Most firms start from a blank box and write something that announces what the firm just did. That reads fine on the day you write it and badly six months later, when the phase gets set three weeks after the thing it describes.
This page is a complete set that avoids that. Copy any of it. Swap in your phone number and change the wording until it sounds like your firm.
Every message here follows the rules in Writing Messages Clients Actually Understand. The most important one: describe the stage, not the moment. A phase message tells you that someone moved a case into a bucket with that name. It does not tell you when the underlying event happened, or which step inside that phase is finished.
How to use these
Replace (555) 555-5555 with the number a client should actually call. Replace {{client_first_name}} only if your system uses a different token.
Each message assumes one thing about your setup, which is that the client can reach a person by phone. If your firm answers questions in the app instead, swap the closing line for that. Do not leave a bare phone number with no explanation of what happens when they call it.
Where a message references an app screen by name, check that the screen is turned on for your firm first. Pointing a client at something they cannot see is worse than being vague.
Onboarding
Subject: Welcome to your case
Welcome, {{client_first_name}}. Your case is open and we are on it.
You pay us nothing unless we win. There is no bill coming.
Two things would help us right now. If you took any photos at the scene, add them in the app. And add the doctors you have already seen, so we know where to request records.
The most important thing you can do from here is go to every appointment your doctors recommend.
Call (555) 555-5555 any time and we will put you through to your case manager.
Full guidance: What to Say in an Onboarding Phase Message.
Treatment
Subject: Your case is in the treatment phase
Right now, the most valuable work on your case is the work you are doing at your appointments. Your treatment and your case are the same thing.
Two things help more than anything else. Go to every appointment your doctors recommend. And tell them exactly how you feel, including the bad days. If it is not in your medical records, we cannot use it later.
In the app, please log how you are feeling a few times a week and add each doctor you see. It takes about a minute.
When your doctors say you are as healed as you are going to get, we gather your records and move to the next step.
Call (555) 555-5555 any time and we will put you through to your case manager.
Full guidance: What to Say in a Treatment Phase Message.
Gathering records
Subject: We're collecting your records
This is the stage where we collect every medical record and bill from every place you were treated. It is the slowest part of the process, because providers take weeks to send them.
You do not need to chase anyone. Two things help. If a bill or receipt arrives in the mail, add it in the app. And if you see a new doctor, add them to your Doctor List so we know to ask for those records too.
If you are still treating, keep going to your appointments.
Call (555) 555-5555 any time and we will put you through to your case manager.
Demand
Subject: Your case is in the demand stage
A demand is the letter we send the insurance company. It tells them what happened, what you have been through, and what we believe your case is worth.
Before it can go out, we need every medical record and bill from every provider you have seen. That usually takes a few weeks and is the slowest part of the process.
Two things would help. Tell us about anything you used to do that you cannot do now. And add any costs you paid yourself in the app, including prescriptions and mileage to appointments.
After the letter goes out, the insurance company has time to respond, and their first answer is rarely their last.
Call (555) 555-5555 any time and we will put you through to your case manager.
Note what this does not say. It does not say the demand has gone out, because the phase does not tell you that, and plenty of firms set this phase while the client is still treating. Full guidance: What to Say in a Demand Phase Message.
Negotiation
Subject: Your case is in the negotiation stage
This is the stage where a number gets worked out with the insurance company. Their first offer is usually not their best one, so there is normally some back and forth.
Nothing gets accepted without your say-so. That decision is always yours.
One thing worth knowing early: the total number is not the amount you take home. Your medical bills get paid back out of it, along with our fee. We will show you the full breakdown before you agree to anything, so there are no surprises.
Please do not talk to the other side or their lawyer. If they contact you, tell them to speak with us.
If a new bill arrives in the mail, add it in the app or call (555) 555-5555 and we will put you through to your case manager.
This is the right place for the settlement explainer video, not the settlement message itself. Nobody reads about how bills come out of their money while they are celebrating.
Underinsured motorist
Subject: Your case is in the UIM stage
This stage means the other driver's insurance has paid all it can, and we are now turning to your own car insurance to cover the rest.
That coverage is called Underinsured Motorist, or UIM. It is part of your own policy, and using it does not mean you did anything wrong. It exists for exactly this situation, when the other driver did not carry enough insurance.
