Why Smith.ai is the Right Choice for Your Law Practice

We’ll be blunt: Smith.ai is the right answering service for your boutique law practice. Our friendly, professional, virtual receptionists are here to support you in running your firm to its fullest potential. Your receptionists will be US-based. You will not be charged per minute, but rather per call. Included in your call plan are a wide variety of features designed specifically to help you optimize your day, and manage incoming phone calls as efficiently and effectively as possible. The receptionists at Smith.ai strive to project the image you want for your business. Rest assured we are collecting and handling your clients’ information with the highest degree of professionalism.

How? Here are some of the common needs of our clients with law practices:

Live transfer callers based on your criteria

Often, the attorneys we work with want us to attempt live transfer: the caller is on the line, and after we have collected information based on your instruction, we try to connect the caller to you directly. We can do this for specific types of callers, such as district attorneys, judges, or other court personnel.

One attorney using Smith.ai prides herself on availability to existing clients and encourages them to call anytime, with instruction to attempt to live transfer, and additionally requests that we transfer any calls from businesses referring clients to her.

Another attorney focusing on intellectual property has us attempt transfer for all callers, regardless of client status. If he is not available, we take a message. This prevents his clients or new leads from ever reaching voicemail and ensures they are always speaking with a live person, never with a machine.

For new potential leads or anxious existing clients, a human on the line makes a big difference. Your Smith.ai virtual receptionist will expertly screen incoming calls to ensure the right calls reach you. For those that don't fit your criteria, we will gladly take a detailed message, allowing you to follow up at your convenience.

We understand the importance of privacy and discretion when potentially dealing with your clients’ sensitive information

Privacy and discretion are paramount when dealing with the potentially-sensitive information from your callers. The virtual receptionists that work for Smith.ai understand the importance of handling client information carefully to maintain the integrity of your practice.

One of our customers specializes in intellectual property and copyright law in the entertainment industry. Their clients who call are often uncomfortable sharing the private specifics of what they are calling about. Smith.ai's virtual receptionists are skilled at respecting that privacy, while still collecting information that will allow the attorneys to follow-up, prepared for their consultation with the client.

When confidentiality and tact are critical to the success of your firm, first impressions can make or break you. A potential new lead should feel confident that you will protect their most sensitive information. In situations where privacy is critical, your Smith.ai virtual receptionist will collect necessary information, and leave the details to you.

We will collect caller/client information based on your criteria

As your business grows, and your call volume increases, qualifying potential new leads will become a necessity. Whether it is to prepare you for an incoming live transfer or alert you to a potentially lucrative opportunity, Smith.ai will provide you with the essential information you need to make timely decisions about existing clients and potential new leads.

One of our pros works primarily with traffic/moving violations. They require us to collect a ticket number and speed listed on the ticket. Another attorney requests that we collect the county in which litigation is taking place, as it is critical to how he handles the case. With their Smith.ai receptionist gathering this required information, the attorneys can focus on their expertise and prepare for the cases efficiently.

We know your time is valuable. Your Smith.ai virtual receptionist will qualify incoming calls, giving you the opportunity to prepare adequately for every client or potential new lead, while allowing you to prioritize and organize your work in a way makes sense to you.

We can integrate with your current calendar/appointment booking software and book appointments for you

Keeping track of your appointments can become challenging and time-consuming, especially if your practice is divided up based on specialty, you offer free consultations, or you offer multiple services at different rates. Smith.ai's intelligent software can integrate with your appointment booking and calendaring software, allowing your virtual receptionist to check your availability and book appointments for you.

One of the firms we answer for specializes in IP/copyright cases. One attorney handles corporate clients, while the other tends to work with litigation around art and technology. For a new lead, the Smith.ai receptionists gather general information and use that to decide which attorney would be the best fit, and then schedule a consultation appointment on behalf of them. However, for existing clients, Smith.ai is instructed to attempt a live transfer to the appropriate attorney, so a live client is never kept waiting and always feels important.

As an attorney with a growing boutique practice and limited availability, scheduling time with your clients or potential new leads is an important part of keeping yourself organized and prepared, as well as fostering a positive reputation for your firm. Let your friendly virtual receptionist book your appointments, so you can stay focused on serving your clients.

Our live receptionists are committed to helping you project the image you want to your current or potential customers

How the phone is answered can set the tone for an entire conversation, and certainly has the potential to give callers a lasting impression of your firm. Whether you prefer a relaxed, informal greeting or something a bit more professional, the friendly, live receptionists at Smith.ai are dedicated to helping you create and promote the ideal image for your business.

