A person writes to a firm late at night about a family dispute. In the message, they describe everything: names, addresses, financial details, medical history, the full story of what happened. They are anxious and want to be understood. But the firm has not yet checked whether it can act, and it may already represent the other party.
Confidential details at first contact are a real risk. Here are the common mistakes firms make, and how to avoid them.
Mistake 1: inviting people to "tell us everything"
A form or message box that says "please describe your situation in full" encourages oversharing. People take it literally. It is better to ask for a short summary and explain that the detail will come later.
Mistake 2: no guidance on what not to share
Many firms never tell people what to hold back. A short line helps: "Please give a brief summary only. You'll be able to discuss the details confidentially once we've confirmed we can help."
Mistake 3: forgetting the conflict check
Firms need the other party's name to check for conflicts before discussing a matter in detail. Asking for it early, and explaining why, protects everyone. The essentials of intake are covered in consultation requests captured with the right details.
Mistake 4: sensitive details in general inboxes
When enquiries arrive in a shared inbox, sensitive details may be seen by staff who do not need them. Routing enquiries directly to the right team reduces that exposure.
Mistake 5: treating urgent matters the same as routine ones
People in urgent situations often share the most. They also need the fastest route to a person, as covered in urgent legal matters and how your website should respond. A good process recognises urgency and hands over quickly.
Mistake 6: assuming chat tools are different
Some firms worry that chat invites more oversharing than forms. It can, if it is not set up carefully. It can also help, because a conversational assistant can remind people not to share sensitive details at the moment they start to.
How an assistant can help
SpideyChat for law firms can be set up to ask only for essentials: the type of matter, a brief summary, deadlines, the other party's name and contact details. It can remind people not to share sensitive information until they speak to someone at the firm, and it passes the enquiry to the right team. It does not give legal advice.
Visitor: My ex-husband has been... [long account] Assistant: Thank you for telling me. You don't need to share the full details at this stage. A member of the family team will be in touch and can discuss everything with you confidentially. Could you share your name, contact details and your ex-husband's name so the firm can run its standard checks?
Lessons from healthcare
Healthcare websites face the same challenge with sensitive health details, covered in keeping sensitive health details out of website chat. The general principles apply across sectors, as described in keeping sensitive information out of chat.
Reviewing your process
Look at your current enquiry form or process as if you were a stressed prospective client. Does it encourage oversharing? Does it explain what happens next? Does it ask for the other party's name? Small changes make a big difference.
Setting it up
Configure the assistant's questions and reminders, train it on your process pages and test it with realistic enquiries. The guides to installing the widget and training your bot explain the steps.
Protecting confidentiality starts before the client relationship does.