Introduction
Most genealogy client problems—surprise scope expansion, mismatched deliverables, uncomfortable findings delivered badly—trace back to intake that was too thin or too informal. Clients arrive with stories, partial trees, and urgent questions. Without a genealogy client intake process, you guess what they want, underquote complex work, or start researching before boundaries exist.
Intake is not bureaucracy. It is the translation layer between how clients describe family history problems and how professional researchers define scoped projects with documented outcomes. Good intake lets you draft a proposal without starting billable research blind. It surfaces records the client already holds so you do not duplicate paid hours. It reveals sensitive topics before they appear unexpectedly in a written report.
This guide covers intake specifically: what to ask, how to structure forms, how to refine vague requests, how to handle documents and privacy, and how intake feeds scope proposals. It assumes you offer professional research services—not informal help tracing a tree without agreements.
What Is a Genealogy Client Intake Process?
Intake is the structured collection of information that makes scoped genealogy research possible.
A genealogy client intake process typically includes:
- Initial inquiry acknowledgment
- Structured intake form or interview
- Request for existing records and prior research
- Clarification of the primary research question
- Discussion of deliverables, timeline, and budget range
- Fit assessment—whether the project matches your services
- Handoff to scope proposal and agreement
Intake ends when you have enough detail to write a proposal a client can accept or decline—not when you have answered their question for free in email.
Goals of Professional Client Intake
Every intake question should serve at least one of these outcomes.
Define the research question
One primary question per project phase—not an unlimited tree.
Establish boundaries
People, geography, time period, and exclusions before research begins.
Inventory existing evidence
Learn what the client already proved versus assumed.
Align on deliverables
Report format, record copies, charts, and revision expectations.
Surface constraints
Deadlines, budget range, and access to key relatives or records.
Identify sensitive context
Topics affecting research approach and written deliverables.
What to Collect During Genealogy Intake
Use a consistent checklist so no critical category depends on whether you remembered to ask.
- Client name, email, phone, and preferred contact method
- Relationship to the research subject(s)
- Primary research goal in the client's own words
- Specific research question for this project phase
- Full names, nicknames, and spelling variants for key individuals
- Birth, marriage, death dates and places—approximate when exact is unknown
- Geographic areas to include and exclude
- Time period boundaries
- Previous research by client or others—and results
- Records already in client's possession
- Family stories relevant to the question—not treated as proof
- DNA testing done and whether interpretation is in scope
- Desired deliverable format and audience (self, society, legal context)
- Timeline expectations and budget range if known
- Sensitive topics and privacy preferences
- How the client heard about you (optional, for tracking referrals)
Intake Form Structure and Field Design
Forms work when grouped logically and short enough to complete— not when they read like a census.
| Section | Purpose | Example fields |
|---|---|---|
| Contact | Reach client and identify role | Name, email, phone, relationship to subject |
| Research goal | Capture problem and success criteria | "What do you want to learn?" "What will you do with the answer?" |
| Known facts | Baseline for research | Names, dates, places for focus person and parents if known |
| Prior work | Avoid duplication | Previous researchers, societies applied to, searches tried |
| Documents | Inventory evidence on hand | Upload or list vital records, photos, letters, reports |
| Scope preferences | Boundaries and deliverable | Geography, years, report vs chart, deadline, budget range |
| Sensitive context | Plan communication | Adoption, NPE, estrangement, confidentiality requests |
Use mostly open fields for names and places; use checkboxes only where they speed completion ("I have birth certificate," "Prior professional research done"). Test the form yourself with a mock client who has minimal information and one who has extensive files—refine until you can draft a proposal from typical submissions.
From First Inquiry to Completed Intake
A predictable workflow sets client expectations and protects your calendar.
- Inquiry received — acknowledge within your stated response window
- Initial triage — is geography and problem type in scope for you?
- Send intake form — link or PDF with instructions for uploads
- Review submission — note gaps; request follow-up in writing
- Intake call (optional) — 20–30 minutes to clarify question and deliverable
- Internal scope draft — research question, boundaries, package fit
- Proposal sent — price, deliverable, timeline, exclusions
- Agreement and deposit — signed scope before research begins
Practical takeaway: Send the intake form in your first substantive reply—not after a long email thread that duplicates form questions anyway.
Refining Vague Client Requests into Research Questions
Clients describe symptoms; researchers define questions.
"I want to know everything about my father's side of the family."
"Identify the parents of Thomas Reed (born circa 1892, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) using available Pennsylvania vital, census, and death records through 1940, with documented sources and a written summary of findings and gaps."
Refinement questions to ask:
- Who is the one person this project centers on?
- What single question, if answered, would help most right now?
- What do you already know with records versus family story?
- What geography and time period matter for this phase?
- What deliverable format do you need?
Offer a phased approach when clients want "everything": Phase one answers one question; phase two is quoted after findings.
Handling Documents Clients Already Have
Client-held records shorten research—or reveal that prior assumptions were wrong.
Request at intake:
- Birth, marriage, death certificates for focus individuals and parents
- Obituaries, funeral programs, cemetery photos
- Letters, immigration papers, military documents
- Prior professional reports with citations
- Photos with identifying notes on reverse
- DNA test results only if interpretation is in scope and you are qualified
Provide upload instructions: preferred file types, maximum size, naming convention. If clients cannot upload, accept clear photos—but note quality limits for handwriting analysis.
