multiple, separated by commas)

Customize Your Notification Email:

Subject: New Contact Form Submission from [Name]

You've received a new contact form submission:

Name: [Name Field]
Email: [Email Field]
Phone: [Phone Field]
Company: [Company Field]
Message: [Message Field]

Submitted: [Timestamp]
Source Page: [Page URL]

Best Practices:

• Use a clear subject line that stands out in your inbox
• Include all submitted information in the email body
• Add the submission timestamp for tracking
• Include the source page URL to understand context

Set Up Auto-Reply to Visitors:

Enable "Send Confirmation Email to Submitter" to automatically thank visitors:

Subject: Thanks for contacting us!

Hi [Name],

Thank you for reaching out. We've received your message and will respond within 24 hours.

In the meantime, feel free to explore [your website/resources].

Best regards,
[Your Company Name]

This simple touch significantly improves user experience and sets expectations.

Step 5: Configure Lead Capture and Storage

Every form submission should be stored securely for future reference.

Enable Lead Storage:

1. Go to Form Settings > Data Storage
2. Enable "Store Submissions in Database"
3. Set retention period (30 days, 90 days, 1 year, indefinitely)

View and Export Leads:

Your submissions are automatically saved in your dashboard:

1. Navigate to Forms > Submissions
2. View individual entries with timestamps
3. Export to CSV for analysis or import into other systems
4. Filter by date range, source page, or custom fields

Data Privacy Compliance:

Add a consent checkbox to your form:

• Label: "I agree to the privacy policy and terms of service"
• Make it required
• Link to your privacy policy page

This ensures GDPR and other privacy law compliance.

Step 6: Connect to Your CRM

Integration with your CRM automates lead management and saves hours of manual data entry.

Supported CRM Integrations:

Vigma supports direct connections to:

• HubSpot
• Salesforce
• Mailchimp
• ActiveCampaign
• Zapier (for 5,000+ other apps)

Connect to HubSpot (Example):

1. Go to Form Settings > Integrations

2. Click "Connect to HubSpot"

3. Authorize Vigma to access your HubSpot account

4. Map form fields to HubSpot contact properties:

   • Name → First Name & Last Name
   • Email → Email Address
   • Company → Company Name
   • Message → Notes

5. Enable "Create Contact" and "Create Deal" options

6. Set lead source as "Website Contact Form"

Using Zapier for Custom Workflows:

If your CRM isn't directly supported:

1. Select "Zapier" in integrations
2. Create a Zap with trigger "New Vigma Form Submission"
3. Choose your CRM as the action app
4. Map fields and configure automation
5. Test the connection with a sample submission

Pro tip: You can create multi-step workflows that notify your team in Slack, add contacts to email sequences, and create tasks in your project management tool—all from a single form submission.

Step 7: Design and Optimize Your Form

Now that functionality is configured, let's make your form visually appealing and conversion-optimized.

Design Best Practices:

1. Use clear visual hierarchy: Make the submit button stand out with contrasting colors
2. Add whitespace: Don't crowd fields together
3. Use single-column layout on mobile: Easier to complete on small screens
4. Include a compelling headline: "Get in Touch" vs "Let's Build Something Amazing Together"

Conversion Optimization Tips:

• Reduce friction: Only ask for essential information
• Use microcopy: Add helpful hints below fields ("We'll never share your email")
• Create urgency: "Get a response within 2 hours" or "Limited consultation slots available"
• Add social proof: "Join 10,000+ satisfied customers"

A/B Testing:

Create two versions of your form to test:

• Different button colors or text
• Varying number of fields
• Different headlines or value propositions

Monitor submission rates to identify the winning version.

Step 8: Test Your Complete Setup

Before going live, thoroughly test every component:

Testing Checklist:

• Submit a test entry with valid information
• Verify email notification arrives in your inbox
• Check auto-reply is sent to submitter
• Confirm submission appears in your dashboard
• Verify CRM integration creates new contact
• Test with invalid email format (validation should trigger)
• Leave required fields empty (error messages should appear)
• Test on mobile device (responsive design)
• Submit from different browsers (Chrome, Safari, Firefox)
• Check spam folder for notifications

Common Issues and Fixes:

• Emails not arriving: Check spam folder, verify email address is correct
• CRM not updating: Re-authorize integration, check field mapping
• Validation not working: Ensure JavaScript is enabled, check browser console for errors

Step 9: Monitor and Optimize Performance

After launch, actively monitor your form's performance:

Key Metrics to Track:

1. Submission rate: Visitors who view the form vs. submit
2. Completion time: How long it takes to fill out
3. Field abandonment: Which fields cause people to quit
4. Source pages: Which pages drive the most submissions
5. Conversion rate: Submissions that become customers

Access Analytics:

In your dashboard, navigate to Forms > Analytics to view:

• Daily submission trends
• Peak submission times
• Device breakdown (desktop vs. mobile)
• Geographic data

Continuous Improvement:

Based on your data:

• Remove fields with high abandonment rates
• Simplify forms that take too long to complete
• Add forms to high-traffic pages with low conversion
• Adjust follow-up email timing based on response rates

Advanced Features and Next Steps

Once your basic contact form is running smoothly, consider these advanced enhancements:

Conditional Logic:

Show/hide fields based on previous answers. For example:

• If user selects "I'm interested in services" → show "Budget Range" field
• If user selects "I have a question" → show different message field

Multi-Step Forms:

Break long forms into multiple pages:

• Step 1: Basic contact info
• Step 2: Project details
• Step 3: Timeline and budget

This reduces perceived complexity and increases completion rates.

File Uploads:

Allow visitors to attach documents:

• Resumes for job applications
• Project briefs for consultations
• Screenshots for support requests

Smart Routing:

Send different notifications based on submission content:

• Sales inquiries → Sales team
• Support requests → Support team
• Partnership inquiries → Business development

Conclusion

You've now built a professional contact form that does more than collect information—it actively nurtures leads and integrates with your business processes. This automated system works 24/7 to capture opportunities while you focus on serving customers.

The beauty of building with Vigma is that you accomplished in 30 minutes what traditionally requires developers, designers, and complex integrations. As covered in our guide on launching a website in one day, modern tools eliminate technical barriers so you can focus on growing your business.

Ready to take your website further? Explore our comprehensive documentation for advanced features, or check out Vigma's pricing plans to unlock additional integrations and remove submission limits.

Your contact form is live—now watch the leads roll in! 🚀