Format B: Paid Consultation

1. General Descriptiondescription

Paid Consultation is a consultation-only workflow in BackOffice where thea client pays for a scheduled time-slot (video or phone call) rather thanwithout committing to a full legal service engagement.

Paid processConsultation is designedused for lower-valueexploratory or exploratorylower-value enquiries where the client wants professional advice before deciding whether to proceed with a full service.​

UnlikeWhen Regulara Enquiriesclient thatis useclassified the full Strategy Guide system to generate comprehensive proposals,as Paid ConsultationsConsultation, use a simplified strategy interface focused solely on consultation pricing and scheduling. Thethe system sets the is_consultation_only =flag true,on the client record, which tailors the record'sbehaviour behavior—includingof suppressingthe automatedStrategy follow-upGuide, remindersnotifications, and limitingstatus availableflow.

Paid options.​Consultation records can later be upgraded to full-service leads by executing the ConvertPreliminaryToLead action, which removes consultation-only constraints while preserving the consultation history.

This process sits primarily in BackOffice, with configuration and scheduling support coming from Laravel (enquiry type settings, consultation durations, calendar integration and email templates).

2. Business goals and objectives

The Paid Consultation canworkflow lateris be "upgraded"designed to a full lead using the ConvertPreliminaryToLead action if the client decides to proceed with a substantive service after the consultation.

Goals & Objectives

• Monetise Exploratory Enquiries: Ensures thatmonetise enquiries that aremay unlikelynot toimmediately convert tointo full servicelegal services while maintaining clear separation in reporting.

  • Monetise exploratory enquiries by charging for a structured advice session instead of providing extensive free advice by email.
  • Provide efficient triage so Users can still generate revenue via paid advice sessions.

  • Efficient Triage: Allows Users to quickly qualifydetermine whether a clientthere is serious and has a viable case before investing timeeffort in full strategystrategies preparation.

    and quotations.
  • Offer

    Clientclient Decisiondecision Support:support Givesby allowing clients access to professionaldiscuss guidanceoptions and next steps before committing to largerhigher legal fees, building trust and increasing eventual conversion rates.

    fees.
  • Maintain

    Workflowworkflow Hygiene:hygiene Keepsby separating consultation-only records separate from full-service leads in reportingdashboards and statistics.

  • Suppress

    Notification Suppression: Preventsinappropriate automated reminder emails from being sentreminders to consultation-only clients, avoiding inappropriate chasing for clients who only requested a one-off call.​

    consultation, reducing the perception of aggressive chasing.

  ---

Step-3. Detailed behaviour and step-by-Stepstep Procedureflow

The Paid Consultation behaviour covers intake classification, offer preparation, payment recording, calendar scheduling, consultation delivery, and post-consultation decisions.

1. Phase 1: Intake &and Classification

1. Enquiry Received: Client submits an enquiry via website form or via a call captured in Elevenlabs call.

   and pushed into BackOffice.

2. Admin Review: Admin reviews the enquiry in the Laravel Assignmentassignment Interfaceinterface and determinesdecides ifwhether it should be classifiedtreated as Regular Enquiry,Enquiry, Direct Service Offer,Offer, or Paid Consultation.​

   Consultation.

3. Classification Decision: If the enquiry is exploratory, lower-value, or the client explicitly requestsasks for a consultation, Admin selects the Paid Consultation workflow.

   workflow for that record.
4. The

   System Flag: Systemsystem sets is_consultation_only = true on the client record.​

   record, activating consultation-only behaviour such as limited Strategy Guide options and notification suppression.

Phase 2: Review Preliminary Draft

1. ClientWhen Recordthe Createdclient record is created in BO:BackOffice, Typicallyusually no User is assigned wheninitially; the client record is created. TheAdmin first stepselects isor to selectdrafts a Preliminary Email to send to the client to offerpropose a Paid Consulation from existing template or create a new one.Consultation.
2. The Preliminary Email: ThisEmail is createdgenerated using AIthe standardisedstandard prompt (Legal Consultation Email)AI prompt and is designedintended to show empathy, demonstrate empathyexpertise, with the client's situation as well as knowledge and experience on the part of the User. Often the email includesoutline typical problems clientsand inpossible steps, and present the sameproposed situationconsultation facefee.
and what
3. If the lawyer will do to resolve their situation - and what any future steps may need to be taken (further demonstrating knowledge and experience and skill). Fee also included.
4. Preliminary Email Review: If the particular Preliminary emailtemplate has not been previously reviewed by anya lawyers previously, normallylawyer, Admin will assignassigns the leadrecord to aan appropriate User in the appropriate geographical area and sendclicks themRequest a draft of the Preliminary EmailFeedback to confirm any legal references insend the email aredraft accuratefor legal and alsofee thatreview.
the
5. The fees are appropriate. This is done using the 'Request Feedback' button at the bottom of the page, after assigning to a User. Theassigned User receives a notificationnotification, thatreviews theyand haveedits athe Preliminary EmailEmail, then clicks Confirm to review and they accessreturn the email,approved make any necessary edits, then click the 'Confirm' button to indicate the review is complete and send backversion to Admin for sending on to the client.
6. User Assignment: This is normally only done before sendingIf the Preliminarychosen Emailemail iftemplate has already been reviewed and approved, Admin may send it without assigning a User at this needs to be reviewed bystage; the lawyerrecord first.will Otherwise,typically ifremain a Preliminary Email is selected from a template previously reviewed, no need to assign to a specific Userunassigned until the client respondsresponds.

