Mass Tort Intake

Mass Tort Intake Training

Mass tort intake is high volume and often scripted around screening criteria. The risk is the opposite of most desks: speed and checklists crowd out the person on the line. Intake has to follow the firm's criteria exactly, stay human and never tell a caller whether they will qualify for anything.

Start With the Call Audit or book a conversation

What is different about mass tort intake

Callers often arrive from advertising and expect a quick answer on whether they qualify, which intake cannot give.
The firm's screening questions are set by the attorneys and must be asked as written, in the same way every time.
Rules on advertising, solicitation and communication with prospective clients are strict and vary by jurisdiction, so the firm settles its scripts with its attorneys first.
Callers are often worried about their health, and a flat, checklist tone loses them.

The method does not change. The five stages, the 14-item scorecard and the boundary are the same. What changes is the wording, the questions to ask and where the pressure shows up.

Two Calls

The same moment, answered two ways

"Do I qualify?"

The caller says: "I saw your ad. I took that drug for years. Do I qualify?"

What most desks say

"It sounds like you might. Let us get your information and we will see."

An implied answer to a legal question.

What a trained desk says

"Thank you for calling. I cannot tell you whether you qualify, because the attorneys decide that. I can ask a few questions so they have what they need, and then tell you what happens next. May I start with the name of the product and about when you used it?"

No answer to eligibility, a clear explanation and a move into the firm's own questions.

The worried caller

The caller says: "I am scared about what this has done to me."

What most desks say

Continues straight into the checklist.

The person is lost behind the form.

What a trained desk says

"I am sorry you are dealing with this. I will ask a few questions so the attorneys can look at it, and I will make sure you know what happens next. Is now a good time for about ten minutes?"

Acknowledgement first, then the questions as written.

Questions that always go to the attorney

These come up on mass tort calls all the time. Intake does not answer them; it hands them off with the fixed line and asks for the next step.

"Do I qualify?"
"Is there a settlement?"
"How much will I get?"
"Will I have to go to court?"

The hand-off wording and the full boundary are on the line between intake and the attorney. Wording on this page is an example only; the firm and the attorney set the final wording against their jurisdiction's rules. Scope, plainly: everything on this site concerns the conversation that turns an inquiry into an engagement. Nothing here is legal advice, nothing touches the legal work or the attorney's judgment, and any wording a firm adopts is reviewed by the firm against its jurisdiction's rules on attorney advertising, solicitation and fee communication before it is used.

About the Author

Dr. Jeffrey Scott Stanton, DCH is a behavioral strategist and the founder and Chief Learning Officer of R2R Diagnostic Group. He is the former EVP of Learning & Development at Douglas Elliman Real Estate, where he trained sales professionals on the conversations that turn an inquiry into a commitment. He applies the same method, the R2R Assessment and a 14-item call-review scorecard, to law firm intake teams. The work is the conversation only; legal questions and judgment stay with the attorney.

The method, the scripts and the scorecard are on how it works, the script template and the scorecard guide.

Start With the Calls

Start with the mass tort calls you already have.

Send a handful of recordings or transcripts and get a scored review of where consultations are being lost.

Start With the Audit or book a conversation

Frequently asked questions

What does intake training for mass tort firms cover?

It covers the five stages of a mass tort intake call: rapport, questions, value and the fee, asking for the next step and responding to concerns. Scripts are written for your firm and reviewed by the attorney before use.

Does intake give legal advice on mass tort calls?

No. Intake explains the process, the consultation and the fee as the firm has set them. Any question about the caller's case goes to the attorney through a fixed hand-off line.

How does the work start for a mass tort firm?

With the calls the firm already has. The call audit scores recordings or transcripts on a 14-item scorecard, by person, and shows which stage loses consultations.

Are prices published?

No. Prices are quoted for your firm after a conversation, based on the number of intake people and calls reviewed, and the scope is agreed in writing first.