Smith.ai

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a solo estate planning attorney in San Diego, California.

For what projects/services did your company hire Smith.ai, and what were your goals??

As a solo attorney, I receive a steady stream of calls from clients and potential clients. Juggling phones on my own meant most of the call went to voicemail and often were not returned for a day or two. Potential clients were lost due to the delay and impersonal nature of voicemail messages. I needed help but was not yet ready to hire a full or part-time staff member.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I reviewed several virtual receptionists, specifically those that integrated with our law firm client management software for ease of intake and tracking. Smith.ai was competitively priced and offered flexibility so that I could control the hours the phones would be answered live, which clients would be transferred and how much detail I needed to be collected from each caller.

Describe the project in detail and walk through their service package, including any calling tools used.

Smith.ai provides 24/7 live receptionist services. I choose the hours that my phones will be answered. A detailed call log is emailed to me for every call, whether it is a live transfer or a message it taken. All leads are uploaded directly to my client management software with the detail necessary to allow me to respond quickly with the right information for that prospective client. They integrate with my VOIP services through Vonage as well.

Who did you work with and what was the feedback process like?

From the sales staff to the onboarding team, my transition to the system was seamless. Any time I have a concern or request, they have been prompt and helpful to accommodate my changing needs. Each call log has the option to provide feedback to Smith.ai to refine their process, thank them for exceptional service or ask for additional help to return a call or schedule an appointment at my request. They have been fantastic to work with.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the service?

My conversion rate for potential clients has risen from 70% to 81% using Smith.ai. Having a live receptionist gathering detailed information at the first point of contact makes my potential clients feel connect with my firm immediately. It also allows me to respond immediately and specifically to their needs, resulting in better conversion and client retention. They also filter out all spam/solicitor calls for me at no charge. That feature alone is a huge time and money saver!

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Smith.ai is available at any time 24/7 to handle my requests. Feedback is prompt and action taken right away. I have only had one occasion to provide a critique and I received an email the same day to address the concern and have it remedied.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The onboarding process was quick and easy. The contract services are clear. With Smith.ai, I always know exactly what I am paying for and no one tries to upsell services that I don't need.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

On two occasions the company had a phone outage on their end that resulted in calls going to voicemail on their end. This was beyond their control, but the immediately returned every call at no charge when the system was up and running again. I don't blame them for rare technological issues, but was very impressed with the way they communicated the problem to me and worked to repair the problem. I have been very happy with their overall professionalism, attention to detail, and willingness to customize services as we go. A great investment!

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the office manager at a law firm.

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

We needed their phone answering services.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Smith.ai answers our client calls based on a pre-provided script. Upon concluding each call, they provide us with a comprehensive summary and indicate if they’ve revised any part of the script to cater to a particular inquiry.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with two resources from their team.

How did you come to work with Smith.ai?

One of my boss’s acquaintances strongly recommended Smith.ai’s team to us.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $5,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement with Smith.ai commenced in February 2019.

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

I don’t have particular metrics for Smith.ai’s performance, but I appreciate how they successfully and professionally handle our calls. While they apply minor tweaks in our script, they don’t do so unless the situation calls for it. Overall, we’re satisfied with their quick response rates.

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

We communicate via email and phone calls. They’re a systematic partner that sticks to our schedules.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re most impressed with their solution-oriented approach — they handle every setback with ease and speed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There haven’t been any issues that we haven’t resolved.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Clearly specify your needs and devise a comprehensive script that Smith.ai can refer to.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I own a law office based in Los Angeles, CA. My primary area of practice is Immigration law.

For what projects/services did your company hire Smith.ai, and what were your goals??

My firm receives a good amount of calls daily from clients and potential clients all over the U.S. and even from overseas. Often times, due to the time difference, there would be calls missed. Smith.ai provides that professional answering service support during office hours and after office hours. They were given an answering script and instructions for the firm which so far they have been doing and following smoothly.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We searched for a virtual receptionist/ call support company for a few months before deciding. We also asked for recommendations from other law firms. Smith.ai was highly recommended. I choose Smith.ai because they worked with my budget and they were responsive to my inquiries. They also provided a free trial period to ensure that their company is a good fit to mine.

Describe the project in detail and walk through their service package, including any calling tools used.

Smith.ai provides virtual receptionist service to my firm. They answer calls during my regular office hours including after hours and the weekends. A script was provided for them to follow to screen calls and to obtain information from potential clients. I have the option to take the call, take a message or transfer to voice mail.

Who did you work with and what was the feedback process like?

Smith.ai has a specific onboarding specialist that was assigned to my firm to ensure that the services and tasks I need to be done and can be done by Smith.ai are doable, can be executed properly and were properly setup upon service launch.

