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Step 1: Choose the format that fits your intake team
Car accident leads come in three main formats. Exclusive leads are real-time inquiries your team calls first — cheapest per unit, but only worth it if you call back within minutes. Live transfers put a screened claimant on the phone with your intake team, so contact is guaranteed. Signed retainers arrive with your engagement agreement already e-signed, which suits firms short on intake staff.
If you are unsure, live transfers are usually the best starting point: they remove the callback problem and let you judge claimant quality directly from the conversation.
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Step 2: Write down your criteria
Before any vendor call, decide what a case you would accept looks like. At minimum:
- States, counties or metros you take cases in.
- Maximum accident age (for example 30, 90 or 180 days).
- Required facts: not at fault, medical treatment, police report, insurance, no current attorney.
- State-specific rules: injury thresholds in no-fault states, strict fault screening in contributory-negligence states.
- Case types you want — car, truck, motorcycle, pedestrian, rideshare, passenger.
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Step 3: Vet vendors on proof, not promises
Ask every vendor where claimants come from, whether each one is exclusive, and to show you the exact consent language and a sample call recording. Get the minimum billable call duration and the return policy in writing. Vendors that won't show consent evidence or insist on large minimums before a test are a warning sign.
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Step 4: Run a capped pilot
Agree a small, capped test in one or two states. Listen to recordings, track how many transfers your attorneys accept, and note any that missed criteria for credit under the return policy. Give the pilot enough weeks to smooth out day-to-day variation.
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Step 5: Measure cost per signed case, then scale
Divide total spend by cases signed from the source. Compare that number across vendors and formats — not the price per lead. Increase volume only once sign-up rates hold steady, and keep reviewing recordings weekly as you scale.