Speaker 1: 0:05

This is the future of client communication. Welcome to Legal Marketing 101. I'm Toby Rosen. If you still think that client communication means email voicemail, you are about to get left behind. Today, we are looking at how chatbots, sms, ai tools all of these are changing client expectations and how law firms like yours can actually get ahead instead of just playing catch up. This isn't hype. This is what your next client is already expecting. So let's dive straight in Because, let's be honest, the days of clients that patiently wait two days for an email reply that's over.

Speaker 1: 0:42

We're living in a world where people can track their pizza in real time, get a refund from Amazon without speaking to a human and message their bank through an app at 11 pm, so naturally, they're going to start to expect the same kind of instant access and transparency from basically everyone, and that includes you. For law firms, this shift is kind of uncomfortable, but it is unavoidable. Phone calls, emails they're starting to feel like fax machines for a growing chunk of your potential clients. In fact, over 70% of consumers now say they prefer messaging over phone calls or emails when communicating with a business. That stat isn't from Silicon Valley, it's from your future clients, whether they're shopping for a prenup or for a probate attorney, and, yeah, I don't agree with them. But those are the stats. And before we say, yeah, law is different, let's be very clear here. Clients don't draw the same line between legal and non-legal services anymore. They just don't. They're comparing your intake experience to Uber Eats. They're comparing your responsiveness to Apple or somebody better than Apple, and they're comparing your website to literally every other brand. They trust Netflix, facebook, instagram. That might sound unfair and it is, but it's the reality. Texting, live chat, 24-7 availability these are no longer just bells and whistles and features that you can post on your website anymore. They are becoming the baseline. Clients want their answers quickly, they want easy updates and they want human sounding communication. And if they don't get it from you, they're going to move on to the next firm. That makes it easier to engage. Start thinking about having Amazon level response time. That is the bar now, even for divorce or estate planning or whatever it is. And no, you don't need to be Amazon, but you do need to stop pretending your clients are stuck in 2008, because they're just not. They are already texting your competitors.

Speaker 1: 2:36

So let's talk chatbots, because whether you love them or hate them, like I do, or you haven't actually touched one since that annoying pop-up in 2018, they're back and they're here to stay, and this time they're actually useful. I have to admit it. At their best, chatbots do what no staff member can. They work 24-7, they never get tired and they never forget to ask what type of case are you calling or messaging about? The simplest versions of this are lead capture bots. They show up on your website, they ask a few basic screening questions and then they pass the info along. Others are set up to answer FAQs like how much does this cost? Do you offer free consultations? Where is the office? Do you handle my type of case? And then there are even more advanced ones that handle light intake.

Speaker 1: 3:24

So, going from the name, contact info, case type, urgency and routing that all through to either the right person or the right place in your CRM system, if you use these wisely, they are a complete game changer. For example, chatbots are fantastic at screening after hours inquiries. So instead of missing a midnight message or forcing someone to leave a voicemail spoiler alert, they are not going to do that the bot is going to engage with them instantly. That alone could stop a lead from bouncing onto the next firm, and chatbots are also really good at filtering. So someone who's just asking a question, they could be a serious lead or just killing time. A chatbot can handle that screening process without bogging down your staff and when it's connected properly, they can then route that inquiry faster than your receptionist ever could.

Speaker 1: 4:12

But and this is a huge Kardashian-sized, but they are not magic. When bots try to do too much, they do still start to fail. We've all seen those conversation loops from hell where the bot doesn't understand the question, it gives a weird answer and then there's just no human option in sight at all, and that's how we really lose trust in 10 seconds or less. And obviously no chatbot should ever try to give legal advice. That's not just risky, it's potentially really risky, it's malpractice territory. Bots should help us inform clients and guide clients and connect them, but they really shouldn't be getting into analysis or advice at this point. The bottom line is if your chatbot feels like a helpful front desk assistant, which is really what we want, then you're doing it right. If it feels like an automated brick wall, then it's time to rethink. But you don't need a robotic lawyer, you just need this digital concierge, one that knows when to say okay, let me get someone real for you. Because, let's cut straight to it Texting works, whether it's in the chat bot, it's direct to the person through their phone and it doesn't just work better than email.

Speaker 1: 5:21

It obliterates email when it comes to engagement. We're talking about 95, 98% open rates, and if you compare that to email where, if we're lucky, we get 20, 40, 50% and that's assuming we didn't land in the spam filter in the first place and yet we're still leaning on email, like it's 2010. Texting is not just for your appointment confirmations anymore. That, yes, it's a great use. It's really good to use it for that, but it's also great for case updates We've received your signed retainer. We'll be in touch soon. Or little payment nudges. Quick reminder your invoice is due tomorrow. Or even document requests hey John, can you snap a photo of your driver's license and send it to this number? The magic here is really in the timing.

Speaker 1: 6:05

Texts don't get buried under 42 newsletters and LinkedIn spam. And something that's actually important, that's more important than what you do Text gets seen and usually they get responded to almost instantly. And, even better, clients like it. Clients like texting when it's done right. They don't want spam. They don't want long, novel length messages, but a short, respectful message that makes their life a lot easier. That is a huge win, not just for you but for them, and when it feels like it's coming from a real person, not a robot or a mass blast, that's when texting becomes a trust builder, not an intrusion.