Phase 4: Client Confirms

1. ClientThe Receives Offer: Clientclient reviews the consultation offer email.
2. Client Responds: Clientand confirms acceptance by replying to the email.
3. PaymentThe Received:client Client transferspays the consultation fee to the User'User’s bank account (or pays via PayPal/the online payment option provided (e.g., PayPal or card link provided)link).

4. User Adds Payment:The User opens the Payments tabtab, registers the payment with amount, payment method and payment date, and ticks the Consultation Only checkbox to identify it as a consultation payment.

5. The system records the payment but does not automatically advance the status; the User remains responsible for updating the status as the consultation feeprocess payment:
   progresses.

• Amount: [Fee] EUR

Phase 5: ScheduleScheduling on Calendar

1. Confirm Date/Time:The User and client agree onthe final consultation date/time via email.
2. Calendar Integration: User creates calendar event via Laravel scheduling integration (if video call, generates Zoom/Teams link).​

3. Confirmation Email: User sends confirmation email to client with:

   • Final date and time

     for the consultation, usually by email exchange.
   • The

     VideoUser callcreates a corresponding calendar event using the Laravel scheduling integration; if the channel is video, a Zoom or Teams link (ifis applicable)added or generated.

   • The User sends a confirmation email including the final date/time, the video link or phone numberdetails, toand call/expect call from

   • Anyany preparation instructions (documents to have ready,bring, topics to be discussed)

   discuss).
4. SystemThe Updates:system
   updates
   • Statusthe changesclient record status to Created Lead
   ,
   • creates or links the calendar event, and logs an Updates Record entry:entry [DateTime]indicating -that Consultationthe scheduledconsultation forhas [Date/Time]
   been
   • Calendar event created
   scheduled.

Phase 6: ConductConsultation Consultation

1. UserBefore Prepares:the meeting, the User reviews client'sthe enquiry details beforeand any previous messages or documents in the scheduledclient consultation.record.
2. Consultation Takes Place:The User conducts the video/consultation by video or phone consultation withat the client.scheduled time and covers the topics agreed in the offer.
3. Post-ConsultationAfter Notes:the session, the User addsrecords post-consultation notes to thein Messages or the Updates RecordRecord, aboutsummarising thekey consultationpoints outcome.and agreed next steps.

Phase 7: Post-Consultationconsultation Decision

1. Decision Point: After the consultation, onethe User decides how to progress the record based on the client’s intentions and the viability of further work.
2. If the followingclient occurs:
does

Optionrequire Afurther -services, Servicethe Not Required:

• User changessets the status to Completed

  ; a consultation-only completion popup may appear and a client survey can be triggered.
• If

  Completionthe popupclient appears (consultation-only version)

• Survey may be sentwishes to clientproceed forwith feedback

  full
service,

Option B - Client Proceeds to Full Service:

• User clicks the Convert to Lead buttonbutton, (only visible on consultation-only records)​

• Systemwhich triggers the ConvertPreliminaryToLead action

  backend
action,
• upgrades

  Recordthe is upgradedrecord to a standard leadlead, (statusremoves becomesthe Createdconsultation-only Leadconstraint withand enables full service capabilities)

• is_consultation_only constraint is lifted

• Full Strategy Guide,Guide and Direct Service offers, and recurring setup become available

  options.
• If

  Consultationthe feeclient historyneeds andtime emailto communicationsdecide, arethe preserved

Option C - Client Needs Time:

• User sets the status to Waiting for Response or Freeze, (ifand clientmay wantsset to proceed later)

• Follow-up scheduled viaa Next Progress Date

   as a manual reminder without relying on automated chasers.

