In Chatbots, as in Life, Context is Everything 

Should Your Firm Website Use a Chatbot? It Depends On What Kind of Client Experience You Aim To Provide

As I type this, I am staring at this framed piece of art I bought. I bought it on my own, online, without input from my wife. I happened across it and thought it was cool and just impulse bought it. 

Instead of hanging proudly on my wall where I envisioned it, it is sitting on the floor, leaned up against the wall. Waiting to be hung or donated. Reminding me all day of the intemperance of my freelance art buying decision. While it would likely be amusing for you, I am going to spare myself the additional humiliation and not include a photo of it with this article. 

It was, it goes without saying, nonrefundable. 

My point here isn’t that I’m bad at buying art, though that is demonstrably true. Or that marriages generally benefit from discussing nonrefundable purchases in advance, which is also pretty true. 

What all this has to do with legal technology is – context. 

The offending piece of artwork (which, I will add in my limited defense, was not expensive. I will also add not in my defense, I have now removed the Etsy app from my phone) is not so hideously awful as much as it doesn’t (physically) fit for the space I bought it and doesn’t look great in the other available spaces. 

It looked really good on Etsy, you see. 

But now that it’s here, its pretty mid. A word which I note can be wielded with cutting inflection in the right (or wrong circumstances). 

I evaluated it out of context in the Etsy app on my phone one random Sunday morning. My vision of where it would fit didn’t pan out, and since then it has just been taking up space and reminding me of my shortcomings as an interior decorator, which ability seems to have peaked with a six-photo poster of Viggo the Carpathian from “Ghostbusters” in an office suite some years ago. 

Pros and Cons

Legal tech, like my errant artwork, needs to be considered and implemented in context. In this case, in the context of your firm.  

To demonstrate this point, today I’d like to discuss chatbots for your firm website.  

A chatbot, for the uninitiated, is a “computer program that uses artificial intelligence to simulate human conversations through oral or verbal communications.” For the purpose of our discussion, we will consider them in an implementation on a law firm website where they can be used to help a firm interact with its clients and/or potential clients when they navigate to the firm site. 

There are some substantial advantages and concerns around using chatbots, which I am going to get into in a minute. But before we do, let’s go back to the idea of context again. 

There are absolutely going to be some lawyers reading this who work in firms that would (or do already) benefit significantly from using chatbots on their firm site. For them, the advantages outweight the concerns by a large margin. And there are going to also doubtlessly be some firms whose time and money are better spent elsewhere. 

Where your firm falls on this spectrum comes down to the Client Experience (CX) in your firm. 

CX (known more commonly as Customer Experience, but we’ll adapt the lingo to our industry) is a common discipline in business that involves building a business’ culture and its day-to-day processes around the client. It has, over the past several years, been commonly referred to as client-centeredness among law firms, and is covered well in the book, The Client Centered Law Firm by Jack Newton.   

Every firm provides some kind of client experience – sometimes it is a well-thought out and often-tweaked roadmap that instilled in the firm culture, and other times it is an informal, highly individualized path left up to each person in the firm to implement. One way isn’t better than the other, but they are very different and consequently benefit from pretty different tools and approaches. 

The CX in your firm is what provides the overall context as to whether a chatbot implementation on your site is a worthwhile addition or not. 

As you consider a chatbot for your firm, think about this set of positives and negatives: 

24/7 Availability 

One of the most significant advantages of chatbots is their ability to provide round-the-clock service. Unlike human staff, chatbots do not require breaks, sleep, or holidays. This constant availability ensures that clients can receive assistance whenever they need it, whether it’s late at night or during a weekend. For law firms, this can be particularly beneficial, as legal issues can arise at any time and clients often seek immediate answers. 

Consistency 

Consistency in client communication is crucial for maintaining a professional and reliable image. Chatbots provide standardized responses to common questions, ensuring that all clients receive the same accurate information. This uniformity helps prevent misunderstandings and misinformation, which can be particularly important in the legal field where precise and accurate communication is paramount. 

Cost-Effective 

From a financial perspective, chatbots can be a cost-effective solution for law firms. While there is an initial investment required to develop and implement a chatbot, the long-term savings can be substantial. Chatbots reduce the need for additional staff to handle routine inquiries, which can result in lower operational costs. Moreover, by improving efficiency and client satisfaction, chatbots can contribute to higher client retention and potentially attract new clients. 

On other hand, chatbots create some concerns: 

Data security and privacy 

Handling sensitive client information through chatbots raises security and privacy issues. Law firms must implement robust security measures to protect client data from cyber threats and breaches. Ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory standards for data protection can be complex and costly. Any lapse in security can lead to severe consequences, including loss of client trust and potential legal action. 

For a strong primer on the data security and privacy concerns with using chatbots, check out A Beginner’s Guide to Privacy and Security Issues in Chatbots. 

Getting Caught in a Logical Cul de Sac 

Despite advancements in AI, chatbots still have limitations in understanding complex or nuanced legal inquiries. Legal issues often require detailed explanations and a deep understanding of the context, which can be challenging for a chatbot to grasp. As a result, potential clients with intricate legal questions may find the chatbot’s responses insufficient, leading to frustration and dissatisfaction and ultimately preventing them from hiring the firm. 

Missing the Human Touch 

The personal touch provided by human interaction is often crucial in legal matters, where clients may be dealing with sensitive or emotionally charged issues. Chatbots, by their nature, lack empathy and the ability to provide the emotional support that human staff can offer. Some clients may prefer speaking directly with a person who can understand and respond to their emotional cues, which a chatbot cannot replicate. 

The question really comes down to how you see the client experience in your firm. Is your CX oriented toward convenience, technology-enabled and 24/7 availability? Or does your firm pride itself on a smaller footprint and higher amount of personal touch? 

Context is everything in sorting through this and other legal technology decisions. What is a perfect solution for one firm is another firm’s unwanted artwork waiting to be donated to Goodwill.