Intake Templates

An intake template is the script your AI follows when a potential client opens your widget. It defines what gets collected, what's required vs. optional, what gets gated on payment, and how the conversation branches.

This page covers the template model: the four kinds of inputs you configure, the conditional logic that keeps conversations short, and the consultation-fee flow.

The four parts of a template

The mental model: required = "must have to triage," enrichment = "nice to have for the consult." Don't over-stuff required fields — every additional required question is a chance for the lead to drop off.

What goes in a field

Every field has the same shape:

• key — internal identifier you'll see in the queue (e.g. case_summary)
• label — what the AI says to the client (e.g. "What happened?")
• type — text, select, date, boolean, or number
• required (optional) — gate submission on this field
• dependsOn (optional) — only ask this if a parent answer matches

Standard fields you'll usually want required

The shorter the required list, the higher the completion rate. The fields most firms need to triage at all:

• Contact — name, email, phone (the AI collects these in one step).
• Matter type — single-select against your practice areas.
• Case summary — short free-text describing what happened.
• Jurisdiction / location — where the matter sits (used for filing-deadline calculations and conflict checks).
• Urgency — low / medium / high.

Enrichment fields: the upsell to better leads

Once a client submits, the widget can offer "strengthen your case" — an optional enrichment phase. This is where you ask the questions that aren't worth losing the lead over:

• Opposing party
• Documents the client has on hand
• Court dates or deadlines
• Desired outcome
• Prior counsel involvement

If the client skips, you still have a triageable submission. If they engage, your attorney walks into the consult with a much fuller picture.

Conditional logic with dependsOn

Most intakes have questions that only apply in some cases. Use dependsOn to hide them when they don't:

- key: court_date
  label: "When is your next court date?"
  type: date
  dependsOn:
    field: has_open_case
    value: true

The AI only asks court_date when the client previously answered true to has_open_case. This keeps conversations short and stops the widget from feeling like a form.

Consultation fees

If your practice charges for the first consultation, set the fee on the template:

1. Open the template. Toggle Require payment.
2. Set the amount in dollars.
3. Save. The widget will now collect the fee via Stripe before submitting.

What the client experiences:

1. Conversational intake collects the required fields.
2. A Stripe payment card appears in the chat thread.
3. On successful payment, the intake submits to your queue.
4. (Optional) The enrichment phase begins — they're already paid, you're already in their corner.

What you experience:

• The intake reaches your queue only after payment clears.
• The payment is recorded against the future matter.
• Refunds are managed in the dashboard if the matter is declined.

Multi-language and RTL

Templates render in 18 languages. The widget detects browser language and switches automatically. Arabic intakes render right-to-left end-to-end. You author the template once; the AI translates question phrasing for the active locale.

Read more about multilingual intake

Testing a template before you go live

1. Open your widget URL from the dashboard in a private browser window.
2. Run a happy-path submission with realistic answers.
3. Confirm the submission lands in your intake queue, with all the fields you expected.
4. Confirm the right team member gets the notification (in-app, email, or push).
5. Run a payment-required path if you've enabled fees — use a Stripe test card.

Document any field labels that confuse you during the test — those are the ones real clients will misread first.

Common mistakes

• Too many required fields. Anything you can ask in the consult shouldn't gate submission.
• Required questions that need legal nuance. "Do you think this is negligence?" is an enrichment question, not a required one — clients won't know the answer.
• No dependsOn rules. The widget feels like a form when it asks 20 questions in a row regardless of context.
• Enrichment fields with leading questions. If your enrichment phase reads like a sales script, the lead bails.
• Forgotten consultation fee on free-consult firms. Conversely: if you don't charge for first consults, leave the fee off — gating on a $0 payment is a waste.

Next: review the queue

When a submission lands, your team triages it from the intake queue.

Continue to Review and Triage Client Intakes