Common4. ConfusionConfusions, &edge Errorscases and known issues

The Paid Consultation workflow has several recurring points of confusion that affect both Users and Admin.

• • 
    

  button:UsersmaySomework; :mismatcheschecked

  Issue	Description	Resolution
  Missing "Convert to Lead" button	User cannot find the button to convert consultation to full lead	Button only appears when is_consultation_only = true; verify flag is correctly set
  Automated reminders sent	Client receives follow-up emails despite being consultation-only	Verify is_consultation_only flag is set; notification suppression should prevent this
  Cannot send full Strategy Guide	Strategy Guide tab shows limited options only	This is expected behavior for consultation-only; use Convert to Lead first
  not see the Convert to Lead button if is_consultation_only is not correctly set to true; they must verify the Overview tab and consult Admin if the flag is wrong. Unexpected automated reminders: If a consultation-only record still receives reminder emails, it usually means the consultation-only flag was never set or was cleared; Admin must correct the flag and ensure notification suppression is active. Limited Strategy Guide options: Users sometimes think the Strategy Guide is broken when only consultation-specific options appear; this is expected for consultation-only records and full templates are available only after conversion to a lead. Consultation fee not deducted from full service: fee	Clientclients expectsexpect the consultation fee to be credited towardsagainst fullfuture service	Userany deduction must be manually adjustbuilt into the quotation tosince reflectthere is no automatic offset in the deduction;system. system Status not changing after payment: Users may expect the status to automatically move after a consultation payment is added; statuses must be updated manually as adding payment does not auto-calculate
  Payment added butchange status unchanged	After adding payment, record doesn't automatically progress	Adding payment tofor consultation-only recordsrecords. does not auto-change status; User must manually update
  Calendar syncand timezone issues	VideoIncorrect callvideo link not generatedlinks or wrongtime timezone	Verifyusually stem from misconfigured Laravel calendar integration settings;or checkincorrect user timezone configurationsettings inand Usermust profilebe

  there.

5. Permissions &and Accessaccess Controlrules

Paid Consultation access is controlled through profession, country and role-based rules across Laravel and BackOffice.

• Visibility: Users can only receive/seereceive Paid Consultation enquiries that match their Profession and Country tags defined in Laravel.​

  Laravel and their enabled Enquiry Types.

• Consultation Only Flag: The is_consultation_only checkboxflag inon the Overview tab is editable by Admin only.​

  only; Users cannot toggle this flag themselves.

• Strategy Guide Access: When is_consultation_only = true, the Strategy Guide tab showsis limited,restricted to consultation-focused options ratherand thanhides full full-service templates.​

  templates and quotation profiles.
• Any

  Convert to Lead: Anyassigned User assignedon toa theconsultation-only consultationrecord can execute the ConvertPreliminaryToLead action;action novia the Convert to Lead button; this upgrade does not require separate Admin approval required.

  approval.

• Payment Completion Lock: Users cannot mark a consultationPaid Consultation as Completed if no payment ishas been recorded (Totaltotal Paymentspayments =equal €0.00).​

  zero); completion is blocked until at least one payment is registered.

6. Timing, Deadlinesdeadlines &and Automationautomation

The Paid Consultation workflow applies looser timing rules than regular enquiries but maintains clear constraints around payment and anonymisation.

• theyareexcludedreminder forthisflow.

  If

  Rule	Description
  No 24-Hour Rule	Unlike Regular Enquiries, Paid Consultations do not haveuse the strict 24-hour “contact deadline—within 24 hours” rule used for standard leads, though prompt manual contact is still recommended.
  Notification Suppression	No automated Automated reminder emails are sentsuppressed for consultation-only records.records; ​
  Calendarfrom Buffer	cron jobs by the notification suppression logic. Consultations should generally be scheduled with minimumat 24-hourleast 24 hours’ notice to allow time for payment processingverification and preparation.
  Payment Deadline	Paymentthe consultation must be received before the consultation takesis placeconducted; (there is no built-in support for post-consultation billing forin consultations).
  GDPR Anonymization	Ifa consultation-only and statusrecord is Eliminated/closed as Eliminated or Completed withoutand conversionnever converted to a full lead:lead, it becomes eligible for anonymizationGDPR 6anonymisation after six months afterfrom closure. ​

Related Processes &7. Dependencies and related processes

Prerequisites

• ET Configuration: Enquiry Type must supportThe Paid Consultation workflowflow independs Laravel.

  on
correct

• User Calendar Integration: User must have calendar properly configuredconfiguration in Laravel forand scheduling.interacts with multiple BackOffice processes.

