Most small firms either track nothing about intake or track so much that nobody reads the report. Neither helps. What helps is a short list of numbers, defined the same way every week, that tells you where people drop out between the first call and the signed retainer.
Here are the eight we'd start with, how to calculate each one, and a simple weekly scorecard to put them on.
The eight intake KPIs
1. Lead volume
What it is: the number of new people who contacted you about a new matter. Formula: count of new leads, by channel (phone, form, text, chat, referral). Why it matters: everything else is a percentage of this. A drop in signed clients might be an intake problem, or it might just be fewer leads.
2. Missed call rate
What it is: the share of inbound calls not answered live. Formula: calls not answered live ÷ total inbound calls. Why it matters: a missed call is a lead you paid for and never spoke to. Split it by business hours and after hours. More in missed call rate.
3. Speed-to-lead
What it is: time from a non-phone inquiry (form, text, voicemail) to the first real two-way response. Formula: median response time, plus the share answered within 15 minutes. Why it matters: people contacting a lawyer often contact several. The first real conversation has an edge. See speed-to-lead for law firms.
4. Qualification rate
What it is: the share of leads that are a fit. Formula: qualified leads ÷ total leads. Why it matters: a low rate usually points to a marketing problem, not an intake one. Your ads or listings are reaching the wrong people.
5. Lead-to-consultation rate
What it is: the share of qualified leads who book a consult. Formula: consults booked ÷ qualified leads. Why it matters: this is where good intake shows up most. Covered in lead-to-consultation rate.
6. Show rate
What it is: the share of booked consults that happen. Formula: consults held ÷ consults scheduled (excluding reschedules). Why it matters: a no-show wastes attorney time and usually loses the lead.
7. Consult-to-retainer rate
What it is: the share of held consults that sign. Formula: retainers signed ÷ consults held. Why it matters: this is mostly the attorney's number, but intake affects it. Good notes, the right expectations going in and a fast retainer after the consult all help.
8. Cost per signed client
What it is: what it costs to sign one new client. Formula: marketing plus intake costs ÷ new signed clients. Why it matters: it ties everything back to money. Calculated in detail in cost per signed client.
A weekly scorecard
Put the numbers on one page. Here's an example with made-up numbers, just to show the layout:
| KPI | This week | 4-week average | Target | |---|---|---|---| | New leads | 48 | 45 | Track only | | Missed call rate | 22% | 26% | Under 10% | | Speed-to-lead, median | 35 min | 50 min | Under 15 min | | Qualification rate | 65% | 62% | Track only | | Lead-to-consult rate | 55% | 52% | 65% | | Show rate | 80% | 76% | 85% | | Consult-to-retainer | 45% | 42% | 50% | | New signed clients | 6 | 5 | 8 |
The targets in that table are examples too. Set your own based on your baseline, and move them as you improve. Don't copy a target from somewhere else just because it sounds right. We explain why in law firm intake conversion rate benchmarks.
Keep cost per signed client on a monthly or quarterly report. Weekly, it bounces around too much to be useful.
Where the data comes from
| KPI | Source | |---|---| | Lead volume | CRM, phone logs, form submissions | | Missed call rate | Phone system call log | | Speed-to-lead | Form and call timestamps, CRM activity log | | Qualification rate | CRM or intake notes | | Lead-to-consult rate | CRM and calendar | | Show rate | Calendar plus outcome notes | | Consult-to-retainer | CRM, e-signature tool or practice management software | | Cost per signed client | Invoices, payroll, CRM |
If that's six different systems, the scorecard will take an hour a week and eventually stop happening. The fewer places a lead lives, the easier this gets.
How to use the scorecard
- Review it at the same time every week. Fifteen minutes on Monday with whoever runs intake and one attorney.
- Look for the biggest drop, not every wiggle. Weekly numbers for a small firm move a lot by chance. A 4-week average smooths that out.
- Pick one thing to fix. If missed call rate is the outlier, work on coverage. If show rate is the outlier, work on reminders. Don't try to fix all eight at once.
- Write down what you changed. When a number moves, you'll want to know why.
Common mistakes
- Changing definitions. If "qualified" means something different every month, your trend is noise.
- Not recording outcomes. No-shows and unsigned consults that never get marked make your rates look better than they are.
- Tracking only the end. Signed clients alone tell you there's a problem, not where it is.
- Blaming people for system gaps. A high missed call rate at lunch is a staffing design issue, not a lazy receptionist.
What to do this week
- Copy the scorecard table into a spreadsheet.
- Fill in what you can for last week. Leave blanks where you have no data.
- For each blank, write down where that data would come from and who'd collect it.
- Book a recurring 15-minute Monday review.
- Pick the one KPI that looks worst and choose a fix to try.
Where IntakeGenius fits
IntakeCRM tracks each lead from first contact to signed retainer, so most of this scorecard comes from one place. The AI voice agent answers every call and books consults, which works on missed call rate, speed-to-lead and lead-to-consult rate. Five-touch reminders and fast retainer follow-up work on show rate and consult-to-retainer. And IntakeGenius integrates with MyCase and Clio, so intake connects to the practice management system you already use.
If you want to see what your scorecard could look like, book a 15-minute demo. No slides.