I also have access to account managers if I have any additional instructions. Smith.ai also provides a feedback link after ever call report to ensure that the call was properly answered and the information was taken and transcribed well.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the service?

Our clients have given me praises for having very professional receptionists. We were also able to gather information from potential clients who prefer to speak primarily in Spanish. Smith.ai receptionists speak Spanish.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Smith.ai provides an email and a text message of every single call received. At the end of the day, a list of the day's call gets emailed to my firm. Smith.ai also has a customer portal that allows me to see the calls I have received and the total number each month including those that were spam calls. Smith.ai automatically blocks spam calls and does not count them towards my monthly call limit.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Smith.ai worked around my monthly budget. The onboarding specialist was not pushy to get a higher monthly fee from me but instead worked with my capacity. Smith.ai also has a referral program that gives incentive to current clients.

Use my referral code SHARLENE31 when signing up to receive a $100 off your first month service. This is helpful for budget conscious small businesses. Lastly, I like the fact that Smith.ai charges per call and not per minute. Many virtual receptionists companies charge per minute. The per call charge works better for me.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

I have received no complaints from my clients and callers so far.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of a personal injury law practice in San Jose, California.

For what projects/services did your company hire Smith.ai, and what were your goals??

I wanted to outsource the answering and screening of all calls to my main business line to a virtual receptionist company. I wanted to have specific callers, such as prospective clients, transferred to me for immediate handling, while other calls would be screened out.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

I watched several webinars on virtual receptionist services and researched various companies. Smith.ai was the service that I liked the best and decided to do a free trial.

Describe the project in detail and walk through their service package, including any calling tools used.

Smith.ai answers all incoming calls to my main business line. They follow individualized instructions on what calls to immediately transfer to me for handling and screens out the rest. They send emails documenting calls and how they were handled. They provide initial intake screening for prospective clients and then transfer them to me if they have a case that my practice handles.

If I am unavailable to take the call, they will ask the caller if they would like to book an appointment, then proceed with scheduling the consultation through my calendaring system.

Who did you work with and what was the feedback process like?

There is a Manager assigned to my account. She has been amazing and is excellent to work with. She has quickly and effectively handled all of my requests on the account. They have a team of virtual receptionists who answer the calls 24/7.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the service?

I have been able to outsource a substantial part of my prospective client intake system to Smith.ai, which has freed up a lot of my time. My intake system has been quickly and dramatically improved by having Smith.ai answer calls. They not only answer calls, but also provide the initial intake screening of prospective clients. This prequalifies callers for the initial consultation that I provide. This has made my entire intake process much easier and more efficient.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

The Manager for my account is easily accessible whenever I want to discuss my Smith.ai services. They are always available for a scheduled call to discuss any issues. I consider them a strategic partner in optimizing my client intake process, as they have always provided very helpful suggestions for improving my intake system.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They are a total solution for outsourcing virtual receptionist services. I initially hired them to just answer my phone, but we have proceeded to expand their services to providing initial intake screening, booking consultations with prospective clients, and other services. They handle everything that I need with respect to handling incoming communications to my law practice.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

I haven't had any problems with Smith.ai.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

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

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.

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. 

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. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and managing attorney of K Bennett Law LLC. we’re a virtual trademark and business strategy law firm.

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

I was growing my business and scaling my team, but I knew it was very important for my clients to be able to contact someone with their questions and needs. When I first started, I was a solo attorney so I hired Smith.ai. to help support and manage these needs.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I use them as an extension of my team, so they serve as a communication touchpoint, handling outbound and inbound calls along with our chat feature. We had an onboarding process and ran through the various parameters for the calls. We iterated on the drafts and ran some test calls before getting them started. 

They handle the incoming calls to my business and follow-up as needed so we have a consistent brand across our communication with my clients. If I’m in meetings and can’t make it to the phone, they schedule a lot of my consultations and client calls, too. 

What is the team composition?

I’ve met some of the core team at Smith.ai, but I’m not sure exactly how many people are working with us. 

How did you come to work with Smith.ai?

Since I’m a huge supporter of building a tech-forward business, I started looking for providers I could delegate these tasks to. I considered a few other providers, but I had heard mixed reviews and didn’t like any of their business models. When I tested Smith.ai and I liked their value-based model, since I don’t do hourly billing, it was a great fit. Everything felt seamless, so I’ve been working with them ever since. 

How much have you invested with them?

I estimate we’ve spent around a couple of thousand dollars. If I ever go over what’s part of my package, I know what the cost will be and I have no complaints about their pricing model. 

What is the status of this engagement?

