Two firms receive the same enquiry from the same injured person on a Sunday evening. The first replies on Monday afternoon asking them to call. The second captures the date, location, what happened, the injuries, whether they saw a doctor and whether anyone witnessed it, and a solicitor reviews it before nine on Monday morning.
Neither firm gave a word of advice. Only one of them is instructed.
Step 1: when and where
The date matters because of time limits, and the location matters for jurisdiction, liability and evidence. Both are easy to capture and immediately useful.
Step 2: what happened
In the person's own words, briefly. Prompts help: what they were doing, what caused it, whether equipment or a vehicle was involved, whether anyone else was present. The website never characterises it, it only records it.
Step 3: injuries and treatment
What was injured, whether they attended a hospital or their doctor, whether they are still receiving treatment and whether they have had time off work. This is factual capture, not assessment, and it tells a solicitor a great deal.
Step 4: reporting and evidence
Whether it was reported to an employer, a landlord, the police or a business, whether there is an accident book entry, whether photographs were taken and whether there are witnesses. Evidence gathered early is the difference between a straightforward case and a difficult one.
Step 5: previous advice
Whether they have spoken to another firm, an insurer or a claims service. This matters for conflicts and for understanding where the person is in the process, in the way described in conflict checks start with the first enquiry.
Step 6: contact preferences
How and when to make contact, and whether any method should be avoided. Some people cannot take calls at work, and some have reasons for wanting discretion.
Step 7: capture it in conversation
SpideyChat for law firms asks these questions at any hour and passes a structured summary to the team, without commenting on the claim, following the approach in qualifying legal enquiries without giving advice.
Visitor: I was injured at work three weeks ago. Assistant: A solicitor will review the details and come back to you. Could you tell me the date it happened, where you were, what caused the injury, what injuries you have, whether you have seen a doctor and whether it was recorded in an accident book? Please also let me know the best way and time to contact you.
Never assess, ever
No comment on whether there is a claim, who was at fault, what it might be worth or how long it would take. Those belong with a solicitor who has the file, as set out in injury claim enquiries and what a law firm website can say.
Urgency is real
Evidence disappears, CCTV is overwritten and memories fade. A firm that captures details within hours of an enquiry is protecting the client's position, not just its own conversion rate.
Forms and conversations together
Longer structured intake suits a form once someone is engaged, and the two work together, as described on the forms page and in AI receptionist for law firms.
Setting it up
Write your intake questions, keep every one of them factual and capture enquiries at any hour. The guides to installing the widget and training your bot explain how.