The operational decision
Keep a missing-field case usable without pressuring the caller to disclose extra detail. Conflict review remains the firm’s responsibility. Automation can support a controlled handoff, but a name match, missing search result or completed form must never be presented as a clearance decision.
Prepare the workflow
Define the allowed incomplete state and staff follow-up route; explain that preliminary collection does not itself resolve review requirements.
Example wording for approval
“The example inquiry can be marked incomplete for staff review. I cannot determine whether the missing information affects the firm's ability to assist.”
Worked example
A fictional caller provides a contact preference but declines one preliminary field the firm normally requests. The assistant should explain the approved next step and mark the review incomplete rather than inventing the answer or pressing for a full story. Staff can then decide how to continue through their own process. The summary should name the missing field without implying a conflict result. A useful test also verifies that optional fields do not accidentally become mandatory through the interface.
Handoff record
Record these task-specific fields: missing field label, reason if volunteered, review status, owner.
Acceptance check
Omit a required preliminary field. The assistant should neither fabricate a value nor tell the caller that the firm is conflict-free.
Legal intake capacity calculator ↗
Try Ava with your business’s public information ↗