Someone who just had a car accident calls three firms and retains the first one that picks up. RunDesk answers 24/7, listens before it asks anything, works through your intake questions, and sends you the completed case file while the caller is still on the line.
Same caller, same weekend. The only difference is whether anyone picks up.
The arithmetic in legal is different: fewer calls, far larger cases.
Under 3% of callers routed to voicemail leave a message (Invoca, 60M+ monitored calls). We're not going to invent an average case value for your practice area. Use your own: if answering one more call a month produces one more signed matter a year, the cost of this is a rounding error. A part-time receptionist who works weekdays only runs $2,000 or more a month.
Most answering services take a message. This one runs the intake.
It finds out why they're calling before assuming. Case updates, billing questions, and document requests become a message to you. Only new matters go through intake.
You define the fields per case type. It works through them conversationally instead of reading a form aloud, and confirms the facts back before saving.
Explicitly instructed not to. It collects facts and tells the caller an attorney will review the case.
People calling a lawyer are often shaken or angry. It lets them tell the story before it starts asking questions, and asks one at a time.
Unusual name? It asks the caller to spell it, first and last separately, and reads it back. Wrong spellings cost you conflict checks later.
If a caller wants a human, it takes their details first so the matter isn't lost, then rings your cell.
Straight answers, including where we're not a fit.
No. It is instructed never to. It runs intake, collects facts, and tells the caller an attorney will review the matter. If someone asks whether they have a case, it says that's for an attorney to decide.
It asks why they're calling before assuming they're a new client. Case updates, billing, and document requests get taken as a message and passed to you rather than pushed through intake.
Yours. You define the fields for each case type. It ships with a personal injury intake and you can change it or add others.
No, and no. RunDesk is not HIPAA compliant and we don't sign business associate agreements today. If your practice handles protected health information and requires either, we're not the right fit yet, and we'd rather tell you now than after you've signed up.
If a caller asks, it says so honestly. It does not claim to be a person.
Cancel any time, no contract. Stop forwarding your number and everything goes back exactly as it was.
RunDesk is not a substitute for a conflict check, a retainer, or an attorney's judgment. It answers the phone, runs the intake you define, and puts the facts in front of you. It doesn't advise, doesn't decide whether to take a matter, and doesn't sign anyone. Firms that need HIPAA coverage, a signed BAA, or formal security certifications should wait until we have them.
Call the number and try to break it. Ask whether you have a case. Ask for a person. Ask if it's a robot. That's what your callers will do, so better you hear it first.