The other day, I caught myself asking AI to help me find a human. I don’t know if AI didn’t want to ask a human for assistance, or if I’d been watching too many sci-fi movies.
It’s funny to think about now, but not when you are in a fast-food drive-thru during lunch hour, where the fast food chain recently decided to add AI ordering and the cars are piling up behind me, not so funny. I still recall the frustration of listening to Al’s “human” voice say, “Sorry, I don’t understand… can you please repeat that?” I tried to speak slower and use short words straight from the menu to see if it would help. It didn’t! I found myself asking for “a human” or “an operator” or anybody. I was stuck.
I hadn’t even had a chance to speak with anyone yet, when miraculously a human appeared! “Please pull up to the window,” someone said through the machine. To which I responded, “With pleasure!”
As a marketing professional for a Silicon Valley law firm, this predicament started me thinking about AI and customer experiences. Many of us in marketing use AI tools where appropriate with our daily tasks, but we should always think about the client experience (CX) when using AI. The move to AI may save money or make someone’s job more efficient, but you should always ask yourself – will it enhance clients’ experiences and project a brand in a positive light? Whatever your views about AI, it will give a first impression of how you handle time and technology.
First Impression
When a customer calls or emails a company, the customer normally expects to reach a person, or enter a “calling tree” where an automated voice reads a list of departments from which to select. Either method may set the tone for how you “feel” the interaction with that business will go.
When calling a small law firm, customers want to speak to a “human” or “non-AI” receptionist to see if an attorney or staff member is available. A receptionist is able to provide more detailed information to the caller, such as whether the attorney is in court all day or in a meeting and will call you back within a couple of hours. You prefer the extra effort of the receptionist’s reaching out to the attorney on your behalf, but some companies choose to send callers to AI first before transferring them to a “human” representative.
It’s essential to understand your clients and the communication style they may expect from your business. Initial calls or emails should be in a format and quality that reflects your brand and serves your clients. For example, this might mean using AI to draft an email first, then editing it to fit your communication style.
Time
Time is valuable, so why put clients or other callers through a dance with AI or automated messaging? The decision to use AI at law firms may vary by location, practice type, clientele, and available staff, but it must be made carefully.
At the 2025 Legal Marketing Association (LMA) National Conference, the trend was AI-like in every industry, including the law. Many spoke on the importance of learning about AI and its uses, but it may be hard to know when to use AI instead of humans.
AI is a tool to help save time, but there remains a necessity of always checking the final product for accuracy. You, the human, understand the brand’s tone and customer relationships in a way that AI won’t. It’s your responsibility to decide where and when to utilize AI in a way that makes sense for the brand and its clients.
Technology
There was a time when law firms didn’t feel the need to invest in websites, but in today’s world, most law firms have modern, updated websites. In fact, lack of a company website in this day and age would be shocking. In a similar vein, it’s shocking if you haven’t yet researched ways to implement AI as a business tool at your firm.
Employees and clients are discovering brands through technology, including research platforms, websites, and phone calls. All of these avenues are important to a business, and now AI has been added to the mix. You need to utilize all of these tools in harmony, with the human connection necessary to read between the lines.
The Big Question
Since the drive-thru crisis, have I revisited my favorite fast-food spot? Yes, but now I know the secret word “team member” to bypass the AI ordering system. As a customer, I appreciate knowing that persons will be there to greet me, take my order (possibly even using AI on their end), and help create a smooth customer experience.
Customer service is never an easy, one-size-fits-all solution. For now, the key takeaway is to have employees who represent your brand well and will uphold customer service values for those clients who may not fit perfectly into the AI’s pathway options.
