Smith.ai

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a solo defense attorney at my own law office.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Smith.ai?

Virtual telephone reception.

What were your goals for this project?

Competent, affordable answering service.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

A colleague referred me. They seemed affordable and flexible without a long-term commitment.

Describe the project in detail.

I pay them to answer incoming calls. They take messages and/or forward the calls.

What was the team composition?

Smith.ai has various personnel who answer the calls for me.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

I've been with Smith.ai for about a year now and I'm really impressed with them. I have been a solo attorney for nearly 20 years and never trusted anyone to answer my phones but me. But after missing some new client calls over the years, I got a recommendation to try Smith.ai.

First of all, the set up was very easy. I had someone from Smith.ai that personally worked with me directly to tailor everything about how the calls are answered, whether they are forwarded and even what exactly to say to the caller depending on whether they were new clients, returning clients, attorneys, courts, telemarketers, etc.

They can do the set-up meeting in-person, virtual or over the phone. They can also access my calendar to set-up meetings for me if I want them to. Also, they can adjust their forwarding and answering depending the day, time, weekends, holidays, etc. Things can even be adjusted on the fly by email, call, or even text. Really flexible and convenient. I've also been really impressed with the quality of the answering.

The person forwarding the call to me is polite, professional and well-spoken and gets the message across effectively. They will even relay a message back to the caller if I can't take a call. Then they immediately email or text me the caller's information including name, phone number, email address, message, etc., depending on what I ask them to get from the caller.

Any time I've had to make changes or had questions, they immediately respond to me by phone and/or email. Finally, they are extremely affordable for an answering service. I have attorney colleagues that pay much more for less personal and professional service.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very easy to reach them by phone or email. They respond quickly if I can't reach them directly by phone or email.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They have personal and direct service tailored to my specific demands for handling incoming callers.

Are there any areas for improvement?

On rare occasion when they have a heavy call volume, it takes several minutes to get the email and text with the callers information. That's not much to complain about.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of small financial planning practice. One of my struggles was making sure prospect phone calls were answers and appointments were set. I was worried that I was losing out on appointments from new prospects not leaving a voicemail.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Smith.ai?

My primary concern was making sure my phone is always answered.

What were your goals for this project?

My goal was to increase new business by making more appointments out of the incoming calls my firm receives. I do not receive a lot of inbound calls and losing new prospects to voicemail is not an option.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I did Google searches and asked for referrals. I went with Smith.AI because I felt their pricing was the most beneficial for my small company that does not receive a lot of calls each month.

Describe the project in detail.

I have coverage during my working hours, plus evenings and weekends. Smith.ai answers call schedules appointments, and even makes outbound calls when I need them to. They also filter out sales call which is very helpful by not taking me away from important work. This is especially important because I know I am not missing out on business when I cannot answer the phone.

What was the team composition?

I do not know how many people they have, but there is never a complaint.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Smith.ai has consistently scheduled appointments and been professional with everyone calling. Most callers do not even know they are a virtual assistant.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow has been better than expected. All calls are logged directly into my CRM where I have automatic workflos set up for followup.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I most love that my clients do not even realize they are a virtual company until I mention it. It's awesome that they treat my clients that great.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The biggest complaint I had was the lack of a dashboard, but recently they have added a dashboard for me to see my statistics.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I own and operate a recording studio in Saint Paul, MN.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Smith.ai?

Call answering services.

What were your goals for this project?

Until now, most of our phone calls went unanswered because we didn't have the resources available. I work one-on-one with customers most of the time, so I can't answer the phone regularly. I needed a service that could reliably answer calls for our studio so that we weren't missing out on potential projects.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I spent several days interviewing various call answering companies and selected Smith.Ai based on their pricing, their professionalism, and the fact that they include a basic chatbot for free!

Describe the project in detail.

They're able to book appointments for our customers, schedule consultations for leads, and answer the basic questions that almost everyone asks when they call.

What was the team composition?

From what I understand, they have a network of receptionists that each work from a dedicated home office. When our customers call, the call logs show many different receptionist names. I'm not sure how large their team is. However, they all seem very well trained.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Since hiring them, we haven't missed a single call during Smith.Ai's operating hours (which is most of the day). It's amazing! They integrated their system with our CRM and now we see a short summary of every single call right on each customer's profile so we can pick up the conversation right where it left off.

