After-hours injury intake calls answered by Smith.ai

Car crashes and falls happen in the evening and at weekends, and an injured person calling from the emergency room usually signs with the first firm that picks up. If a firm gets 50 after-hours calls a month and they all go to voicemail, some of those people have signed elsewhere by morning. Lose one signed case every 2 months, and with a one-third fee on a typical $30,000£22,556€26,842A$43,308C$42,406 settlement that's $10,000£7,519€8,947A$14,436C$14,135 in fees, $5,000£3,759€4,474A$7,218C$7,068 a month on average.

Calls to the firm's number forward to Smith.ai's live virtual receptionists outside office hours. They answer 24/7, ask the firm's intake questions (name, number, date and type of incident, injuries, whether another attorney is involved), and Smith.ai says call details go to the firm's CRM or to Zapier, with Clio named as a native integration. Calls that meet the firm's rules, such as a serious injury today, transfer to the on-call attorney. A case manager calls every lead back first thing in the morning. Receptionists take details and book callbacks; they never evaluate a case or give legal advice.

A two-attorney personal injury firm in Houston gets about 50 calls a month outside office hours, about 15 of them in Spanish. It forwards after-hours calls to Smith.ai Starter with extended intake questions and the Spanish add-on, and transfers urgent calls to the on-call attorney.

About $2,000£1,504€1,789A$2,887C$2,827 a month in future profit, against a cost of about $620£466€555A$895C$876. That assumes one extra signed case every 2 months, a $10,000£7,519€8,947A$14,436C$14,135 fee (one-third of a $30,000£22,556€26,842A$43,308C$42,406 settlement) averaging $5,000£3,759€4,474A$7,218C$7,068 a month, and an assumed 40% margin after case costs and staff time; the fee arrives only when the case settles, often a year or more later. Starter is $300£226€268A$433C$424 a month for 30 calls plus $11.50£8.65€10.29A$16.60C$16.26 for each extra call, so 50 calls is $530£398€474A$765C$749 plus about $90£68€81A$130C$127 for Spanish and extended intake questions on some calls; Basic is $810£609€725A$1,169C$1,145 for 90 calls.

1. 1Write the intake script with the attorney: the questions to ask, which calls to transfer to the on-call attorney, and a line that the firm will call back and the receptionist can't give advice.
2. 2Forward the firm's number to Smith.ai outside office hours only, and test it at night and at weekends.
3. 3Send call details to email or into the case system through Zapier, and have a case manager call every lead back by 9 a.m.
4. 4Check Smith.ai's confidentiality terms and train on the script, since the state bar's rules make the firm responsible for supervising outside help (ABA Model Rule 5.3).
5. 5Review a sample of recordings and summaries each month for accuracy and tone.

• Per-call pricing adds up: overage on Starter is $11.50£8.65€10.29A$16.60C$16.26 a call, and add-ons such as scheduling, Spanish and extended intake are charged per call. Compare Basic once calls pass about 75 a month.
• A receptionist who sounds like they are promising results ("you have a great case") can breach advertising rules. The script must say the attorney decides whether the firm can help.
• Prospective clients are owed confidentiality even if they never sign (ABA Model Rule 1.18). Limit what is collected to what intake needs and keep it out of shared inboxes.
• Answering only helps if callbacks happen fast. A lead left until the afternoon is often already gone.