Archuleta Law Firm

Prior to AI implementation, Archuleta Law faced capacity constraints in their high-volume intake operations that limited their ability to scale efficiently. With a pipeline of 1,000 leads per month and nationwide operations across all 50 states, the firm's challenge wasn't case evaluation capability—their assessment process was already strong, but they were ready to do better. Instead, as EJ explained, "The biggest challenge is the gap between initial contact and meaningful qualification. Traditional answering services excel at capturing callback information, but they don't gather the depth of detail needed to properly triage and prioritize leads." While the firm could effectively evaluate cases once they had comprehensive information, traditional answering services were creating a bottleneck that prevented them from processing their substantial lead volume with the speed required to meet their 24-hour initial review and decision goal.

The intake team was spending valuable time on low-value activities, with staff "spending significant time on callbacks just to gather basic case information - mechanism of injury, liability questions, treatment status, etc." All new leads required multiple touchpoints to collect essential case details. This created delays in case evaluation and reduced conversion rates. EJ explains: "Time kills deals - the faster we can assess case merit and get qualified leads to an attorney, the better our conversion rates." The gap between initial contact and meaningful qualification was preventing the firm from capitalizing on their lead pipeline and making timely decisions about case viability.

Recognizing the need to enhance their lead qualification capabilities, Archuleta Law Firm strategically implemented Eve’s AI intake technology to "push that intelligence earlier in the lead funnel." The firm was seeking a solution that could gather "actionable insights at first contact - not just 'name and number' but actual case details that let us make smart decisions immediately." Rather than simply replacing human staff, the firm viewed AI as an opportunity to capture the depth of case information that traditional answering services were unable to provide, including critical details about mechanism of injury, timeline, treatment status, and liability indicators that are essential for proper case evaluation.

The firm's implementation strategy centered on transparency and client choice, explicitly positioning the AI system as an enhancement rather than a replacement. Archuleta Law Firm gives callers an upfront option to "talk to an AI receptionist for expedited service, or wait for a live receptionist." This approach acknowledges that while the firm had "a strong lead pipeline with AI analysis already baked in," they needed to extend that intelligent capability to the very first point of contact. By framing the AI as an "expedited service" option, the firm successfully integrated the technology into their existing workflow while maintaining client trust and providing immediate value through faster, more comprehensive intake processing.

The implementation has generated significant quantifiable outcomes that demonstrate the transformative impact of AI-powered intake:

- 50% adoption rate: As Austin explains: "We're seeing roughly 50% of inbound callers - both during business hours and after hours - voluntarily select the AI receptionist when given the option for expedited service. That's a massive validation."

- Increased capacity without additional staff: EJ added: "We’ve been able to scale up our lead production and processing capacity on the intake side without adding additional staff." This represents a significant operational improvement, allowing the firm to handle more leads while maintaining their existing staffing levels.

- Enhanced data quality: "The quality of information coming through Eve is substantially better than what we got from third-party answering services,” noted Austin, “which directly impacts how quickly we can act on opportunities." This improvement in data quality enables faster decision-making and more efficient case evaluation processes.

The AI implementation fundamentally changed the role of intake staff by shifting their focus from information gathering to strategic decision-making. As the firm noted, "It's fundamentally changed the job from 'information gathering' to 'decision making.'" The most striking change is what the intake team is no longer required to do: they are no longer "spending significant time on callbacks just to gather basic case information" that answering services previously forwarded with minimal detail. Staff can now "review the details, assess viability, and either move forward with qualified leads or politely decline unfit cases - all without playing phone tag.” This allows them to concentrate on higher-value activities like judgment calls and relationship building with qualified leads rather than low-value callback work.

Archuleta Law Firm's success stems from their strategic approach to AI implementation, thought through methodically by Austin in concert with Eve partners, which prioritized transparency, proper positioning, and quality enhancement over cost reduction:

1. Transparency and Choice: The firm's commitment to honest communication has been fundamental to their success. As Austin emphasizes, "Don't try to trick callers into thinking they're talking to a human." Instead, they explicitly offer AI as an "expedited service" option versus waiting for live staff, giving callers the autonomy to choose their preferred interaction method. This transparent approach has built trust and acceptance, with clients appreciating the honesty about the technology being used to serve them.

2. Strategic Positioning as Enhancement, Not Replacement: Austin understood from the outset that "this is about upgrading from answering services that just take messages, not replacing your intake team." Rather than viewing AI as a tool for workforce reduction, they positioned it as a capability enhancement that would allow their human staff to focus on higher-value activities. Eve handles the comprehensive information gathering that answering services couldn't provide, freeing intake staff to concentrate on judgment calls and relationship building with qualified leads.

3. Quality-Focused Implementation: The firm's approach prioritized operational improvement over cost savings. As Austin explains, "The goal isn't cost cutting; it's scaling quality and getting better data faster than any answering service could provide." This philosophy ensured that the AI implementation added genuine value to their processes rather than simply reducing expenses. By focusing on enhanced data collection and faster case qualification, they were able to improve their overall service delivery while maintaining the human touch where it matters most.

4. Understanding the Right Use Case: Archuleta Law Firm recognized that their challenge wasn't with their intake team's capabilities, but with the gap between initial contact and meaningful qualification. They identified that traditional answering services were the weak link in their process, not their human staff, and deployed AI specifically to address that bottleneck while leveraging their existing team's expertise for decision-making and relationship management.