The problem
A first consultation often starts with 30 minutes of basic facts: nationality, current status, dates of entry, family members and previous applications, sometimes through an interpreter. If a firm holds 30 consultations a month and 20 minutes of that could be collected beforehand, that's 600 minutes, 10 hours of adviser time a month.
What the AI does
A Jotform questionnaire, linked from the booking confirmation, asks for the facts the adviser needs before the consultation, with conditional logic to skip questions that don't apply. Jotform lets you add translations so people can fill in forms in their own language, and its security page says data can be held on EU servers in Frankfurt, with form encryption. The adviser reads the answers beforehand and spends the consultation on the client's options. The form never tells anyone whether they qualify.
A worked example
An immigration firm in Leicester holds about 30 paid first consultations a month, many with clients whose first language isn't English. It sends a Jotform questionnaire in English, Arabic and Urdu with each booking, and the adviser reviews the answers before the meeting.
Before
About 30 minutes of each consultation collecting basic facts: 15 hours a month
After
About 10 minutes reviewing and confirming the answers: 5 hours a month
What it's worth
About $665£500€595A$960C$940 a month of adviser time, if it is worth $67£50€60A$96C$94 an hour: 20 minutes saved on each of 30 consultations is 600 minutes, 10 hours. Jotform Bronze is €34 (about $39£29€35A$56C$55) a month billed annually or €39 (about $45£34€40A$65C$64) monthly, for 25 forms and 1,000 submissions a month.
How to set it up
- Write the questionnaire from your consultation note template and ask only what the first meeting needs.
- Have each translation checked by a fluent speaker; don't rely on machine translation for legal questions.
- Move the account to Jotform's EU servers, turn on encryption and ask Jotform for its data processing terms.
- Leave out passport numbers, Home Office references and anything about protection claims; take those in the meeting.
- Read the answers before the consultation and confirm every fact with the client; the adviser gives all advice.
What goes wrong
- Clients can get dates or their immigration history wrong in a form. Check against their documents before advising.
- Immigration status and history are highly sensitive. A breach could put clients at risk, so collect the minimum and limit who can see responses.
- Jotform's security page says encryption doesn't cover file uploads, so don't ask for documents through the form.
- Bronze is for one user. If several advisers need access, check the plan before sharing a login.