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Smokeball Integration: The File Reflects Phone Work Too

Smokeball automatically captures the work your firm does at the desk. Abby's receptionists cover the part it can't see: answering your phone 24/7 and logging every conversation to the matter, so the file reflects phone work too.

Calls on the matter fileEvery conversation Abby answers lands on the right matter as a summary, beside the documents and emails Smokeball already tracks.
Context for recording timeNotes carry caller, duration, and what was discussed: the context attorneys use to record their time accurately.
A front desk for small firmsTwo attorneys and a paralegal can't cover the phone and the practice. Abby answers every call in your firm's name, day and night.

The One Thing Smokeball Couldn't See

ABBY PORTAL · CALL SUMMARY
ANSWERED BY ABBY · 1:47 PM
Colleen Hartley
(414) 555-0168 · 4 min · Existing client
Wants the parenting plan revised before mediation; asked for Rachel's next opening · callback promised.
Mediation prepMessage relayed
SMOKEBALL · MATTER ACTIVITY
Parenting Plan · rev 3.docxAuto-tracked · 9:12 AM
Email · opposing counsel, mediation datesAuto-tracked · 11:30 AM
Phone call · summary by AbbyColleen Hartley · 4 min · 1:47 PM
Financial disclosure checklist.pdfAuto-tracked · 3:05 PM

Smokeball is famous for noticing work: every document drafted, every email sent, tracked to the matter automatically. The phone was the blind spot: a call answered in the car or missed at lunch left no trace in the file. Now it does. When Colleen Hartley calls about revising her parenting plan before mediation, Abby answers, takes it down, and the summary lands on her matter.

Those notes never post time entries. That's not their job. They give her attorney the caller, the duration, and the conversation, so recording the time in Smokeball takes a glance instead of an archaeology dig.

Before It's A Matter, It's A Caller

New business calls the main line. Abby greets prospective clients in your firm's name and runs your intake script: practice area, what's happening and when, urgency, how they found you, and the conflict basics your firm checks first. The details are delivered to your team ready for the conflict check and the open-matter decision.

Confidential by design: US-based receptionists following your firm's scripts, encrypted call records, and HIPAA-compliant options for regulated practices. Callers hear your firm's name and your firm's manners, never a call center.

Six Details, One Matter File

From the callWhere it lands in Smokeball
Caller name and numberMatched to the matter contact, or captured as a new caller for intake review
Reason for the callThe summary line on the matter's call note
The conversation itselfA plain-English summary on the matter, written to be read months later
Commitments madeCalled out in the note: a promised callback or document never rides on memory
Time and durationLogged with the note: the context attorneys use when recording their time
Urgency, by your definitionsEscalated immediately per your instructions, and reflected on the matter

One-way by design: call details flow into Smokeball. Abby never reads your matters, documents, or billing, and call notes never create time entries. Your attorneys record their own time, with the context in front of them.

A Firm Of Five, Fully Answered

Signing-day coverageEveryone's at closings and the phone doesn't stop. Every call is answered live and logged to its matter before you're back.
The blind spot, closedSmokeball captures desk work automatically; Abby adds the calls, so the matter history includes what was said on the phone, not just what was written.
Family-law eveningsClients in custody and divorce matters call after work, and they're rarely calm. A live person answers, and the note is on the matter by morning.
New-client screeningProspective clients get your intake questions on the first call (practice area, situation, conflict basics), delivered to your team for review.

How It Works

Onboarding connects Smokeball and sets matter matching, intake questions, and escalation rules with your firm.
Abby's receptionists answer 24/7 in your firm's name: existing clients handled per your instructions, new callers screened.
Call summaries land on the matter in Smokeball; new-caller details are delivered for conflict check and intake.

FAQs

Does Abby create time entries in Smokeball?
No, deliberately. Call notes land on the matter with caller, duration, and what was discussed; your attorneys record their own time with that context in front of them.
Which answering service works with Smokeball?
Abby integrates with Smokeball natively: US-based receptionists, or an AI receptionist if you prefer, answering 24/7 with every call summary logged to the Smokeball matter.
Can Abby's virtual receptionist handle intake for a Smokeball firm?
Yes. Your intake script runs on every new caller (practice area, situation, urgency, conflict basics), and the details are delivered to your team for review and matter opening.
What does a call note on the matter include?
Caller, number, time, duration, a summary of the conversation, and any commitment made, matched to the right matter by the rules set at onboarding.
We're a two-attorney firm. Is this overkill?
It's built for exactly that size. Abby covers the phone so a small team doesn't have to choose between the client on the line and the client in the office.
Use a tool we haven’t listed?
We build missing integrations for new customers during onboarding, free. Tell us what you run on and we’ll connect it.
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