We work with one firm who asks us to greet existing clients and new callers differently. Existing clients are greeted in a much more relaxed tone, while new leads are greeted formally with the name of the firm. A different attorney asks us to include a service guarantee in the greeting to all callers. In one specific case, one of the attorneys we represent has asked us to omit specific words from our vocabulary and express gratitude a certain way, mirroring the same type of language she might use with her clients.

You only get one chance to make a first impression. Making that impression a great one can be the difference between landing a lifelong customer...or creating opportunities for your competitors. Your virtual receptionists will work diligently to embody the vision you have for your company — creating an environment where customers feel comfortable, yet confident in the services you will deliver.

We can pre-qualify calls based on criteria you specify

Pre-qualifying potential new leads is a great way to save you time and increase your productivity. If your work is limited to certain ZIP Codes, counties, or states, the receptionists at Smith.ai will happily send those leads that qualify through to you, while restricting inquiries that don't match your criteria. We will also collect additional information such as case details, reference numbers, or important dates at your request.

One of our more recent pros only works with cases in one county. However, she’s highly networked, so she has us still collect information from callers with cases in different counties so that she can make an appropriate referral and build a relationship with the lead. Another attorney who works in trademark law requests that we collect the trademark serial numbers from new leads to streamline the communication process.

Having a way to control and prioritize an ever-increasing number of incoming requests is vital as your firm grows. When your Smith.ai receptionist pre-qualifies incoming calls it ensures that, when a call or message reaches your desk, it will contain not only reliable but actionable information — information that will enable you to respond quickly and efficiently to both existing and potentially new clients.

We can screen spam/sales calls based on your criteria

No one likes to be bothered with spam or unwanted sales calls. Smith.ai's proprietary software, in combination with our friendly, live receptionists, can identify both spam and sales calls, and handle them accordingly. We will block spam calls immediately. They will never reach you, and they definitely won't count against your call quota for the month. If there is a sales call for you, we will notify you with the usual instant SMS or email notification, which includes a link to block the number if you no longer wish to receive their calls.

Many our pros receive invitations from legal directories and other listing services. A few of them welcome the opportunity for exposure, while most prefer not to be bothered with the frequent interruptions associated with this type of solicitation. That is why we give you the option.

Keep the sales calls coming in hopes of finding the right opportunity, or block them as they arrive with the click of a link. Either way, our goal at Smith.ai is to deliver actionable information to you as quickly as possible. We try to help you take advantage of opportunities that fit your needs, while weeding out those that don't.

But don't just take our word for it…

“I've used their services since 2015 and don't know how I could live without them now. A live person answers each call with the greeting I select, hands the call over to me with an introduction, and prepares a summary of each call sent by email. (I chose email over SMS.) I have an IP boutique practice, so my new leads call with pretty much patent, trademark, or copyright needs. Anymore, the Smith receptionists are better at classifying some lead's IP needs than the lead themselves. Smith.ai also screens out solicitors or anyone else I don't want to take calls from. It's all so customized that it feels as if I have a dedicated receptionist. The prices are super affordable, too. Highly recommended!”

-Nyman IP

“I've been using Gabbyville for about 9 months, and while I'm generally satisfied, I decided to make a switch to Smith.ai. I had filled out and then revised my "meet and greet" with Gabbyville and they never seemed to follow it. I've used up my trial at Smith.ai and I really liked that they send me not only a message after any call, but also a daily summary. Gabbyville would send me a weekly spreadsheet (which they forgot to do for several weeks, so I missed billing for calls). The Smith.ai emails are much more visually pleasing, and I can just text them when I'm away or with a client, whereas Gabbyville I would email it when I was in court or out for a long period of time.”

- Anne K. Wilson Law Office

“Another good choice is Smith. They have done an excellent job. They cover my phones 9a-6p EST. They are helpful and friendly. They are in the price sweet spot. They don't have an incentive to charge by the minute. They are new and are very responsive to market feedback.”

- CT Esq

Smith.ai is the best live answering service for your boutique law practice. Our friendly, live receptionists will enhance your customer experience while providing you with the tools and information necessary to build strong, long-lasting customer relationships and convert new leads that will grow your firm. Our unique approach combined with highly customizable features supported by our intelligent software and our industry-leading receptionists make Smith.ai the obvious choice.