Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know before getting started
What does a lawyer answering service capture?▾
A lawyer answering service should capture caller identity, contact details, practice area, matter type, urgency, location or jurisdiction cues, preferred callback time, and approved routing cues. Where your firm permits it, the workflow can also capture opposing-party names or other conflict-routing fields for human review.
Will Valory give legal advice?▾
No. Valory should not provide legal advice, predict outcomes, quote fees beyond approved language, or decide whether a matter can be accepted. It captures intake and routes the call to your legal team or approved escalation path.
How does Valory route conflict-sensitive law firm calls?▾
The AI receptionist can ask approved intake questions and include conflict-routing cues in the summary, such as other-party names or matter category if your firm wants those captured. Conflict checks remain a human or firm-system responsibility, and the workflow should avoid promising representation until the firm has reviewed the matter.
Can urgent legal calls be escalated after hours?▾
Yes. Urgent categories can trigger immediate SMS, email, or live-transfer paths according to your playbook, including after-hours rules for deadlines, court dates, safety concerns, or existing-client matters. Routine new matter enquiries can be captured with a clear callback expectation.
Can Valory be an after-hours answering service for lawyers?▾
Yes. Valory can answer outside business hours, capture the caller's matter type, urgency, preferred callback window, and approved conflict-routing cues, then send a structured summary or urgent alert. It does not give legal advice or decide whether the firm can act.
How much does a law firm answering service cost?▾
Valory plans start from $149/mo, with higher tiers based on call volume, integrations, outbound calling, and support depth. For law firms, pricing should be judged against the cost of missed new matters, poor intake quality, and staff time spent reconstructing voicemail.
Is Valory a virtual receptionist for law firms?▾
Valory can cover the same first-response job as a virtual receptionist, but it is configured as a managed AI receptionist. The focus is structured legal intake, approved process answers, after-hours capture, escalation rules, and clean handoffs rather than generic message taking.
How are confidentiality and privacy handled for legal calls?▾
The safe setup is to capture only the information your firm has approved, keep advice questions out of the AI call flow, and route sensitive details to the right staff pathway. Valory is designed around documented access controls, retention practices, and vendor safeguards, but each firm should decide what callers should and should not disclose on first contact.
How quickly can I go live?▾
Most clients go live within 3 to 5 business days. We handle setup, call-flow configuration, and testing. You provide your business rules and approval, and we run the rollout.
What happens when a call needs a follow-up?▾
Valory captures the full context and routes it to your team by SMS, email, or direct transfer. You choose the rules for urgent handoff versus queued follow-up, so your staff can act quickly with the right details.
Can Valory integrate with my existing systems?▾
Yes. We support common calendars (Google and Outlook), booking tools, CRMs, and webhook-based workflows. During onboarding, we map your process and configure the integrations required for launch.
How is Valory different from a traditional answering service?▾
A traditional answering service usually takes messages. Valory is configured around your call types, approved answers, booking rules, escalation paths, and handoff destinations, then improves with real call review after launch.
Can Valory book appointments or jobs?▾
Yes, when your workflow supports it. Valory can check availability, collect booking details, route appointment requests, or capture job context for staff follow-up. We define the safe booking rules during onboarding.
Will callers know they are speaking with AI?▾
Call flows are configured to be transparent and professional. The goal is not to impersonate a staff member; it is to give callers a helpful first response and give your team clean context when human follow-up is needed.
What if I want to change how Valory handles calls?▾
Changes are managed for you. Your success lead can update scripts, routing rules, and escalation logic as your business evolves. Most updates are implemented within one business day.
Is my data secure?▾
Yes. Data is encrypted in transit and at rest, with documented access controls, retention practices, and vendor safeguards. Our operating controls are designed to support Privacy Act 1988 obligations.
Can Valory handle multi-language callers?▾
Valory is optimised for English-speaking callers in Australia, including Australian accents and common regional dialects. Other languages may be supported in future; contact us if you have specific requirements.
What about after-hours and weekends?▾
Valory handles calls 24/7, including after-hours, weekends, and public holidays. Customers still get a professional response and your team receives context for any required follow-up.
Can I cancel anytime?▾
Yes. Plans are month to month with 30 days notice. If you choose a 3 month commitment, the $990 setup fee is waived.
How do overages work?▾
If usage exceeds included minutes or SMS, overages are billed at your plan rate. You can track usage in the dashboard and we flag trends before you run over plan limits.