When a potential client books through your public scheduler, Dubsado can take it from there — sending the contract, collecting payment, and following up on your behalf. This guide shows how to wire a lead capture form, scheduler, and flow together so the whole sequence runs on autopilot.

What this recipe does

This recipe combines three pieces — a lead capture form, a public scheduler, and a flow — into a single automated booking funnel. The lead capture form attached to your scheduler is what triggers the flow. Dubsado activates the default flow on that form as soon as the client submits it, which happens right after they pick a time. The scheduler handles the booking and (optionally) collects payment, and the flow handles everything that needs to happen after.

This pattern is the simplest way to automate a "book and pay" funnel for new leads.

Flows and public schedulers both require the Premier plan. If you are on Starter, head to Settings ➔ Billing to upgrade to Premier.

Before you start

Create the templates you'll need first, then connect them in the steps below. Each piece has its own dedicated walkthrough — start there if you have not built one yet.

A lead capture form — collects the client's contact info before they book. See create a lead capture form.
A contract — what the client signs after booking. See how to build a contract or sub-agreement template.
Email templates — at minimum, an appointment confirmation email and a contract or next-steps email. For more info on email templates, see how to create and manage email templates.
A public scheduler — the booking page clients see. See creating a scheduler template.
A flow template — the automation that runs after the form is submitted. See creating a flow template.

Build the lead capture form and the flow first, then create the scheduler last. That way you can attach the form during scheduler setup without backtracking.

Step 1: Attach the lead capture form to your scheduler

Your scheduler needs to know which form clients fill out before they book. That form is what fires your flow's first action.

Navigate to Events ➔ Scheduler Templates and click the scheduler title to open the builder. The builder auto-saves as you go, so there is no Save button.
Switch to the Advanced tab.
In the Form card, use the Required form picker to select your lead capture form.

The selected form is what clients fill out after they pick an appointment time.

Lead capture forms always create a new project on submission, even if the client abandons the cart and never books an appointment. That new project is what your flow runs on. Existing contacts who book again get a brand new project — Dubsado does not update existing data from a lead capture submission.

Step 2: Add an invoice to the scheduler (optional)

If you want to collect payment when the client books, configure the Payment card on the Advanced tab.

Still on the Advanced tab, find the Payment card.
Toggle on the option to allow an invoice, then add the line items the client will pay for at booking.

The invoice generated from this scheduler becomes the project's primary invoice, which matters for the trigger you'll set in Step 4.

For more information on scheduler payments and other advanced settings, see the advanced scheduler settings article.

Skip this section if your booking is free or if you collect payment later in the project. Your flow can still send the contract and follow-up emails using the after this workflow starts trigger instead.

Step 3: Set the default flow on the lead capture form

With the scheduler wired up, point the lead capture form at your flow so the flow fires automatically when the form is submitted.

Navigate to Forms ➔ Form Templates and open your lead capture form in the form builder.
Click the Settings tab in the form builder sidebar.
Under the Lead capture options heading, find the Default flow dropdown.
Select your flow template from the dropdown.
Click Save form.

If your form contains a flow element that lets clients pick a flow, the client's selection overrides the default flow setting.

The Default flow setting requires the Premier plan. On Starter, the dropdown is disabled and shows a Premier badge.

Step 4: Build the flow's actions

Now configure the actions that run after the client submits the lead capture form. This recipe uses three actions: send the contract, send a thank-you email after the event, and create a wrap-up task.

Open your flow at Flows ➔ Flow Templates and click into the flow you assigned as the default. Add the three actions below from the action picker.

Action 1: Send Contract

This action delivers your contract and next-steps via email to the client.

Pick Send Contract from the action picker, under the Send to client category.
For Contract template, choose your contract template.
For Email, choose your contract or next-steps email template.
Set the trigger:
- If you added an invoice in Step 2, use after the primary invoice is paid in full so the contract goes out as soon as the client pays.
- If your scheduler does not collect payment, use after this workflow starts so the contract goes out as soon as the form is submitted.

Action 2: Send Email

This is the thank-you email that goes to the client after the event or after the project date.

Pick Send Email from the action picker.
For Email, choose your thank-you email template.
Set the trigger to a fixed date after the event, or use the project date to set the send date (if your lead capture form sets the project date in a mapped date field). Alternatively, you can use after all previous actions are completed with manual approval enabled if you want more control over when the thank-you email is sent.

Action 3: Create Task

The task is your wrap-up reminder — final edits, deliverables, or anything else you need to remember.

Pick Create Task from the action picker.
For Assigned user, leave blank to assign to yourself, or pick a teammate.
Enter a task description with whatever wrap-up reminder you need.
Set the trigger to after all previous actions are completed.

Do not use any of the appointment-based triggers (after an appointment is booked, before an appointment starts, after an appointment ends) in this flow. The flow activates after the client submits the lead capture form, but the appointment booking is completed outside the context of the flow — so an appointment trigger has nothing to watch and the flow will error. If you need appointment-based automation, send the scheduler from inside a flow instead.

Step 5: Share your scheduler

Once your flow is built and connected, share the scheduler so clients can start booking.

Open the scheduler builder from Events ➔ Scheduler Templates and click the Share icon in the builder header.
In the share popover, choose how you want to share:
- Public Link — click Copy Link to copy the scheduler URL. Use this in email signatures, social profiles, or any external link.
- Embed Code — click Copy Code to copy an HTML snippet you can paste into your website. Use this in a custom code or HTML block on your site so the scheduler renders inline.

For a deeper walkthrough of placing the scheduler on your site, see embedding a Dubsado scheduler on your website. If you want to compare sharing options, see public vs. project scheduler sharing.

FAQ

How do I test my flow without making a real payment?

Create a 100% discount code at Invoicing ➔ Discounts and allow discounts on your scheduler's Payment card. Submit the lead capture form with your own email and apply the discount at checkout. Then open the new project, delete the discount on the invoice, and apply a manual full-amount payment to fire the after the primary invoice is paid in full trigger and watch the rest of the flow run.

Can the scheduler email the contract directly so my client gets one less email?

No. The scheduler sends its own confirmation email, and the contract is sent by the flow. Your client receives both — the appointment confirmation from the scheduler and the contract email from the flow.

Why am I seeing a flow error when I use an appointment trigger?

Appointment triggers can only watch appointments booked during the flow. In this recipe, the appointment is booked by a scheduler that's not sent by the flow, so any appointment trigger will error. If you need appointment-based actions, send the scheduler from inside a flow instead.