If you have ever checked your inbox after a long weekend only to find dozens of customer enquiries, you know the feeling of being behind before you even start. When a visitor fills out a contact form on your site, they often have no idea if their message actually went through. They might send a second email just to be sure, or worse, move on to a competitor.
Setting up an autoresponder email is a simple way to fix this. It gives your visitor immediate confirmation that you received their request. It buys you time to handle the enquiry properly while keeping the user informed. You can manage this process using the email notification settings within Diviniket WP Forms.
Why You Should Use an Auto Reply Form
A confirmation email serves two purposes. First, it acts as a digital receipt for your visitor. It confirms that their information was submitted successfully, which reduces anxiety for the user. Second, it sets expectations. You can use the email to tell them when they should expect to hear back from you.
This is a general WordPress technique, but using a dedicated form plugin makes the process much more manageable. Instead of relying on a complex email server setup, you can configure these notifications directly within your form settings. You just need to make sure your WordPress site can send outgoing emails reliably, which is something you should discuss with your hosting provider if you notice messages are not arriving.
What to Know First
Before you start, remember that Diviniket WP Forms focuses on the form building and data collection process. The email notification feature is designed to send a basic confirmation to the user and a notification to the site administrator. It is not an email marketing tool, and it does not store autoresponder sequences or track if a user has opened your email.
If you are just getting started, you can learn more about how to set up your forms using the
visual form builder. Keeping your forms clean and simple is the best way to ensure that users actually take the time to fill them out.
Configuring Your Confirmation Email
To set up your autoresponder, you need to navigate to the settings of the specific form you are working on. You will find options that allow you to define who gets an email when a submission occurs.
- Navigate to your form settings within the Diviniket WP Forms dashboard.
- Locate the notification section where you can configure email settings for both the administrator and the person submitting the form.
- Enable the option to send a confirmation email to the user who filled out the form.
- Ensure you select the field containing the user's email address as the recipient for the autoresponder.
- Draft a clear, concise subject line and a simple message body to confirm receipt.
- Save your form settings to ensure all changes are applied to future submissions.
After you save these settings, it is a good practice to test the form yourself. Submit a test entry using your own email address to verify that the autoresponder arrives in your inbox. If it does not appear, check your spam folder or look into your server's mail-sending capabilities.
Managing Your Form Submissions
While the autoresponder takes care of the visitor, you still need a way to manage the incoming data. Diviniket WP Forms stores submissions directly in your WordPress database. You can view these at any time by going to Divine Forms > All Entries.
Storing entries in your database is a great safety net. Even if an email notification fails to send or gets lost in a spam filter, the original request remains safely inside your WordPress dashboard. You can also use this data to keep your records organized. If you need to move this data elsewhere, the plugin supports
Google Sheets integration, which can automatically sync your submissions to a spreadsheet for easier tracking.
Keeping Your Forms Secure
An autoresponder is only useful if your form is actually receiving legitimate enquiries. If your form is flooded with automated junk, you will end up sending autoresponder emails to bots, which is a waste of your resources.
To prevent this, you should always enable some form of protection. The plugin includes built-in
spam protection options, including a honeypot feature. This is a great first line of defense that does not require any extra effort from your real visitors. For higher traffic sites, you might also consider enabling reCAPTCHA or Cloudflare Turnstile to further reduce the risk of automated submissions.
Limitations to Keep in Mind
It is important to be realistic about what this plugin can and cannot do. While you can trigger an email confirmation, you cannot create complex, multi-step email automations or conditional logic based on what the user selected in the form. The confirmation email is a static message sent upon successful submission.
Additionally, email deliverability is often tied to your hosting environment rather than the plugin itself. If your WordPress site struggles to send standard emails, adding an autoresponder will not magically fix your server's mail configuration. If you find that notifications are rarely arriving, you may need to look into professional SMTP services or contact your host for support.
FAQ
Can I send different autoresponder emails based on what the user selects in the form?
No, the current version of the plugin does not support conditional logic for email notifications. You can send one confirmation email to the user upon submission, but you cannot change the content based on specific form field choices.
Do I need an external service to send these emails?
The plugin uses your WordPress site's mail function to send notifications. If your site is already successfully sending password reset emails or other WordPress notifications, your autoresponder emails should work as expected without needing additional services.
Can I customize the design of the autoresponder email?
The email notification feature is designed for plain text or simple HTML messages to ensure they are readable across all email clients. You cannot use the visual form builder's styling controls to change the look of the outgoing email itself.
What happens if the user enters an invalid email address?
If the user provides an incorrect email address, the autoresponder will fail to deliver because the system will attempt to send it to the address provided in the form field. There is no automated verification process to check if an email address is active before the form is submitted.
Can I see if the user opened the autoresponder email?
No, the plugin does not include email tracking features. It handles the sending of the email, but it does not track opens, clicks, or read receipts.
Setting up an autoresponder is a small step that makes your business look much more professional. It shows your visitors that you are attentive and responsive. If you want to see these steps in action, I recommend visiting my
YouTube tutorial channel where I walk through various setup scenarios. You can also connect with me on my
LinkedIn profile if you have feedback on how the plugin is working for your site.
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