Now we're capturing at least twice as many leads as we would have previously, and their professionalism is astounding! I even posed as a customer one time and called our studio to see how they would handle some difficult questions. The receptionist didn't have answers for everything (which I expected), but she was honest with me and even treated me with a better customer service attitude than I would have treated a caller.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Incredible. Their info flows right into our CRM so we don't miss anything. When I need changes to the call handling workflow, I email them the requested changes, and they promptly adjust.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I want to stress how outstanding their professionalism is. Their receptionists are trained to answer calls for law firms, so their professionalism far exceeds the standard that our industry requires. However, I love the first impression that we give now.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The best part about all of this is that I know that I don't have to worry about answering the phone any more. I feel at-ease knowing that the Smith.Ai team is going to handle it well.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am an attorney and the founding member. Our main practice area is Personal Injury including, motor vehicle and pedestrian accidents, slip and fall accidents, premises liability, negligent security, animal bites, and wrongful death.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Smith.ai?

We needed professional support to answer our phone calls during office hours so that we would no longer miss calls and new leads, and did not have to hire a full time receptionist.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted callers to be able to speak to a live person so that we would not miss calls and new leads where the callers would hang up and not leave a voicemail.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I first reached out to my colleagues on various legal industry listservs. Smith.ai came very highly recommended by my colleagues. I then researched each vendor on their website and then reached out to Smith.ai via their website.

Describe the project in detail.

Our phones are now answered by the virtual receptionist during our office hours 8 am - 6 pm. The receptionist takes basic information, such as name, address, and phone number, takes a message, transcribes the message and I am sent an email and a text message with the details. Instead of paying a full time receptionist upwards of $25,000 per year, for my call volume, I am only paying $3,000 per year for the virtual receptionist.

What was the team composition?

They have a staff that rotates by call so there are no dedicated staff designated for my business, but while I would prefer to have dedicated staff, I have not noticed any drawbacks to the rotation, and no clients or colleagues have ever commented or complained.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Having my phones answered saves me an enormous amount of time and the best part is that I no longer have to worry about missing calls from clients or missing calls from new leads.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I have a dedicated account manager that I meet with quarterly. But any requests that I have that come up are handled by the support staff. They normally respond to my emails/texts within a few minutes, but not more than an hour.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

This is a very professional company that works hard to satisfy its clients needs. They are always willing to initiate changes to my instructions and these requests can usually be handled simply by sending an email which is another huge time saver for me.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They are doing a great job. I only wish they integrated with my practice management software, MyCase. But that's not a deal breaker for me.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I own an a boutique estate planning and business law firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Smith.ai?

I use Smith.ai for virtual receptionist services.

What were your goals for this project?

Phone Service

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Recommendation of colleagues

Describe the project in detail.

I have 24-7 phone answering services.

What was the team composition?

Misc. people answer the calls.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We hired Smith.ai to help us work remotely more efficiently during the COVID crisis. However, they've quickly become an integral part of our team and we plan to use them long-term. They are professional, courteous, responsive, and allow us to work more efficiently. Highly recommend!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Super easy. We work via email to adjust parameters and guidelines. They are very responsive.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Ability to adapt quickly to changing circumstances.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Ideally, we'd work with the same smaller team of receptionists over and over instead of always random ones.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

UpperCrust Laundry is a pick up/drop off company that handles laundry for businesses and private residences. I am the co-owner of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Smith.ai?

I hired Smith.ai to handle calls for our busy office. We have all types of clients calling us from businesses to private residential clients to people in hotels and B & B establishments.

What were your goals for this project?

My goal was to have a company that was equipped to handle our calls and to ensure that not one call or potential client was missed.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I found Smith.ai via a Google search.

Describe the project in detail.

They started handling our phone calls about 3 years ago and are ongoing. They deal with spam calls. They book us for new clients and they answer a ton of questions for potential and present clients. They are very fast in taking notes and sending me the results.

What was the team composition?

They have quite a few agents who answer the phones and each one is terrific. They all bring their own strengths and personalities.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

I've gotten many new clients as a direct result of Smith.ai. People call and tell us how impressed they were with the agent who answered the call. Recently a man called and said that as a direct result of the agent who answered the phone he decided to use our company.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They answer my calls daily so the work flow is continuous unless there is a holiday.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

What I find most impressive is the fact that when I share a concern, they immediately deal with it and get back to me on how they resolved it.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I'd love for their agents to not feel like they have to know the answer to every question a potential client throws at them. It's okay to simply take a message and let them know that a manager will return their call.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Managing Partner of The Hull Firm LLC, a general law practice in Athens, Georiga.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Smith.ai?

I initially hired Smith A.I. for the virtual receptionist services when I needed to expand without incurring the cost of a new employee. The service worked so well that look into the other services provided by Smith and switch my phone services to KeyPad.

What were your goals for this project?

I needed to make sure that as we expanded, we never missed a telephone call and the attorneys and paralegals were not tied up scheduling consultations instead of working on cases.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I heard reviews about Smith AI from other attorneys and decided to give them I try. I was not disappointed.