Label client-supplied material in your project file as client-provided until you verify against original records. An unsourced online tree export is a lead, not intake evidence.
Sensitive Topics, Privacy, and Confidentiality
Family history research surfaces information clients did not expect. Intake prepares how you will handle it.
Ask directly about:
- Adoptions or unknown parentage relevant to the research question
- Family members who should not receive copies of the report
- Topics to discuss verbally before appearing in writing
- Legal or heir contexts with third-party readers
- Living people who may appear in records
Data handling obligations vary by jurisdiction and client type. Verify what privacy, confidentiality, and record-sharing rules apply to your business where you operate—not assuming one global standard. Your agreement should state how client materials are stored, how long they are retained, and who may access deliverables.
Never promise to conceal documented facts from authorized recipients in legal matters; do promise professional communication about difficult findings when intake reveals sensitivity.
From Intake to Scope Proposal
Intake fields map directly to proposal sections—if intake was complete, proposals write faster.
| Intake input | Proposal output |
|---|---|
| Refined research question | Project objective statement |
| Names, dates, places | People covered and geographic scope |
| Prior research summary | Starting point and excluded duplicate work |
| Deliverable preference | Report format, charts, record copies |
| Timeline and budget | Schedule and package tier recommendation |
| Sensitive context | Communication plan and deliverable handling |
If intake reveals the project is larger than the client expected, explain why in the proposal—not after accepting a too-small fee. If intake is incomplete, send targeted follow-up questions before quoting; do not guess missing dates or geography.
Assessing Fit and Recognizing Red Flags
Not every inquiry should become a client. Intake includes deciding whether to accept, reframe, or refer.
Good fit signals:
- Clear question within your geography and specialty
- Realistic timeline and openness to phased work
- Willingness to complete intake and review proposal
- Understanding that research may not find the desired answer
Red flags to address or decline:
- Demand for guaranteed results before research
- Refusal to provide any known facts or records
- Scope that expands in every message without acknowledging cost
- Geography or record type entirely outside your expertise
- Pressure to skip written agreement or start immediately without deposit
- Requests that may violate repository terms or privacy rules—verify before accepting
Referring out-of-scope work collegially builds referral reciprocity. Declining bad-fit projects protects capacity for clients who match your process.
Common Genealogy Intake Mistakes
Fix the process once; every future project benefits.
- Quoting from a one-line email — send intake first
- Treating family lore as verified fact — note source of each claim
- Skipping prior research questions — duplicate hours and miss context
- No document request list — clients do not know what helps
- Avoiding sensitive-topic questions — problems surface in the report instead
- Starting research before signed scope — scope creep becomes unpaid work
- Intake forms too long or vague — abandonment or useless answers
- No written record of intake — disputes later without evidence of agreement
Building Your Intake System
A reusable intake system scales from first client to steady caseload.
Create and maintain:
- Intake form (online form, PDF, or template email)
- Document upload instructions
- Inquiry acknowledgment template
- Follow-up question template for incomplete intake
- Intake review checklist before writing proposals
- Project folder naming convention starting at intake ID or date
After each project, note which intake questions failed to surface problems early. Add fields or call prompts as needed—but resist form bloat that clients will not finish.
Intake connects to every other professional habit: scoped services, accurate pricing, source documentation, and clear reports. When intake is disciplined from the start of starting a genealogy business, later project stages run on agreed facts instead of assumptions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a genealogy client intake process?
The structured method for collecting research goals, known facts, records, boundaries, and expectations before quoting or beginning billable work.
What should a genealogy intake form include?
Contact details, relationship to subject, research question, names and dates, geography, prior research, existing records, deliverable preferences, timeline, budget range, and sensitive context.
When should genealogy intake happen?
After initial inquiry acknowledgment and before formal proposal or research—never after substantial billable searching has begun.
How do you turn a vague client request into a research question?
Identify one focus person, one primary question, geography and years, and desired deliverable—then confirm with the client in writing.
Should clients send existing family trees during intake?
Yes, as leads—but distinguish documented facts from assumptions and request original records when available.
How do you handle sensitive information during genealogy intake?
Ask upfront about adoptions, NPE, privacy needs, and reporting preferences. Verify data-handling rules that apply to your practice.
What documents should clients provide at intake?
Vital records, obituaries, prior reports, immigration or military papers, photos with notes, and any material tied to the research question.
Can I start genealogy research before intake is complete?
Avoid billable research before scope is defined. Paid assessments may include limited preliminary review when offered as a distinct tier.
How does intake connect to a scope proposal?
Intake answers populate objective, scope, deliverable, timeline, exclusions, and price in the proposal.
What intake mistakes do new genealogists make?
Accepting unlimited scope, skipping prior-research questions, ignoring sensitive topics, and starting work without agreement.
Should genealogy intake be done by form or call?
Often both: a form for facts, a short call to clarify the question and expectations.
How do I know if a genealogy inquiry is a good fit?
Evaluate geography, specialty, question clarity, timeline realism, and whether expectations match professional research—not guaranteed outcomes.
Conclusion
A genealogy client intake process is the foundation of scoped, documented, professional research. It converts family stories into research questions, inventories evidence before you duplicate effort, and aligns deliverables before emotions run high mid-project.
Build one form, one workflow, and one review habit—then improve them from each completed case. Clients feel heard when intake is thorough; you feel protected when proposals rest on written facts instead of email impressions.
Strong intake does not slow business down. It prevents the projects that slow you down indefinitely.