How do you automate client intake?
Short answer
Put every inquiry (calls, forms, emails, referrals) into one queue, ask your intake questions the same way every time, check each one against your rules for fit, then create the client record once, send the engagement letter or contract for e-signature and book the first meeting. A person decides anything that needs judgment.
Why intake leaks
- Inquiries arrive by phone, email, web form and referral, and nobody owns all of them
- The same questions get asked differently every time
- Details are retyped into two or three systems
- Engagement letters wait on someone to draft them
- Booking the first meeting takes a week of back-and-forth
The workflow, step by step
- Catch every inquiry. Calls, forms and emails land in one queue. Calls you can't take are answered and the details captured.
- Ask the same questions. Your intake questions in your order: what they need, deadlines, budget, how they found you, and whatever your field requires.
- Check fit. Against your rules: service area, practice or service type, minimum engagement, anything you need to clear first. Anything unclear goes to a person.
- Create the record once. The client and the intake notes go into your CRM, practice management or job software, one time.
- Send the paperwork. Your engagement letter, contract or welcome packet is filled in from the intake and sent for e-signature.
- Book the first meeting. From open times on the right person's calendar, with a confirmation and a reminder.
What it looks like in different businesses
| Business | Intake questions | What gets sent |
|---|---|---|
| Law office | Matter type, parties, deadlines, details for the conflict check | Consult booking, engagement letter |
| Accounting firm | Entity type, services needed, last filing, software used | Engagement letter, document request list |
| Agency or consultancy | Goals, budget, timeline, who decides | Proposal or statement of work, kickoff booking |
| Home services | The problem, the address, how urgent | Visit booking, estimate |
What to keep with a person
- Conflict and fit decisions with any doubt
- Pricing that isn't on your list
- Anything sensitive a client shares
How Midwater sets this up
Calls are handled by the front office receptionist. Forms, records and engagement documents are custom work on your CRM and e-signature tool. You set the rules and approve the wording; we run it and keep it working.
Published
Common questions
- Can it run a conflict check?
- It collects the names and details your conflict check needs and puts them in front of the person who runs it. The decision stays with you.
- Will clients feel like they're talking to a machine?
- Forms and emails come from your business in your words. On calls, the receptionist answers in your business's name, and anyone who wants a person gets a callback.
Use cases behind this answer
A front desk that answers every call
The agent answers calls you can't take, asks your intake questions, books appointments, puts urgent callers through and texts back anyone who hangs up.
Intake to open matter
The agent takes the caller's details, runs the conflict check, books the consult, sends the engagement letter and retainer, and opens the matter once signed.
Tax-season document chase
A checklist per client from last year's return. The agent requests documents, reads what arrives, checks items off and keeps chasing what's missing.
More from the blog
- What's the best way to automate your proposal process?
- How do you build a back office AI agent for a small business?
- How do you automate invoicing from your team's time and job records?
- How do you automate the invoices, receipts and forms coming into your inbox?
- How much does an AI receptionist cost?
- Should I use an answering service or an AI receptionist?
What job would you hand to an agent?
Book a free 15-minute call. Tell us the job that eats your week and we'll tell you how an agent would handle it and what it would cost.