The problem
People looking for a will or lasting power of attorney often want a price before they will pick up the phone, and many search in the evening when the office is shut. If 40 people a month ask for a price and 2 who would have instructed you go to a firm that quoted first, at $532£400€476A$768C$752 for a pair of mirror wills, that's $1,064£800€952A$1,536C$1,504 of work a month going elsewhere.
What the AI does
Hoowla's Will & LPA Quote Calculator puts your own fee scale on your website, so a visitor can request an instant quote at any time and you collect their details as a lead. Staff can also use it to quote on the phone or in a meeting, and you can give access to referrers. Hoowla says it sends lead alerts and automatic reminders to follow up your inquiries. You set the fees and what each covers; the calculator only works out a price from your scale, and a solicitor still takes instructions and advises.
A worked example
A two-solicitor wills and probate firm in Shrewsbury gets about 40 price inquiries a month for wills and LPAs, many through its website in the evening. It adds Hoowla's Local Firm calculator with its fixed fees for single wills, mirror wills and LPAs, and follows up each lead the next working day.
Before
40 inquiries a month answered the next day by phone or email, with an estimated 2 a month lost to quicker firms
After
Instant website quotes at any hour, with an assumed 2 extra instructions a month at $532£400€476A$768C$752 each
What it's worth
About $426£320€381A$614C$602 a month in profit, at an assumed 40% margin on $1,064£800€952A$1,536C$1,504 of extra work (2 more pairs of mirror wills at $532£400€476A$768C$752). The calculator is $233£175€208A$336C$329 plus VAT a year, about $20£15€18A$29C$28 a month, or about $24£18€21A$35C$34 with VAT. The 2 extra instructions are an assumption; compare inquiries and instructions for three months before and after.
How to set it up
- Set your fee scale in Hoowla: single and mirror wills, LPAs, and what each fee includes and excludes.
- Have a solicitor or your COLP check the wording of every price and what it covers against the SRA's rules on price and service information.
- Add the calculator to your website's wills page and keep your phone number beside it.
- Turn on lead alerts and follow up each new quote the next working day.
- Review quotes and instructions monthly, and adjust the fee scale if work regularly costs more than quoted.
What goes wrong
- A quote is only your fee scale applied to what the visitor typed. Complex estates, trusts or capacity concerns need a solicitor's own quote; say so beside the calculator.
- Prices must be clear about what is and isn't included, including VAT and disbursements. Misleading prices can breach SRA rules and consumer law.
- Lead details are personal data. Say in your privacy notice how you use them, and don't add people to marketing emails without a lawful basis.
- The Local Firm price covers one location. A second office needs Multi Branch at $299£225€268A$432C$423 plus VAT a year.