Can clients reach you after hours?

Jennifer was driving home from work in Omaha, Nebraska, when another driver sideswiped her car and forced her off the road.

That evening, she called four local law firms for help, but none of them answered the phone. Then she called Chandler Conway. She explained what had happened, answered key follow-up questions, and was assured that the firm would follow up. She was relieved to have found someone who understood and acknowledged what she had been through.

People need legal help outside business hours. When they call, they may be upset, uncertain, or simply looking for someone to explain what to do next. If your firm doesn’t answer, they keep going down the list.

An answering service takes calls for your firm when your staff are busy or the office is closed. Traditionally, these services have relied on human representatives, based in the U.S. or overseas. AI answering services offer another option: they can cost less and be customized to your firm’s intake questions, case criteria, and rules for transferring calls.

Whichever you choose, ask how much of the intake work it can handle. Some services take a message; others collect case details, answer questions about your firm, and connect callers with your team.

You’re paying to give callers a useful response and give your firm an opportunity to earn their business. What happens after someone picks up deserves as much attention as whether they answer.

Define your client experience

Before comparing providers, decide what good intake should accomplish.

For a new accident inquiry, you want to collect the date and location, ask about injuries and treatment, and confirm a callback number. You might want certain calls transferred immediately, while others go to your intake manager the next morning.

Consider the caller’s side, too. Can they explain what happened in their own words? Can they get an answer when they ask whether your firm handles their type of case? Will they know what happens next?

Write those expectations down with the people who handle intake and follow-up. Be specific about which inquiries need immediate attention, who should receive them, and what the caller should hear when nobody is available.

That becomes the standard you use to evaluate a provider. You are hiring a service to represent your firm. It’s reasonable to expect your guidance on that to be followed.

Audit the answering service

Bring your requirements to the conversation and ask the provider to walk through them.

• Can you customize how calls are handled? Ask about different instructions for new inquiries, existing clients, and matters outside your practice areas.
• Can you change the intake questions? Find out whether the service can use your questions, ask follow-ups based on the answers, and make changes as your needs evolve.
• Can it answer questions about your firm? Provide examples: “Do you handle motorcycle accidents?” “What happens during a consultation?” “When should I expect a callback?” Ask how you supply and update the answers.
• What happens when a transfer fails? Have the provider explain what the caller hears, how their information is preserved, and who gets notified.

Some services will accommodate your process closely. Others work within a standard script or offer customization only on certain plans. Ask which requirements are included in the quote, which cost extra, and which the service cannot support.

A limitation doesn’t automatically rule a provider out. It does give you a decision to make before that limitation affects a real caller.

Who owns the data?

A message in your inbox may be only part of the information collected during a call.

Ask who owns the recordings, transcripts, notes, and information entered into intake fields. Then ask what your firm can actually access and download. Ownership, access, and the ability to move your records are separate questions.

Can you review the full conversation when a summary is unclear? Can the information reach your case management system in a usable form? If you change providers, can you take your records with you, and will there be a fee?

Get those answers in writing before signing. Ask to see a sample export, too. You should understand what your team will receive while using the service and what you can keep when the relationship ends.

Do live tests

Once a provider says it can meet your requirements, ask it to demonstrate them using your firm’s instructions. Request a test number or a trial, and make a few calls with fictional details.

Start with an ordinary inquiry. Describe an accident, ask whether the firm handles that kind of matter, and ask what happens next. Then try a less straightforward call: leave out a detail, correct something you said earlier, or request a transfer when the intended recipient is unavailable.

Listen as a prospective client would. Does the conversation make sense? Do you feel heard? Are the answers accurate?

Then review what your staff would receive. Check the callback number, the intake details, and the notification. Could someone on your team use that record to take the next step? Is it clear who is responsible?

Use the same scenarios with each provider you consider. If something falls short, ask for an adjustment and test it again. If a provider won’t let you try the service, that is useful information to have before making a commitment.

Make sure someone takes the next step

Even a well-handled call can stall if the intake record sits unread. Assign responsibility for follow-up and make sure the service’s instructions reflect your team’s actual availability. If callers are told an attorney will call the next morning, someone at the firm needs to be responsible for making that happen.

Jennifer’s call gave Chandler Conway an opportunity to follow up. The four unanswered calls before it show how easily that opportunity can pass to another firm.

Your own evaluation can start with one practical exercise: write down what should happen when someone calls tonight, then call your service and see whether it happens.

Lighthouse Legal

Lighthouse Legal handled Chandler Conway’s after-hours intake in this example. We build AI-powered voice agents that answer around the clock, collect information according to your firm’s criteria, and connect qualified callers directly with your team. To learn more, book a live demo with our team or email Ravi Jayanthi to discuss your firm’s needs.