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

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

When a call is transferred to me, people always give very positive feedback about their experience speaking with the Smith.ai team. People have spoken about how accommodating and nice they are, which makes me feel good. It’s been very helpful in our scaling efforts. 

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

Their team is absolutely easy to communicate with, whenever I send an email, I know I’ll get a response quickly. There is a portal for me to view the call instructions and see how the team is utilizing them. They’ve been very flexible about adjusting call instructions whenever I need to. The team, overall, has always been looking to support us as a modern law firm, so we’ve had a really great relationship. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their level of client service shows how much they care. At the core of their business, they have their clients in mind and their business model keeps them in that spot, so it’s a win-win. It’s been exciting to watch their team grow with mine and see the ways they continue to develop their service. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be nice to have a dedicated person, but I know our team structure is more unique and modern. As they continue to build their portal, I’m excited to see any additional technology improvements. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Ask questions. If you feel like you could be supporting your clients even more, bring on a team like Smith.ai that will bring that same level of support. Do a trial, since you won’t know until you try. If it works for you, keep going and it’ll be seamless. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of CMIT Solutions of Upper Chesapeake – Columbia, a managed security services provider (MSSP).

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

We hired Smith.ai to manage the flow of call volume coming in and out. We needed someone to coordinate that side of the business while we were out in the field and to serve as our virtual office assistant.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They act as our virtual receptionist. Their primary function is handling all our incoming calls, but if there’s a call drop they’ll reconnect and make outgoing calls. They’ve also integrated chat services to our website.

What is the team composition?

I’ve interacted with 5–6 people, but there’s a whole group of great people that answer the phones. 
    
How did you come to work with Smith.ai?

They were at CompTIA, an industry trade show. Their table was across from ours, and we struck up a great conversation with them.

How much have you invested with them?

I invest about $1,800 a month, but the price fluctuates depending on call volume. I only pay for the calls that I want to take. Robocalls, sales spam, wrong numbers—I don’t pay for any of those calls.

What is the status of this engagement?

They’ve been working with us since September 2018, and the relationship is ongoing. I found a partner for life with them.

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

The quality of their work is consistent. Regardless of who’s taking the call, I know they're trained well and can handle it professionally. I consistently receive high praise for Smith.ai from my customers and my prospects. I actually have gotten direct business because of the way they handle calls.

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

We have regular meetings and communicate daily, mostly through email. They’ve been wonderfully hands-on with me. I am project management certified, and I think they’ve been pretty spot on with their project management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re just good at everything. The quality of their program, their training, their systems—all are impressive. The fact that their systems are repeatable and scalable is invaluable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Initially, they relied on a lot of paperwork—giving us a form and telling us to fill it out. That leads to problems in this space. The onboarding process could be a little more personable. But after that little hump, they’ve been flawless. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you make constant tweaks to your call flow instructions. The only time we’ve had problems arise if when we neglected to update them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the founder and president of a criminal defense law firm in northern Arizona. 

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

We were looking for help with voice answering services and chatbot integration.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I started using Smith.ai for answering services last year. Their answering service integrates directly with my CRM, which was my favorite feature of that product. Eventually, we did bring a lot of that answering in-house with a dedicated employee to handle our call volume. However, if we had some overflow and needed more call capacity, they can do that pretty easily for us. We set it up with our phone tree so that if one of our operators couldn’t answer the phone or if we wanted to schedule it for after hours, the calls could go directly to Smith.ai.

We currently use Smith.ai to manage our chatbot. When a website visitor goes to our website, a pop-up window invites the website user to initiate an online chat with the chatbot. It will gather the name, phone number, and email for that contact. After that, the chatbot prompts the visitor to describe why they are contacting us and what legal problem they have. It helps qualify the leads to determine if they have an issue that we can help with or not. That information also integrates with our CRM through an API and captures all that contact information. 

The chatbot also offers a screening feature where it will ask the potential lead some qualifying questions. If the lead answers negatively to some of those questions, the chatbot will gently inform them that it is not a case we can handle for them. If the lead responds positively to those questions, we still can decide what to prioritize and reach out to contacts with actions already in mind. 

The tool uses a playbook, which is its workflow. It establishes how the chatbot responds to inquiries and what answers to give the website visitor to prompt them for information. A support specialist helped set that up for us. They made some suggestions and did some tweaks to get it right.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with Maddy (Head of Growth & Education, Smith.ai) the most. Other staff members can respond as well if I have a question. Another representative helped me establish the chatbot.

How did you come to work with Smith.ai?

