Your Phone Is Costing You Cases (Here’s How to Fix Intake Fast)

Personal injury firms do not lose good cases because they lack legal skill. They lose them because leads go cold, follow up is inconsistent, and the first call feels rushed or confusing. Intake becomes a side task for whoever is available, and “available” usually means distracted. If you want predictable growth, you need to treat intake like a revenue system, not admin work.

The First Two Hours Decide Everything

The time right after a lead comes in is the highest leverage window in your firm. If you respond fast and guide the person clearly, you book the consult and keep momentum. If you respond late, the lead calls the next firm. Most intake problems are not actually about talent. They are about speed, consistency, and ownership.

Where Leads Fall Through the Cracks

Most firms leak cases in the same places. Calls get missed because one person is juggling phones, texts, emails, and walk ins. Follow up gets skipped because nobody owns the second and third touch. Intake notes are messy because the script is not documented and every call sounds different. Scheduling becomes sloppy because the calendar rules change depending on who picks up.

If any of these are true, it is not a character flaw in your team. It is a system gap. System gaps always create the same outcome, which is lost leads and a stressed team.

A Simple Intake System That Works When You Are Busy

You do not need a complicated build to fix this. You need a script that matches your best calls, a short checklist for what must be captured before the consult, and a clean next step that happens every time. The goal is consistency. Same questions, same order, same promise, same follow up.

Once that is set, you create a daily routine for follow ups that does not rely on memory. The best firms treat follow up like a pipeline, not a favor. If someone does not answer, there is a planned next touch. If the consult is scheduled, there is a confirmation workflow. If the case is viable, records requests start moving quickly.

Who Should Own What So Attorneys Stay Out of the Weeds

Intake stabilizes when lanes are clear. Someone owns first response and booking. Someone owns follow up and reschedules. Someone owns records requests and status checks. Someone keeps the CRM clean so your reporting is real. Even if one person covers more than one lane at first, defining lanes prevents chaos and makes it easier to add capacity later.

What to Fix This Week

If you want quick wins, tighten the first response, standardize the script, and make follow up non optional. Those three changes usually reduce the feeling of chaos immediately. Then you can decide whether you need more coverage, better ownership, or both.

When you are ready to add dedicated support, Revaya recruits and vets full time team members who integrate into your firm, work inside your systems, and follow your process. You manage the work, we handle recruiting and HR, and you get dependable execution without the hiring headache. Book a free strategy call today.

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