• Enquiry

  Payment Methods: User bank account detailsTypes must be configured in profileLaravel to support the Paid Consultation workflow, including pricing defaults and flags indicating consultation suitability.

• User calendar integration in Laravel must be correctly set up for inclusionscheduling video or phone consultations and generating links where applicable.
• User payment details (such as bank account information) must be configured in their profile so that consultation Offer Email.
  Emails can include correct payment instructions.
• Paid

  Dependencies

  Consultation
  Offer

  • Laravel Scheduling: Video/phone consultationsEmails rely on Laravelthe calendar/scheduling module for appointment management.

  • Offer Email Template: System usesdedicated "Paid Consultation Response Email"Email template.​

    template, managed in the central email template library.
  • When a consultation converts to full service, the ConvertPreliminaryToLead process activates the standard lead lifecycle, including strategy selection, Direct Service offers and recurring service setup.

  Downstream

8. Error handling and recovery

ConvertPreliminaryToLead:The WhenPaid executed,Consultation createsprocess fullincludes leadspecific recordrecovery preservingpatterns consultationfor history.assignment, payment and conversion issues.

• If auto-assignment fails for a Paid Consultation enquiry, the lead falls into an NPD or Awaiting Assignment state and must be manually assigned by Admin before the consultation process can proceed.
• If payment is not received before the scheduled consultation, there is no automatic cancellation; Users are expected to cancel or reschedule and avoid delivering unpaid consultations.
• If the ConvertPreliminaryToLead action fails technically, Admin can manually clear the is_consultation_only flag and adjust the status to a standard lead, then coordinate with developers to resolve root causes.
• If calendar integration fails to create or sync the event, the User should create a manual calendar entry and report the issue to Admin for technical follow-up.
• Because adding a consultation payment does not change status automatically, Users must correct any status mismatches manually if a payment was recorded but the status was left in a preliminary state.

9. Performance and scalability

SurveyNo Trigger:specific Uponperformance markingor scalability constraints are documented for the Paid Consultation process beyond general BackOffice and Laravel behaviour.

Developers should ensure that consultation-specific filters in Strategy Guide, notification suppression checks and ConvertPreliminaryToLead actions are implemented efficiently but there are no special pagination or batching rules unique to this workflow.

10. Configuration and customisation

The Paid Consultation workflow is partially configurable via Laravel settings and Enquiry Type configuration.

• Default consultation fee ranges can be configured per Enquiry Type in Laravel under pricing settings, providing guidance for Users when they set consultation fees.
• Available consultation duration options (for example, 30, 45 or 60 minutes) can be configured in Laravel consultation settings.
• Video platform preferences (Zoom or Teams) are configured in Laravel integrations and determine which platform links are used when scheduling consultations.
• The Paid Consultation Offer Email template is managed in the email template library and can be customised for wording, structure and placeholders without code changes.
• The consultation-only behaviour itself, including the is_consultation_only flag, notification suppression and Strategy Guide filtering, is hard-coded business logic that would require code changes to alter.

11. Notifications and communication rules

Paid Consultation uses standard notification mechanisms with additional suppression rules for reminders.

• When a Paid Consultation enquiry is assigned, the User receives the normal New Client Assigned notification with an indication that the record is consultation-only.
• Sending a consultation Offer Email to the client is user-triggered and logs a copy in the Emails tab but does not trigger automated follow-ups specific to consultations.
• Consultation confirmation emails are also user-triggered and contain the final date/time, connection details and preparation instructions.
• When a consultation is marked as Completed, a client satisfaction survey can be sent.​
  sent
depending

Errorconfiguration, Recovery & Retry Logic

• Scenario	System Behavior	Recovery Action
  Auto-Assign Failure	Status setsimilar to NPDother -completed Awaiting Assignment; Admin notified	Admin manually assigns via Unassigned Leads tool
  Payment Not Received Before Consultation	No system enforcement	User should cancel/reschedule consultation; do not conduct unpaid consultations
  ConvertPreliminaryToLead Fails	Technical error logged	Admin can manually remove is_consultation_only flag and update status
  Calendar Integration Error	Consultation not synced to calendar	User creates manual calendar event; report to Admin for technical investigation

  cases.