You do not need to do anything right now. We are putting together what your insurance company needs, and we will ask if anything is missing. Keep focusing on getting better.
Call (555) 555-5555 any time and we will put you through to your case manager.
Litigation
Subject: Your case is in the litigation stage
Your case is now in the litigation stage. This is the part of the process that goes through the court. It is a normal step, and it does not mean anything has gone wrong.
It usually means we could not reach a fair number with the insurance company, so we are asking the court to move things along. Most cases still settle without a trial.
This part takes several months. At some point the other side may ask you questions about the accident and your injuries. If that happens, we will sit down with you well beforehand and walk through what to expect. You will not go into anything cold.
Two things help. Tell us right away if your phone number or address changes. And please do not post about your injury or your case on social media, including photos of activities. Insurance companies do look.
Call (555) 555-5555 any time and we will put you through to your case manager.
Two lines here do most of the work. "Most cases still settle without a trial" is the most reassuring true thing you can say at this stage, and clients almost never know it. The social media warning covers the client behaviour most likely to damage a case. Full guidance: What to Say in a Litigation Phase Message.
Settlement
Subject: Your case has settled
Your case has settled. A number has been agreed with the insurance company, and the fighting part is over. We worked hard to get here for you.
Settling is not the last step, so here is what is left. There is paperwork to sign. The insurance company has to send the funds. Then the bills that get paid back from your settlement are taken care of, along with our fee. Then your money goes to you.
That takes weeks rather than days. We cannot promise a date, because the insurance company controls when the funds arrive.
We will walk you through the full breakdown before anything is paid out, so you will see exactly where every dollar went.
Call (555) 555-5555 any time and we will put you through to your case manager.
Only use this wording if your settlement phase genuinely means an agreement was reached. If your phase fires when an offer arrives, say that instead. Telling a client you settled when an offer merely landed is the most damaging mix-up in this stage. Full guidance: What to Say in a Settlement Phase Message.
Ready to disburse
Subject: Getting your money ready
This is the stage where we get your money ready to send you.
Before it can go out, the bills that get paid back from your settlement have to be taken care of, along with our fee and case costs. We work to get those bills reduced wherever we can, because every dollar we save there is a dollar that reaches you.
We will go over the full breakdown with you before anything is paid out. You will see every number.
You do not need to do anything right now. If we need a signature, we will call. If a new bill arrives in the mail, call (555) 555-5555 and we will put you through to your case manager.
Note the absence of the word "disbursement," and of "lien." Both are terms your client has no reason to know. "When we send you your money" and "bills that get paid back from your settlement" say the same thing to someone reading it on a phone.
Closing
Subject: Thank you
Thank you for trusting us with your case, {{client_first_name}}. We know how long this took and how much of it fell on you.
A couple of things worth doing. Keep any paperwork from your case and your medical records somewhere safe. If you ever need something from your file, call and ask.
If a bill from this accident turns up later, or you hear from a collections agency about it, call us at (555) 555-5555 before you pay anything. That is what we are here for.
If there is anything you still need from us, this is an easy time to ask.
The Quilia app stays on your phone. You will still find our details there and everything we sent you, and you can send someone our way any time.
It has been a privilege working with you. If you ever need us again, or someone you care about does, we are here.
The best version of this message never mentions closing. You cannot tell from the phase whether the client has actually been paid, and "your case is now closed" undoes a year of goodwill for anyone still waiting on their money. Make it a thank-you letter and it lands correctly either way.
Consider sending the review request as a separate message a week or two later, rather than attaching it to this one. Full guidance: What to Say in a Case Closure Phase Message.
One message per phase is usually not enough
Every example above fires once, shortly after the phase changes. That is the right place to start and the wrong place to stop.
The phases clients spend the longest in are the ones where silence does the most damage. Treatment can run a year. Litigation can run longer. A single message on day one does nothing for the client wondering in month four whether anyone is still working on their case.
Where a second or third message earns its place:
- Treatment at day 1, day 30, and day 90
- Litigation at day 1, day 60, and day 120
- Demand with a follow-up around day 30, because the wait for a response is the part that feels like nothing is happening
- Closing, with the review request separated out by a week or two
Start with one per phase. Add the follow-ups once the first set is live and you can see which stages generate the most "any update?" calls.