---
title: "Send contact form leads a discovery call link"
description: "Replace the we'll be in touch auto-reply. Each contact form submission returns a single-use Calendly link for a discovery call with an account executive."
url: "https://www.formformform.com/automations/calendly-inbound-discovery-calls"
type: static
generatedAt: "2026-08-23T18:56:58.727Z"
---
![Calendly logo](/logos/integrations/calendly.svg)

# Route discovery calls for inbound leads

Contact form enquiries come back with a booking link for a discovery call instead of a holding reply.

When this happens

New submission on your contact form

Do this

Create a single-use Calendly scheduling link for a discovery call with an account executive

One-directional. A submission triggers the action — nothing is written back into your form.

"Thanks, we'll be in touch" is the weakest reply a contact form can send. It costs the sender nothing and asks the reader to wait. Replacing it with a booking link for a discovery call turns a generic enquiry into a dated meeting on an AE's calendar.

Agencies and small consultancies see the biggest change, since inbound is lumpy and a two-day lag loses the brief to whoever answered first. The subject and message ride along with the booking, so the call opens with context.

## Setting it up

1.  1
    
    Publish the contact form in formformform and use conditional logic on Subject, so a new-business enquiry asks a follow-up question that a support enquiry does not.
    
2.  2
    
    In Calendly, create a 25-minute discovery event type for each account executive with a custom question for what the enquiry is about.
    
3.  3
    
    Set up the Zap with the New Submission trigger and select the contact form.
    
4.  4
    
    Add a filter on Subject so only new-business enquiries continue — support, recruitment and press submissions should go to their own inboxes rather than an AE's calendar.
    
5.  5
    
    Use a Zapier round-robin or a path on Subject to pick which AE's discovery event type the link is created against, then add "Create a Single-Use Scheduling Link" for it.
    
6.  6
    
    Prefill the returned URL with name from Full Name and email from Email Address, and put Subject into the first custom question so the AE knows the topic before opening the invite.
    
7.  7
    
    Email the link to Email Address in place of the standard acknowledgement, and pass Message and Phone Number to the AE in the same Zap so they can call if nothing is booked.
    
8.  8
    
    Submit a test enquiry under each subject value, confirm only the sales one produces a link, then turn the Zap on.
    

## What maps where

Using the [Contact Form](https://www.formformform.com/templates/contact-form) as the starting point. These are its real fields — swap in your own and the mapping works the same way.

Form field

Calendly

Full Name

Name prefill on the single-use discovery link

Email Address

Email prefill, and the address the discovery link is sent to

Subject

First custom question on the discovery event type, and the filter that decides who gets a link

Message

Sent to the AE with the link so the brief is read before the call

Phone Number

Passed to the AE as a fallback if the booking page goes untouched

## Variations worth knowing

Book only enquiries that clear a bar

Run the message through a Zapier filter for keywords that mark a real project, such as a budget or a deadline. Those get a discovery link; the rest get a written reply from the team inbox, which keeps AE calendars for live opportunities.

Use a richer intake form for new business

Point your Work with us page at a business inquiry form instead, and keep the plain contact form for general questions. The extra answers ride into the discovery booking, so the AE arrives knowing company size, timeline and the type of enquiry.

## If something isn't arriving

Support questions are booking sales calls

The subject filter is too loose. Make Subject a choice list rather than free text in formformform, republish, and match the filter against exact options so anything outside the sales option stops before the Calendly step.

One AE is getting every enquiry

Round-robin in Zapier assigns in order and resets when a Zap is edited and turned back on. Check the step is above the Calendly action rather than inside a single path, since a path with one branch will always resolve to the same AE.

## Frequently asked questions

Should I still send a normal confirmation email?

Send one message, not two. Replace the acknowledgement with a short note that thanks them, repeats what they asked about and carries the booking link. Two emails within a minute of each other read as automation and dilute the invitation.

What happens to enquiries that are not sales leads?

The filter stops them before the Calendly step, so no link is created. Route them onward in the same Zap — a helpdesk ticket for support, an inbox for press — and they never reach an account executive's calendar.

Can I see which enquiries turned into booked calls?

Not from the form. Nothing is written back from Calendly into formformform, so report on it in your CRM: send the submission and the Calendly booking to the same record and match them on the lead's email address.

## Related automations

-   [Book demos from your lead form](https://www.formformform.com/automations/calendly-demo-booking-links)
    
    A prospect submits your demo request form and gets a personal booking link back, so they pick a slot themselves.
    
-   [Convert event RSVPs into 1:1 sessions](https://www.formformform.com/automations/calendly-webinar-followup-sessions)
    
    Registrants who want a follow-up consultation are placed directly on a consultant's calendar when they sign up.
    
-   [Onboard new customers automatically](https://www.formformform.com/automations/calendly-onboarding-kickoff-calls)
    
    A post-purchase onboarding form hands each new customer a booking link for their kickoff call.
    
-   [Put support callbacks straight on a rep's calendar](https://www.formformform.com/automations/calendly-support-callback-slots)
    
    Each callback request adds the customer as an invitee on a one-off Calendly meeting with the support team.
    
-   [Send candidates to an interview slot](https://www.formformform.com/automations/calendly-interview-screening-slots)
    
    A completed job application returns a one-time booking link for a phone screen with the right interviewer.
    
-   [Add service appointments to the dispatch calendar](https://www.formformform.com/automations/google-calendar-dispatch-day-appointments)
    
    A booking arrives and lands on the dispatch calendar with the address as a map pin and the job in the title.
    

-   [All Calendly integration details →](https://www.formformform.com/integrations/calendly)
-   [Start from the Contact Form →](https://www.formformform.com/templates/contact-form)
-   [Browse every automation →](https://www.formformform.com/automations)

## Build the form first

The automation needs somewhere to fire from. Publish a form, connect it once, and every submission from then on runs this flow.

[Start free](https://app.formformform.com/register?utm_source=landing&utm_medium=bottom&utm_campaign=automations&utm_content=calendly-inbound-discovery-calls)