The problem
First meetings get booked through phone calls and emails, and some clients don't turn up, leaving an unpaid empty slot. If you book 24 a month, spend 8 minutes arranging each and 4 are no-shows at 45 minutes of lost fee-earner time, that's 192 minutes of booking and 180 of lost time.
What the AI does
A Calendly page shows your free first-meeting slots, and the client chooses one. On the Standard plan Calendly offers automations and reminders and takes payments through Stripe or PayPal, so you can ask for your first-meeting fee at booking. You decide the fee, and the booking form asks only for a name, contact details and the type of meeting; case details are discussed in the meeting, not in the form.
A worked example
A two-solicitor family firm in Bristol books about 24 first meetings a month at a fixed fee. They switch to a Calendly booking page with payment, and keep phone booking for anyone who prefers it.
Before
8 minutes to arrange each of 24 first meetings, and 4 no-shows a month at 45 minutes each
After
About 2 minutes to check each booking, and an assumed 1 no-show a month
What it's worth
About £410 a month: 6 minutes saved on each of 24 bookings (144 minutes = 2.4 hours at £30 an hour = £72), plus an assumed 3 fewer no-shows (3 x 45 minutes = 2.25 hours at an assumed £150 an hour of fee-earner time = £338). The fewer no-shows is an assumption, not a promise. Standard is $10 (about £8) a seat a month billed yearly, or $12 (about £9) billed monthly, so about £15 to £18 for two seats.
How to set it up
- Decide the first-meeting length, fee and who is available, and put the fee and what it covers on the booking page.
- Set up Calendly Standard with your calendar and connect Stripe or PayPal for payment.
- Keep the booking form to name, phone, email and meeting type. Do not ask about the family situation.
- Turn on booking reminders and check what text each sends before it goes to a client.
- Ask your COFA how the payments reach your bank account before you take the first booking.
What goes wrong
- Money taken at booking may be client money or office money depending on what it is for. Check with your COFA under the SRA Accounts Rules before you take payment.
- The free plan has no reminders or payments. This use case needs Standard.
- Do not collect case details, children's names or allegations in the booking form. They are sensitive personal data and the form is not the place for them.
- A booking page assumes a straightforward first meeting. For urgent cases involving safety, keep a phone route so those clients reach a person quickly.