Chatbots for Law Firms: Why They’re Valuable & How to Use Them

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There’s a reason chatbots for law firms are strongly recommended. A chatbot lets website visitors get the answers they’re looking for quickly and easily, allowing your staff to focus on existing clients without missing out on potential leads.  

Ninety-six percent of people looking for legal advice use a search engine, which means they’re exiting the streets and entering the internet to find an attorney. Further, the global pandemic has increased online activity, as many people aren’t yet comfortable replacing the computer with person-to-person contact.

Your website is likely the first impression your potential clients will have of your law firm. And your home page essentially acts as your firm’s front door. The more you can make your home page experience mimic the in-person experience, the more leads you’ll close.

Taking advantage of conversational AI can bring you one step closer to making users feel like they are interacting with your staff and getting the next best thing to a live experience. A chatbot can act as your “online receptionist,” answering questions and capturing information that connects users to your firm.

Plus, chatbot software is typically cost-effective and easy to implement, which every law firm can appreciate.

With all that in mind, it’s worth covering the benefits of chatbots and best practices for successful use…

Benefits of Chatbots for Law Firms: Communication, Leads, Conversions, and More

Be honest—when was the last time a client was happy to seek out your services? Unless it's for a new business or real estate, people usually hope they’ll never have to consult with an attorney. And when they do, they don't want any additional hassles or frustration during the process. This is where chatbots for law firms come into play.

Let’s take a look at how chatbots can benefit your firm and help you close more leads.

Provide Immediate Responses to Requests

According to a Drift + Heinz marketing report, 36% of respondents felt they couldn’t get answers to simple questions. Conversational AI removes this roadblock and gives prospects a channel to get immediate answers to their queries.

Let’s face it—we live in a microwave generation. Smartphones, Amazon Prime, and Instant Pots have conditioned us to expect rapid results.

Your prospects will expect the same when they have legal questions needing answers. If they can’t find a quick way to get information, they may feel frustrated and contact a competitor instead. Many prospects will also prefer chatbots over the hassle of emailing or phoning your office if they want immediate answers. 

Increase Conversion Rates

It’s easy to forgo some of the more nuanced marketing tactics in favor of shiny new advertisements, glamorous website designs, and others that provide an initial high and immediate gratification.

Although advertising and updated web designs can help expand your client base, they shouldn’t crowd out less glamorous tactics like conversational AI.

The use of chatbots is a powerhouse all on its own that can boost conversions and turn more prospects into clients.

Here’s how…

Getting immediate answers tells prospects that you care about their concerns and are ready to answer their questions. When a prospect feels heard and validated, they will be more inclined to work with you. Also, 64% of global online users are more likely to return to a website if it offers some type of live chat service.

Don’t underestimate the power of human touch, especially as a law firm, where person-to-person interactions are a critical component of the client acquisition process. In today’s digital environment, live chat/conversational AI is the closest many people will get to human interaction with your law firm.

Save Time and Automate

You can use chatbots to easily prequalify leads and get information to send to the right attorneys. Your chatbot receptionist can talk with prospects in real time and function like an intake form.

You can also implement discussion trees with chatbots and ask multiple-choice questions to elicit feedback without a support agent. This way, you can enable your chatbot to remain active on your website 24/7 to conduct client intakes and, based on the user’s answers, route the information to the appropriate attorney.


Also, you can allow potential clients to schedule appointments directly via chat, without monopolizing another team member’s time. This can be done just by syncing your chatbot software with your law firm’s appointment calendar.

Stand Out from the Competition

Your prospective clients are often emotional when they are looking for law firms, so the quicker they can get answers, the better—even if they search online after hours.

Your chatbot can run on your website 24/7 to capture any leads that arrive after hours. Just be sure to set it up with automated questions and answers that don’t require additional input. If further conversation is required, you can send out a message that a member of your staff will reach out during office hours.  

Gain Data Gold and Understand Your Target Clients Better

Data-driven strategies are critical to business growth. All too often, law firms rely on instincts to market to potential clients. But this just results in wasted time and money. So, it makes sense that we love chatbots here at Viral Solutions, because they provide real data that can be used to inform a law firm’s marketing strategy.  

Chatbots can act as little data-gathering machines, tracking user behavior, demographics, and other information by recording conversations. Dive into this data and find out your prospect’s biggest concerns, problems, and frequently asked questions. Use this in your marketing messaging, emails, and even in-phone conversations to enjoy better conversions.

If you aren’t accustomed to doing market research to gather the right data, check out our in-depth resources on this topic here and here.

Chatbots for Law Firms: Best Practices

As mentioned before, chatbots for law firms are typically cost-effective and easy to implement. You don't need a tech team or budget approval to install the software. The more challenging aspects involve making the experience rewarding for users and following best practices.

Let’s go over a few best practices to follow…

Exercise Transparency

It’s true that chatbots for law firms can enable stronger interactions and boost leads. But if you aren’t exercising transparency, it could backfire if live support agents don’t operate the chatbots. Users may feel tricked if they think they are conversing with a human and soon realize this isn’t the case.

To mitigate any backlash, create a welcome message that clearly states users are interacting with a bot, and provide information on how to get in touch with a real person. Also, make it clear that users are not communicating with attorneys.

Here’s a somewhat playful but direct welcome message for when humans do not man your chatbots. Customize the message for your firm.

“Hello, this is Lawyerbot, a helpful bot programmed to answer your questions and provide assistance. I am not an attorney (I’m a robot!), so I cannot give you legal advice, but I can direct you to the appropriate resources and legal team members so you can get the help you need.”

Provide Information, Not Advice

The chatbot’s purpose is to provide helpful information (not legal advice) so prospects can get their questions answered and hopefully continue the conversation with an attorney and become clients. The problem is that website visitors might think they are chatting with attorneys, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing people to get more accustomed to digital communication.

A disclaimer at the start of the conversation should state that users will not obtain legal advice, and if they want to speak to an attorney, they can contact one with the information you provide to them.

Choose the Right Chatbot

Not every chat solution will work for your law firm’s website. So, it’s important to do some research and find the right one for your needs.

First, ensure your chatbot can integrate with your existing customer service system so you can seamlessly switch from the chatbot to a support agent as the need arises.

Second, a user might present you with financial and/or personal information via a live chat conversation, so ensure the live chat will protect your users’ messages and personal information. Before you sign on the dotted line, probe the live chat software company on how they will keep sensitive information confidential and how the information is received, transmitted, and stored. Also, find out how they maintain security measures with regular software updates and compliance. 

Provide a Seamless Process for Users

A successful chatbot conversation is a hassle-free one for users. Follow the advice below to make your chatbot sessions seamless and convenient for your website visitors.

What You Should Know about Chatbots for Law Firms

Chatbots can be a great lead-generating tool to increase communications with potential clients and get them immediate answers.

In this article, we discussed the benefits of chatbots for law firms, which are as follows:

Before you implement conversational AI for your own firm, be prepared to…

By choosing the right chatbot software and making the most of your conversational AI, you can look forward to great results.

 

At Viral Solutions we are committed to seeing YOU succeed. It is our goal to grow your business with proven digital marketing strategies that will help your business for the long haul.

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