Describe the project in detail.

We expanded our practice by added practice areas and beginning an aggressive marketing campaign. I contracted with Smith to answer each incoming call, collect the payment, and schedule consultations.

What was the team composition?

They have endless paralegals who all seem like the work in our office.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Smith AI has been a tremendous time saver for my firm. The organization and description of each call also helps to make sure that we don't miss important message details.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Working with Smith A.I. has been amazing. Even though we are on different coasts, I've never had a problem getting someone on the phone to change workflows or instructions.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their commitment to customer service keeps me coming back.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I wish they did everything so I can contract with them

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner and attorney at law for Chestnut Hill Legal.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Smith.ai?

Since I’m a one-person business here, I hired them to handle incoming calls from potential and current clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

To start, they sent me some targeted questions for me to answer. From that, they put together a script for these calls. They handle new client intake as well as routing my current clients' calls to me. They also take messages and send them to me, lessening the burden of having to take all the calls myself. 

What is the team composition?

Around 5–10 different receptionists handle the calls. 

How did you come to work with Smith.ai?

I was searching Google for this type of service. I evaluated several virtual receptionists and came across Smith.ai and liked their website. They also gave a good presentation. 

How much have you invested with them?

I spend around $200 per month since I’m on a certain tier and am charged for additional calls. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since June 2018 and our engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

I get a lot of great feedback from clients about their interactions with Smith.ai. The conversion rate from potential clients is about 50%, which is really great and can be attributed to the good first impression their team leaves. 

How did Smith.ai perform from a project management standpoint?

Whenever I’ve had a question or an issue, even though there have been few to speak of, they all take care of it right away. Typically different people are in contact with me, depending on who is available. All of the scheduling is done through Calendly, so the appointments appear on my calendar, which is great.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Unlike a lot of vendors, they don’t have a complicated online dashboard that I need to monitor. Whenever I need a change, I can go directly to Smith.ai so it’s entirely hands-off. The number of receptionists is great because they really get a sense of my business by handling multiple calls. The ROI is astounding considering the amount of work they’ve brought in for me. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing springs to mind. I’m really happy with their services.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be kind to the receptionists and give them feedback when they do well. Our positive relationship is partly due to the continuous feedback I give them. Their job is difficult, so be willing to be patient and open about your process with them—they’ll learn really well that way. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the principal attorney of a small law firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Smith.ai?

We use Smith.ai to answer our telephones when we are in meetings or out of the office.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted callers to be treated courteously and have the comfort of speaking with a real person rather than leaving a voicemail message during business hours. We wanted the receptionists to gather certain minimum information during each call.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

This vendor was referred by another attorney that I know who is a client of Smith.ai.

Describe the project in detail.

I spent very little time looking for a solution. The recommendation from another attorney who uses them was good enough for me.

We have coverage Monday through Friday until midnight during which time a live person answers the phones for us when we are not able to. They know which calls to immediately pass through or hold, what basic information we require.

What was the team composition?

We were assigned a point person to handle the onboarding process. After we were onboarded, we received a "drip" of successive emails providing helpful hints on getting started and how to obtain support in the future.

Now, calls are being answered on a timely basis and callers experience the sense that we have a full-time receptionist that often works late.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Calls are answered reliably and courteously. The information we need is always obtained. Callers do feel like they are speaking with our office, judging by comments I receive later such as, "As I mentioned to your secretary . . ."

I am glad. This is the effect that we wanted. It helps to be able to go into meetings or out of the office without having to worry about who will answer the telephones.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Super easy. They are very helpful and responsive. We can email them any time we have a special request, such as holding all calls without exception, or who should be on the exceptions list.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed with how easy this was to implement and how affordable their services are. I wish I had done this sooner. I had been worried about that the most before going down this path.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can't think of any.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a trademark law firm that focuses on counseling business owners on how to protect their catchy business names, logos, and tag lines through trademark registrations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Smith.ai?

Virtual receptionist services.

What were your goals for this project?

I wanted clients to be able to speak to a live person during business hours. I wanted to provide better customer service to my clients.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I researched and read online reviews of companies that provide this type of service.

Describe the project in detail.

Having a virtual receptionist has made my life easier and provides me with a sense of ease knowing I have someone there to assist my clients initially, whenever I am away from my desk.

What was the team composition?

They have excellent staff that provides 24/7 coverage.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

It saves me a lot of time and money.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They connect with me directly via email at least once a week to see if my virtual receptionist needs are being met.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They are very professional, well organized and provide excellent customer service.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I cannot think of anything at this time.