I encountered Smith.ai in one of the network groups I am a member of. Maddy has also given some presentations and appeared on some podcasts I’ve listened to. A lot of companies compete in that niche to serve attorneys, but it became apparent that her company did work with law firms and had experience in handling legal consumers. There was also a lot of positive references from other users and networking groups.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent less than $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in February 2019, and they still provide support for the chatbot.

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

It is extremely labor and time-efficient to have this chatbot. That $300–$400 initial investment has generated about $35,000 in revenue from clients that signed up through the chatbot service. 

I get about 3–5 leads a day with the service, but a vast majority are not qualified leads. A live operator service would charge anywhere between $20–$30 per lead that comes in. With a chatbot, depending on the pricing scheme, it ends up being effectively 50 cents to a dollar per lead. That is a huge cost saving.

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

My impression of Smith.ai is that they are a fairly small company. They are available by telephone, but most of the communication is done through email. I can direct emails to Maddy or their general support email and get a tailored and personal response promptly. If they require further research, I usually get an answer fairly quickly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Smith.ai gives prompt and personal attention to any questions about their services. They address any questions or concerns about topics like billing really quickly. Their customer service reps, brand ambassadors, and community outreach people are very proactive. I think that is their strongest attribute.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could benefit from creating some onboarding videos or sessions to demonstrate what the chatbot does. It’s not 100% intuitive and requires some thought to plan, design, and flesh it out. Someone from the company did follow up after we set it up and suggested some improvements to the playbook. I think Smith.ai should give some more sample playbooks or generic with templates to start with that customers can then tailor further.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Take advantage of their support to help them get set up. Give them as much feedback and ask as many questions as possible. I feel that Smith.ai is constantly trying to improve their company and the quality of their product and their services. 

Please describe your company and your position there.

We operate a local law firm and use Smith.ai as our answering service for the firm.

For what projects/services did your company hire Smith.ai, and what were your goals??

We hired Smith.ai to take all the phone calls for the firm and filter those calls, keeping us from answering unwanted calls or those calls that don't work with our firms speciality.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

This vendor was recommended by the Oklahoma bar association.

Describe the project in detail and walk through their service package, including any calling tools used.

They provide answering services 24/7 even on holidays, weekends, etc. During business hours the calls are transferred to us directly if they meet the criteria we have set forth with Smith.ai. Smith will take messages and text and email those to us for every single phone call so we never miss an opportunity to contact the client.

Who did you work with and what was the feedback process like?

We work with the call staff which is based throughout the United States. It is an easy process, we met with onboarding first and established how we would want the calls answered and filtered then we were given access to a dashboard so we could monitor the calls, change our hours, etc.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the service?

The service is unbelievable. It saves us time and money to filter out and miss unwanted sales calls or calls from prospective clients that just don't fit our firm. We are able to contact callers back right away if a call is missed and we always get a full download of their information so we know who we are talking to at any time.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

We get text messages and emails for every single call whether it was transferred to us or not.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They are professionals. The people who call us can't tell they're speaking to an answering service. We saved a ton of time and money by not having to hire someone directly to answer the phones.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

We have loved every minute of this service and could not recommend it enough.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of a solo law firm which practices exclusively Family Law and Mediation.

For what projects/services did your company hire Smith.ai, and what were your goals??

As a true solo, I was spending too much time on the phone trying to evaluate potential clients and schedule appointments. I needed a service to manage the inflow of calls and qualify leads to that I could concentrate my time on those clients who were best suited for my services.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Smith.ai was the first virtual receptionist that I tried. I called them based on the outstanding recommendations made by others in my field. Since that time, I have conducted free trials with two other virtual receptionist providers, but I cancelled both within a few short days. The service paled in comparison to what I receive from smith.ai.

Describe the project in detail and walk through their service package, including any calling tools used.

Smith.ai answers my phones during normal business hours. They have detailed instructions as to what kinds of cases I will accept, what cases I will not take, and what courts I will practice in front of. After screening callers to make sure that their needs fit within my parameters, smith.ai schedules the caller a consultation, gives them directions as to payment, and then relays all pertinent information to me. They schedule the appointments directly into my calendaring system as well as enter the contact information into my case management software.

Who did you work with and what was the feedback process like?

I have worked with several people in the customer service department. Everyone has been extremely helpful.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the service?

I have had more new client consultations booked since smith.ai began answering the phones. I also have more qualified leads since they do such an excellent job of screen potential clients.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Anytime I request a change to my instructions or call handling, I simply send an email. Within a few hours, all of my requested changes have been made. They are very responsive.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

I am impressed with how quickly they respond. Their customer service is top-notch.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

I have had a few instances where an operator didn't follow my instructions fully, but smith.ai is quick to give additional instruction to the operators to make sure that it doesn't happen again. They are very responsive.