Configuration & Customization Options

• Setting	Location	Description
  Default Consultation Fee	Laravel > Enquiry Types > ET > Pricing	Default fee range shown in consultation quotation
  Consultation Duration Options	Laravel > Settings > Consultations	Available time slots (30/45/60 minutes)
  Video Platform	Laravel > Settings > Integrations	Zoom/Teams configuration for video consultations
  Consultation Offer Template	Laravel > Email Templates	Customizable template for Paid Consultation emails ​

Notification & Communication Rules

• 
  

  flows,sothey

  Event	Recipient	Timing	Content
  New Consultation Enquiry Assigned	User	Immediately	"New Client Assigned" with consultation flag noted
  Consultation Offer Sent	Client	User-triggered	Fee, date/time options, payment instructions
  Consultation Confirmation	Client	User-triggered	Final date/time, video link/phone number
  Consultation Completed	Client	After status change	Satisfaction survey (if selected)
  NO Automated Reminders	N/A	N/A	Consultation-only records are exemptexplicitly excluded from automated follow-upreminder emailsemail ​

  do
  not receive standard lead-chasing campaigns or Direct Service chasers.

12. Historical changes and updates

Paid Consultation behaviour has been refined over time to clarify its separation from Direct Service and Regular Enquiries and to ensure that automated reminders are correctly suppressed.

Adjustments were made to bind consultation-only behaviour to the is_consultation_only flag, restrict Strategy Guide options, enforce payment-before-completion rules, and add the dedicated Convert to Lead upgrade path.

13. Compliance &and Legallegal Considerationsconsiderations

The Paid Consultation workflow must comply with GDPR and financial audit requirements while preserving clear fee information for clients.

• Clients

  GDPR:must agree to Terms &and Conditions mustand beprivacy agreednotices before consultation;any dataconsultation export/anonymizationtakes toolsplace; availablethis foris "Righthandled toat beenquiry Forgotten"or requests.​

  onboarding level.

• Payment Before Service: Consultation feepayments must be received before the consultationservice to avoid disputes over non-payment.

  unpaid work and to ensure accurate commission and revenue reporting.

• Financial Audit: Each consultation payment declaration creates an immutable log entry;entry in the Updates Record and Payments tab; any corrections require a Credit NotesNote requiredworkflow forrather anythan adjustments.​

  silent edits.
• Offer

  FeeEmails Transparency:must Consultationstate feeconsultation fees and any VAT/taxapplicable mustVAT or taxes clearly, including the currency and taxation basis.

• Consultation-only records that do not convert to full leads follow the standard anonymisation and deletion timetable after closure, supporting clients’ right to be clearly stated in the Offer Email.
  forgotten.

14. Backend Processes/Codeservices Servicesand integration points

The Paid Consultation workflow relies on several backend components that determine record behaviour and available actions.

• The
  • 
    

  modeandisrestrictions. jobs,ensuringconsultation-onlyfilteringuntilconversion.templatetoensuretime

  Component	Function
  is_consultation_only flag	Booleanon the client record is a boolean field onthat clientswitches record;the whenrecord true, triggersinto consultation-specificonly behavior
  consumed by Strategy Guide, notification logic and status rules. The ConvertPreliminaryToLead	Backendbackend service thatupgrades convertsa preliminary/consultation or preliminary record to fulla standard lead, preservingpreserves historythe existing history, and liftinglifts consultationconsultation-specific constraints
  Notification Suppressionsuppression Logiclogic checks is_consultation_only	Consultation-onlybefore including records excluded fromin automated reminder email cron jobs
  records are excluded. Strategy Guide Filtering	Whenrespects is_consultation_only = true, Strategy Guide tab filters available options tothe consultation-only flag, showing only consultation strategies and hiding full-service strategy templates
  The Paid Consultation Response Email Template	Pre-configuredis stored in the central template catalogue and is referenced when generating consultation offer emails. 15. Behavioural guardrails and PM guidance The Paid Consultation process includes soft rules to protect revenue, client experience and data quality, supported by specific UI and backend mechanisms. Users should avoid giving extensive written advice before a consultation is confirmed and paid; instead,  the Preliminary Email and Paid Consultation offer structure should be used, supported by the dedicated email templatetemplates. (ID: Users 9.3.3)must always record consultation payments in the Payments tab and tick the Consultation Only checkbox before marking the consultation as Completed; the completion wizard enforces this requirement. Consultation-only records should be kept separate from full leads; Users should use the Convert to Lead button rather than manually changing statuses or flags to start full-service work. Users should always verify that the consultation date/time in the calendar matches the client’s timezone as displayed on the record, using Laravel integration rather than ad hoc links. If in doubt whether an exploratory enquiry should be treated as Paid Consultation or Regular Enquiry, Admin should favour Paid Consultation for consultationlow-commitment offerscases

  is
  covered and full-strategy work is reserved for genuinely engaged clients.