Law firms
How long does an inquiry sit before someone answers it?
An injured person who fills in a form is usually filling in several. The firm that reaches them first has a conversation; the others leave a message. Nothing about the inquiry changes in that window - only who is holding it.
For attorneys and firm administrators. Injured people should not use this page.
This page asks you to measure your own answering speed before spending anything on volume.
What it costs you
What an unanswered hour actually costs
A person who has already spoken to someone else has no reason to return your call.
Volume bought at a pace intake cannot answer converts for whoever answers instead.
Slow answering looks identical to a bad lead source on a spreadsheet, so the wrong thing gets cancelled.
Staff who are behind start triaging by guesswork rather than by the written standard.
How it is handled
How response time is handled before a pilot
Pacing is set to the capacity you have, not to the volume you would like.
- 01
01 - Measure the current gap
Time from inquiry arriving to a human speaking, during the week and at the weekend, taken from your own records rather than an estimate.
- 02
02 - Establish who answers
Named cover for each part of the week, including lunch hours, court days and holidays, written down rather than assumed.
- 03
03 - Set the pacing
Weekly and daily delivery limits matched to that cover, so inquiries arrive at a rate the firm can answer.
- 04
04 - Agree the escalation
What happens when an inquiry is not reached on the first attempt, how many attempts follow, and when it is closed out.
- 05
05 - Review against the record
Response times recorded for the pilot and read back next to conversion, so the two are never confused.
What you hold
What you keep from this exercise
- 01
Your real answering speed
Measured across the week rather than the impression of it, and comparable month to month.
- 02
A written cover schedule
Who answers what, when, and what happens when they cannot.
- 03
A pacing figure
The volume your intake can absorb without dropping inquiries, useful regardless of source.
- 04
A basis for judging any source
Conversion figures that are not quietly measuring your own delay.
If you already know your answering speed, the call is about pacing and criteria rather than diagnosis.
Fit
Whether this subject is worth your time
This is for you if
- Someone at the firm can be reached during the working day, reliably.
- You are willing to measure the gap rather than estimate it.
- You would rather pace delivery than take everything at once.
- You want conversion figures that measure the source, not the delay.
This is not for you if
- New inquiries wait until the end of the week.
- You want maximum volume regardless of who is answering.
- Nobody is accountable for the first call.
- You are looking for guaranteed retained matters - we do not offer any.
Straight answers
The questions firms ask about this
- We answer everything eventually. Is that not enough?
- Eventually is a different product to promptly. Both are legitimate choices, but the economics differ, so the pilot is priced and paced against the one you actually run.
- Can you deliver only during our office hours?
- Pacing windows are part of the written scope. If you want nothing arriving after four o'clock or on a Friday, that is set before delivery starts.
- What if an inquiry is unreachable?
- The attempt sequence and the closing rule are written into the scope, and every attempt is recorded, so disputes are settled against the record.
- Will you tell us how to run our intake?
- No. We record what happens and pace delivery to it. How you staff the desk is your decision.
There is a longer piece on this subject, a written worksheet you can request, and an FAQ on criteria and cost.
Four steps
Intake response time: four questions, then a decision
Each step is saved as you go, so you can stop after any one of them and we will still know what you asked about. No pricing is quoted and nothing is agreed here.
- 01Who is asking
- 02Where you stand
- 03Your coverage
- 04What happens next
We do not sell or share what you submit here, and we do not use it for anything other than responding to your enquiry.
Step 01 of 04
Who is asking
So the answer reaches the right person at your firm.
Pick a time
Take a criteria and economics slot
Thirty minutes with our team. Picking a time sends the invite straight away.
Criteria and Pricing Call · 30 minutes
Discuss criteria, delivery needs, and pricing for MVA and workers’ compensation inquiries, live phone transfers, signed cases, signed commercial cases, and catastrophic commercial cases. No questionnaire is required before booking.
Book a CallBook within the next four days. The calendar opens in a new tab. Complete your booking to receive your confirmation and calendar invite.
Next step
Pace the volume to the desk you actually have
Thirty to forty-five minutes on answering cover, pacing limits and the criteria that sit behind them.
Related subjects
- Lead source waste
How much are you paying for inquiries you were never going to take?
- Qualifying criteria
Could two people at your firm write down the same definition of a good case?
- Case acquisition cost
What does one signed matter actually cost your firm?