The routing keys: practice, language, office, availability
You'll be able to: choose the order in which LegalCRM routes a new inquiry and explain why.
Every new inquiry carries four facts that can decide where it goes: the practice area it belongs to, the language the person wrote or spoke in, the office nearest to them or the one whose number they called, and who is available right now. Routing is deciding which fact wins when they disagree.
A sensible default order for most Group firms:
- Practice first. A DUI inquiry belongs with the criminal team even if it came in on the family law office's number. Practice decides the pipeline, the templates, and the attorney.
- Language second. Within the practice team, a Spanish inquiry goes to someone who answers in Spanish. A reply in the wrong language costs more than a reply from the "wrong" office.
- Office third. Where the practice team spans offices, prefer the office the person called or the one nearest the county they gave.
- Availability last. Among the people who match, give it to someone who is working now.
Some firms flip practice and office, because each office runs its own practice groups with no overlap. That is a legitimate choice. Write it in the standard and apply it consistently.
Where do the facts come from? Practice comes from the form chosen, the tracking number dialed, or the voice agent's first question. Language comes from the form version, the language of the first message, or the caller's choice at the greeting. Office comes from the number or the county field. If a fact is missing, route on what you have and let the first reply ask for the rest.
Do it in LegalCRM
- List every entry point (each form, each tracking number, chat, voice agent) and which of the four facts it supplies.
- Where an entry point supplies no practice area, add a single required question to the form or the greeting.
- Write your routing order at the top of the routing document from Lesson 1.2.
Ask the Guide
Paste this into the AI guide, without client names or matter facts:
"Our offices and practice groups are [list]. Recommend a routing order and tell me where my entry points leave a routing fact missing."