If you want something to be fixed, handled or to run smoothly often a lawyer may be a good place to start. Well, when our lawyers need something fixed, handled or to run smoothly – who do they typically see? They head to the front of our office to get help from our admin team.
As artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming various aspects of workplaces – many would notice AI tools are being increasingly used to streamline and enhance intake tasks that a staff member may typically be employed to handle.
Our experience is that AI cannot replace the human element of administration and intake. The SMLS admin and intake team are an indispensable asset to our organisation and unable to be entirely replaced by machines or artificial intelligence given the nuances of their roles and interactions.
The team’s work involves so much human judgement and empathy – they are often the first point of contact for our clients – clients who are often vulnerable and facing injustice. Clients require a human face or human voice to reassure them, direct their enquiry to the appropriate person or place and work hard to ensure they can access the legal assistance they require.
At 9am every Monday to Friday the phone rings at SMLS and it is a member of the intake and admin team that will answer the call. They not only answer queries on the phone from clients but those from other SMLS staff, students, volunteers, visitors and anyone that comes through the door.
Critical personnel may describe the team’s importance, but it does not capture the intensity of the work the intake and admin team are exposed to. Whether it is a last-minute call from a client who urgently needs to see a lawyer or staff member for an appointment or a SMLS staff member, student or volunteer needing the team for questions and help throughout the day.
The SMLS intake and admin team are trauma informed professionals who focus on resolving complex issues to ensure important dates such as court dates are not missed while lawyers are equally not unrealistically overloaded.
While this work may seem straightforward, the programs we deliver are extremely tailored and the clients we see are often in highly challenging circumstances. Navigating these complexities and intricacies requires sensitivity and skill. Multitasking is often used as a baseline when recruiting for any intake and admin role – but what it really means, is that the work never stops.
SMLS is currently exploring ways to improve and implement various technologies and enhanced AI processes to increase efficiencies in our systems including data entry and extraction. However, while we explore and implement technology to streamline various aspects of the work we do, we always remember that we are a community service that is client facing – that needs a human voice at the end of the line.
The nuanced experience, dedication, hard work and skill from the SMLS intake and admin team is pivotal to our organisation and the positive client outcomes we attain.
