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Upfirst (AI receptionist)

Replace a slow after-hours answering service at a small law firm

Quick answer

Grolman LLP is a small Boston law firm led by Ira Grolman. After hours it used a human answering service, where just leaving a message could take three minutes. He moved to a digital phone system that sends calls to an AI receptionist at set times, and set it up with the firm's practice areas, office hours and rules.

Business type: Law firms. Tool used: Upfirst (AI receptionist). Result: Messages and summaries land in his inbox with full transcripts, and the firm says it cut costs compared with the old answering service. No numbers given.

Source: Upfirst case study (Company case study) · Added Thu, Oct 22 · Last updated 2026-10-23

ToolUpfirst (AI receptionist)BusinessLaw firmsTaskAnswering calls, Customer supportSourceUpfirst case study (Company case study)

How they set it up

  1. Switch to a phone system that can forward calls to the AI receptionist at set times.
  2. Give it your practice areas, office hours and the questions to ask.
  3. Set different call handling for different times of day.
  4. Get each message and call summary by email with the full transcript.

Result

Messages and summaries land in his inbox with full transcripts, and the firm says it cut costs compared with the old answering service. No numbers given. (as reported by the source)

Guide: AI receptionist for small business: real examples and how to set one up

Guide: AI intake for law firms: real examples and how to set it up

Questions and answers

What does the AI agent do here?

Grolman LLP is a small Boston law firm led by Ira Grolman. After hours it used a human answering service, where just leaving a message could take three minutes. He moved to a digital phone system that sends calls to an AI receptionist at set times, and set it up with the firm's practice areas, office hours and rules.

Which tool did they use?

Upfirst (AI receptionist).

What was the result?

Messages and summaries land in his inbox with full transcripts, and the firm says it cut costs compared with the old answering service. No numbers given. (as reported by the source)

How did they set it up?

Switch to a phone system that can forward calls to the AI receptionist at set times. Give it your practice areas, office hours and the questions to ask. Set different call handling for different times of day.

Answers come only from the source. Questions it doesn't answer are left out.

Starter prompt

Our own prompt for copying this setup. Swap in your details. Not quoted from the source.

You answer after-hours calls for [Law Firm]. Our practice areas are [list] and our hours are [hours]. Get the caller's name, phone number and what their legal matter is about, and whether it is urgent. Keep it short and polite. Do not give legal advice. Tell them someone will call back on the next business day.
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