Speaker 1: 6:42

There are plenty of tools that actually make this easy, though, so you don't have to be texting from your own phone. Connect Podium. These are both built with businesses like ours in mind, and if we're a little more hands-on, something like Zapier and Twilio could let us automate smart workflows. I think Podium does this as well, but Zapier and Twilio do a ton. So if we wanted to send a text when someone fills out our contact form, or nudge a no-show five minutes after a missed consult, zapier and Twilio could be a really easy solution for building something like that. And here's the best part Most of your competitors are not doing this or they're doing it poorly, blasting generic reminders out by SMS or using kind of cold, robotic language.

Speaker 1: 7:25

That's something we've always been able to count on in this universe. That leaves us a huge opportunity to stand out with just a little bit of effort and a human touch. And if you've ever lost a lead because they never saw your email, texting solves that instantly. And if you're wondering whether your clients really want you to text them, the answer is simple yes. But if you're not sure about that, yes, just ask them. Chances are they're already texting their hairdresser, their dog groomer, their babysitter. You can probably make the list too.

Speaker 1: 7:57

Now let's go one step past the chatbots. Let's start diving into the world of AI assistants. This is something we're going to talk about a lot more, but I want to get started with it today. These assistants aren't the simple click here bots that live on the website. These are smarter, more adaptive tools that can actually learn how your firm works and start to get better over time. Think of the difference. This way, a chatbot is following a script or a decision tree. It's going if this, then this, but an AI assistant can write the next line of the script for you. So they're taking in the context, the tone, prior interactions in their training, and they can actually figure out what to say.

Speaker 1: 8:36

One of the biggest breakthroughs here is using tools like these GPT-powered assistants to handle these real, meaningful tasks. We're talking about automating follow-up sequences based on intake responses, drafting personalized replies to new inquiries, even summarizing long client emails into bullet points that your paralegal can instantly digest. These are not futuristic dreams. We are using this right now. So picture this A lead comes in at 11.47 pm, your AI assistant grabs the form data, auto-generates a summary, files it into Clio and sends a polite acknowledgement with your branding and tone. No one on your team had to wake up, but the client felt heard and taken care of right away. Or let's look at the FAQs. An AI assistant that's trained on your firm's knowledge can respond in full sentences that sound like they came from a person on your team, not a template. If someone asks how long will my case take, they suddenly get an answer that reflects your local court backlog and typical case timeline, not a canned line that it could take four to six weeks. And if you want to get even more advanced, some firms are starting to experiment with AI avatars. These are essentially virtual receptionists that look and sound human on your website and can field common questions and guide people through the first steps of the intake process.

Speaker 1: 9:57

But here's another word of caution. Look the AI assistants. They are really powerful. I'm using them daily. I use them to help write this, but they are not perfect. You should always have a human fallback, a clear talk to someone now option, and you should never, never, let the AI provide legal advice. Keep it focused on the administrative support, not the legal strategy or analysis. And yes, the client is going to try to push the AI into that, so make sure you have some fallbacks If you use it well.

Speaker 1: 10:28

The AI assistants are probably the most significant superpower that we have been offered for our businesses in the last I don't know two, three decades. They won't replace our team, but they could become our most efficient employee that just never sleeps. They're responsive, they scale and they never sleep. All right, so look, before I get too excited and I get too up in the clouds about this, let's bring this down to earth. You've heard the trends, you've seen the tools. So now what? Here are four things that you can do this week to start moving your form towards faster, smarter client communication. There's no overhaul required, no tech department needed, and, because this episode is a little bit shorter, we're just going to run straight through these four ideas and see how it goes.

Speaker 1: 11:15

First, run a mystery shopper test. This is your red team, your test. So have a friend or a colleague or a family member, submit a fake inquiry through your website or call the office after hours and see how long it takes for someone or something to respond. Is it fast, is it clear, or does it vanish into the void? You cannot fix what you aren't measuring.

Speaker 1: 11:39

Second, try a free chatbot. Tools like Intercom, tidio. They offer no-cost plans to get started. There are a million of these. I just pulled up two that I saw on the top of Google. Add one of these to your website and set it up to just ask three things Name, contact info and case type. You'll be pretty amazed at how many visitors prefer filling that out over filling out the traditional contact form that's right next to it. I don't know why, but just try it.

Speaker 1: 12:07

And third, try texting five clients. Pick a handful of your open files and send each of them a short, helpful message using your CRM or a texting tool like Podium, something like hi Jane, just letting you know we got your document, you're all good for right now. See how they respond. It is a really low effort way to build rapport and set the tone for your firm's accessibility, and you'll just see if it works or not. And then fourth, explore the AI tools that integrate with your case management system.

Speaker 1: 12:35

Whether you're using Clio or MyCase or Rocket Matter, whatever it is there's likely an AI tool or plugin that can draft intake notes, summarize messages and maybe even automate some follow-ups. Even just browsing what's available for your CRM or your case management system will probably spark some new ideas. None of this has to be overwhelming. We're not rebuilding your practice. What we're trying to do here is just make it a little bit more client-friendly, a little bit more tech-forward, and we're trying to do this one small step at a time, and that's how we build a 24-7 law firm without burning ourselves out. Make sure to check back next week for more on AI, marketing and communication. But that's it for Legal Marketing 101. Check out RosenAdvertisingcom for more Thanks.