Email input

Email input asks the visitor for an email address and validates the format before continuing. Use this block when the workflow needs a working email — for follow-up, lead routing, account creation, transcript delivery, or contact identification.

Applies to: Builder Widget Results Contact fields

Best for

Lead capture, account creation, follow-up email, transcript delivery, and any workflow where the visitor’s email address is required.

Stores

A normalized lowercase email address in workflow answers. Always available to bind to the contact’s email field.

Routes

Continues along the step’s default path. Email input does not branch based on the answer.

Use Text input for free-form answers

If the answer is not an email address, use Text input or another typed input block. Email input enforces email syntax and rejects anything that is not a valid address.

At a glance

Capability	Supported
Email format validation	Yes, every answer is checked
Lowercase normalization	Yes, the stored value is always lowercase
Maximum length	Yes, hard ceiling of 320 characters (RFC 5321)
Per-answer routing	No, all answers continue along the step’s default path
Contact field binding	Yes, the standard Email contact field
Skip if the contact already has the value	Yes

Example

A demo-request workflow asks:

What’s the best email to reach you?

The visitor types Jane@Example.com and presses Continue. DialogMaker validates the address, lowercases it, and stores jane@example.com in the workflow answer and on the contact’s email field. The next step in the workflow can address the visitor by email.

When to use Email input

Use Email input whenever the workflow needs to collect or verify an email address.

Good use cases:

• Capture a lead’s email for follow-up.
• Identify a returning visitor by email and merge with their existing contact.
• Collect a contact email before delivering a transcript or quote.
• Confirm an email is reachable before triggering a webhook or notification.

Use a different block when:

• The answer is open-ended text: use Text input.
• The answer is a phone number, URL, number, or date: use the matching specialized block.

Add an Email input block

1. Open a workflow and go to the builder.
2. In the block sidebar, open Questions.
3. Add Email to a step.
4. Write the question text visitors should see.
5. Optionally set a placeholder shown inside the empty field.
6. Confirm the answer is bound to the Email contact field.
7. Connect the next path.

Configure the question

The question text appears immediately before the visitor sees the input. Keep it specific and answerable.

Good:

What’s the best email to reach you?

Avoid:

Can we contact you?

Ambiguous prompts collect inconsistent answers. Ask for the email directly.

Configure the input

Placeholder

The placeholder is the helper text shown inside the empty input field. Use it to give a short example of the expected answer — it disappears as soon as the visitor starts typing.

A simple sample address like name@company.com is the most common choice. Avoid using the placeholder to repeat the question.

Save the answer

Email input answers are always saved in workflow answers. They should also be bound to the contact’s standard Email field — this is what enables follow-up, identity matching, and integrations.

Question	Suggested contact field
What’s the best email to reach you?	Email
What email should we send the transcript to?	Email
Confirm your work email	Email

The publish review warns when an Email input is not bound to the Email contact field, and offers a one-click fix to bind it.

Skip if we already have this value

When the answer is bound to the Email contact field, the editor shows a Skip if we already have this value toggle. Turn it on to skip the question entirely if the contact already has an email address. This avoids re-asking returning visitors for information they have already provided.

Use Skip if known for returning visitors

When the same workflow may be entered by both new and returning contacts, binding to the Email contact field plus turning on Skip if we already have this value keeps the conversation short for repeat visitors without losing the question for first-time visitors.

Common patterns

Lead capture

Ask for the visitor’s email at the start of the workflow. Bind to the Email contact field so the lead is identifiable in the CRM and reachable by follow-up.

Returning contact identification

Use Skip if known so contacts that already have an email saved are not asked again. New visitors still see the question.

Transcript delivery

Collect an email at the end of a workflow and use it as the destination for a transcript or PDF in a follow-up integration.

Webhook trigger

Pair an Email input with a Webhook block to trigger CRM enrichment, marketing automation, or internal alerts as soon as the email is captured.

Answer output

When a visitor submits an Email input answer, DialogMaker stores the value as a structured object.

{
  "type": "email",
  "value": "jane@example.com"
}

Field	Meaning
type	Always email for this block.
value	The trimmed, lowercased email address the visitor submitted. The original capitalization is not preserved.

Routing behavior

Email input always continues along the step’s default path. The block does not branch on the answer’s content.

To route based on the email — for example, by domain — add a Condition block after the Email input and check the saved value.

Validation and limits

DialogMaker rejects invalid Email input answers when:

• The answer is not an Email answer.
• The answer is empty after trimming whitespace.
• The answer is not a valid email address (RFC 5322 syntax).
• The answer exceeds 320 characters (RFC 5321 maximum).

Troubleshooting

Problem	What to check
The question is skipped unexpectedly	Check whether Skip if we already have this value is on and the contact already has an email. Turn the toggle off to always ask.
Visitors enter “name@company” and it is rejected	Email input requires a complete address with a domain (e.g. name@company.com). Partial addresses are rejected.
Stored email is lowercase but the visitor typed mixed case	DialogMaker lowercases all email answers before storage so duplicate detection and matching work consistently.
The address is missing from contact information	Make sure the answer is bound to the Email contact field. The publish review flags Email inputs that are not bound.
The publish review warns “Email is answer-only”	Bind the Email input to the standard Email contact field. The review offers a one-click fix.

Related articles

• Question blocks overview
• Answer storage
• Text input
• Phone input