This guide walks through building a form in Mailpro, using the example of a Kaikōura whale-watching operator creating a group booking request form. The same steps apply to an enquiry form for a builder, a registration form for a netball club or a feedback form for a café. For an overview of what forms can do, see online forms in New Zealand.
Step 1: Choose a starting template
Log in to Mailpro, open the forms area and pick a template close to what you need. Mailpro’s form templates include booking, registration, contact, feedback and waiver forms. The operator picks a booking template and renames it “Group booking request”.
Step 2: Set up the fields
Keep the form as short as the task allows; every extra field loses some people. For a New Zealand audience:
- Name and email, required.
- Mobile number with a hint to use the +64 format (for example +64 21 123 4567), so confirmations by text reach the right phone. If you might text overseas visitors too, the country code list helps.
- Address only if you really need it, split into street, suburb, town or city, and a four-digit postcode.
- Dates in day-month-year order, which is how New Zealanders write them.
- Group size and preferred date, the fields that matter for this booking.
Avoid asking for information you will not use. Under the Privacy Act 2020 (IPP 1), you should collect only what you need for your purpose.
Step 3: Design and wording
Add your logo and colours with the form design settings. Write labels in plain NZ English. Under the submit button, add a short privacy notice: what you will do with the information, and a link to your privacy policy. That covers the Privacy Act’s requirement to tell people why you are collecting their details (IPP 3).
If you want to add respondents to your newsletter, include a separate, unticked box such as “Yes, send me news and seasonal offers by email”. That express consent is what the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act 2007 requires before you send marketing. Never pre-tick it.
Step 4: Configure what happens next
- Confirmation: send the person an automatic email confirming you have their request. See confirmation emails.
- Alerts: notify your bookings team for each new submission with email alerts.
- Contact list: choose which list new respondents join, and whether only those who ticked the consent box are added to your marketing list.
- Thank-you page: redirect people to a page with next steps, such as what to bring or how to find you.
Step 5: Publish and test
Embed the form on your website, share its link in an email or social post, or open it on a tablet at reception. Options are explained under sharing forms. Before announcing it, submit a test response yourself, check that the alert and confirmation arrive, and view the form on a phone.
Afterwards
Check responses and completion rates in form statistics. If people drop off, shorten the form or move optional questions to the end. Store responses only as long as you need them, and keep them secure. Mailpro hosts them in Switzerland on private infrastructure, outside US jurisdiction.