Continue Links — helping a prospect resume a Submission

A prospect resumes an unfinished Submission through a secure link back into it. They can email themselves one from the form, or you can prompt them with a Completion Reminder (email or SMS) or copy the resume link and share it yourself. Emailed secure access links expire 30 minutes after they're generated.

Updated Jul 27, 2026 For agency staff

In short: A prospect who stopped partway can pick up where they left off. They can email themselves a secure access link from the form, or you can nudge them with a Completion Reminder (email or SMS) or Copy Link to share the resume URL yourself. Emailed access links expire in 30 minutes.

When you’d help a prospect resume

Common situations:

  • A prospect started filling out a Form but stopped partway through. You want them to come back and finish.
  • You captured part of a Submission on a call and need the prospect to verify or finish the remaining steps on their own.
  • A prospect promised to upload a document but hasn’t yet.
  • The prospect’s secure access link expired and they need a fresh way back in.

How a prospect gets back in

Everything they’ve already entered is saved. To resume, they open their Submission through a secure access link — clicking it logs them in automatically (no password) and drops them at the step they last completed. For security, emailed secure access links expire 30 minutes after they’re generated.

There are three ways that link reaches them.

They request it themselves

This is the most common path and needs nothing from you.

  • If they chose to save and finish later while filling out the form, they were emailed a link automatically.
  • Any time, they can return to the form and choose “Email a Secure Access Link” to send themselves a fresh one.

You send a Completion Reminder

From the Submission, open the quick actions and choose Send Reminder (Completion Reminder). This sends the prospect a message — by email or SMS — prompting them to continue and complete their Submission. Reminders can also go out automatically on a schedule.

There’s no single button labeled “Send continue link” — the reminder is the built-in way to nudge a prospect back in.

From the Submission’s Info Request panel, use Copy Link to copy the resume URL, then paste it into your own email, text, or chat.

What the prospect sees

When they open the link, they’re taken back into the same Submission. Everything they’ve already entered is pre-filled, and they pick up at the step they last completed.

If their session isn’t already active, they’re first asked to email themselves a secure access link. That emailed link is what logs them in without a password — which is why it expires in 30 minutes for security.

Secure access links expire 30 minutes after they’re generated. If the prospect doesn’t act on the link in that window, it stops working.

If a prospect comes back the next day saying their link doesn’t work:

  1. 1

    Have them return to the form and choose “Email a Secure Access Link” to send themselves a fresh one, or send a new Completion Reminder from the Submission.

  2. 2

    Tell them to use the new link within 30 minutes.

There’s no penalty for resending — generate as many fresh links as you need.

Email vs SMS

A Completion Reminder can go by email or SMS. (Self-service secure access links are always emailed.)

  • Email is unobtrusive and threadable. Best for prospects who prefer asynchronous communication.
  • SMS is faster and harder to ignore. Best when timing matters or the prospect is mobile-first.

SMS depends on the prospect having given a valid mobile number and (depending on your Form’s setup) having consented to SMS contact via TCPA.

What if the prospect’s contact info is wrong?

If the email or phone on file is wrong, update the Submission’s contact info first, then send the Completion Reminder. Sending to the corrected destination uses the new info.

Common questions

Is there a way to extend the 30-minute expiry on a secure access link? Not directly. The prospect can send themselves a fresh link, or you can send another Completion Reminder, when they’re ready to act on it.

Will the prospect see what changes I’ve made to their Submission? They see the Submission as it currently exists, including any edits you made. Most edits are invisible to them (Notes, Tags, Status are internal). Edits to their answers will appear if they revisit those fields.

Can I get the link to a different person, like a spouse? The Completion Reminder goes to the contact info on the Submission, so update that first if you need to reach someone else. Alternatively, use Copy Link and send the resume URL to whoever you like through your own channel.

The prospect clicked the link and got “form not available.” Why? Most likely the Link the Submission was started on has been archived. Re-enable the Link if you want continuations to work, or contact support for a workaround.