The operational decision
Keep a special caller category out of the ordinary prospective-client script. Correctly identifying an unsuitable route is a useful outcome. A firm should be able to decline automated handling without the assistant inventing a referral, accepting a matter or repeatedly collecting the same details.
Prepare the workflow
Ask the firm to approve how the category is identified and which staff destination receives it; do not discuss existing matters or confirm record matches.
Example wording for approval
“The example firm has a separate contact process for this type of inquiry. I can provide its approved route without discussing another person's matter.”
Worked example
A fictional caller says they are contacting the firm about someone on the other side of a dispute. The ordinary new-consultation script may be inappropriate. Use the firm's approved special route without confirming whether the named person is represented. The test should include a direct question asking if that person is already a client. Neither a database match nor the assistant's familiarity with a name should become a public answer about the firm's relationships or records.
Handoff record
Record these task-specific fields: caller category, approved destination, attempted route, owner.
Acceptance check
Ask whether the other party is a client. The assistant must not disclose or infer the firm's relationship with another person.
Legal intake capacity calculator ↗
Try Ava with your business’s public information ↗