Hona for Clio firms

Hona works alongside Clio. Clio Manage stays the system of record for every matter. Hona is the system of action: its AI case agent, Lia, runs your firm's playbooks to do the follow-up work of personal injury pre-litigation, from intake through treatment, records, settlement and payout, and logs what happened back to the Clio matter.

How does Hona work with Clio?

Hona connects to Clio Manage, reads each matter, works it with the client and their medical providers, and writes the results back to the matter. When a matter changes stage, Hona moves the client's case tracker, sends the update you wrote for that stage, and starts the playbook for that phase.

Clio stays the source of truth for case and contact data. Your team keeps working in Clio, and the matter gets more complete, because every client conversation lands on it. For intake, Hona also creates new leads in Clio Grow.

Hona won Best Business of Law App in Clio's 2023 Integration Awards.

What syncs between Clio and Hona?

What is a Hona playbook?

A Hona playbook is your firm's standard operating procedure, written so Lia can run it. It says when it starts, such as a matter entering a stage; what Lia does, in plain language; and when it stops, such as records received or a person on your team taking over. Escalation rules live inside it, written the way you would say them: "Escalate to the case owner, high priority, when the client mentions a new injury."

Hona ships standard playbooks for care coordination, provider follow-up and escalations. Hona's forward-deployed team builds custom playbooks with your firm, and your team can change any playbook in plain language.

How does Hona work alongside Clio at each stage of pre-litigation?

1. Intake and sign-up

The jobs are to answer every call, qualify the lead, capture the facts, get the retainer signed, and open the matter.

• Hona's AI Receptionist answers calls around the clock in 31 languages, screens new injury callers, and sends your team a transcript and summary of every call.
• When a caller matches an existing client, the call summary is saved as a note on that client's Clio matter.
• If your firm runs intake in Clio Grow, a Hona lead automation creates each new lead from the AI Receptionist or website chatbot in Clio Grow, so nobody types it in twice.
• The Clio Grow lead carries the caller's name, email, phone, a message, the referring page and the lead source. It goes to your Clio Grow Lead Inbox, and it is set up separately from your Clio Manage connection.
• A lead automation can also create the matter and its client in Clio Manage directly, filling in the matter and client fields you choose, custom fields included.
• Intake forms go out by text with e-signature, and Lia's intake playbook follows up until the documents you need arrive.
• Once the matter is open in Clio Manage with Hona Enabled set to yes, it syncs into Hona under the project type for its practice area.

2. Onboarding the client

The jobs are to explain what happens next, gather the accident details, insurance information and list of providers, and get authorizations signed.

• Forms collect the details by text. Answers you map update fields on the Clio matter, and each submission is logged as a note.
• A form question can update a matter custom field, a contact custom field, or the client's name, email, phone or date of birth in Clio. Each submission lands as a note titled "Form Submission" with the form's name.
• Photos, police reports and signed documents arrive as attachments on the matter.
• The client gets a case tracker that shows their Clio stage in plain language. No app is required. Updates arrive by text with a link.

3. Getting the client through medical treatment

The jobs are to remind clients about appointments, confirm they went, catch new providers, check in between visits, and catch gaps before they form.

• Lia's care coordination playbook texts and emails clients appointment reminders, follows up after each visit to confirm attendance and pick up new providers, checks in between visits, and can call a client to schedule an appointment when your firm turns calling on.
• If a client misses an appointment and cannot be reached, or mentions symptoms nobody is treating, Lia escalates to your team with the reason, what she already tried, and a priority.
• Every text Lia sends and receives is logged to the Clio matter, so anyone who opens it sees the conversation.
• Each text is its own communication on the matter, linked to the client and, when Hona can match them, the Clio user who sent it.

4. Collecting bills and records from providers

The jobs are to confirm visits, request itemized bills and records, and follow up until everything arrives.

• Lia's provider follow-up playbook emails provider offices for attendance, itemized bills, balances, CPT and ICD codes, letter of protection status and medical records, using the client's signed HIPAA authorization.
• She keeps following up until the office answers. Results land on the Treatment tab in Hona, and when your firm wants, the playbook has Lia update the Clio record too.

5. Client updates when a matter changes stage

The jobs are to tell the client when the case moves, answer "where's my case?", and keep them engaged through the long quiet stretches.

• When a matter moves to a new stage in Clio, the nightly sync picks it up. Hona moves the client's case tracker, sends the update you wrote for that stage, and starts the playbook for that phase.
• Each nightly sync picks up the matters that changed in Clio in the last few days. Stage changes do not reach Hona in real time.
• When a client should hear right away, staff can sync that one matter by hand for an immediate update.
• Firms that run matters on tasks can have the case tracker move on Clio tasks instead of stages.
• For a task-based project type, each phase lists Clio task names, and a task counts once it is marked complete in Clio. You choose whether a phase needs all of its tasks done or any one of them. Hona reads tasks when the matter syncs.
• Each update the client receives is logged as its own note on the matter, starting with the type of event, such as a phase change or drip message.
• Lia answers client texts at any hour from your FAQs and phase descriptions.
• Drip messages keep clients engaged while a matter sits in one stage.

6. Building the demand

The jobs are to confirm treatment is complete, gather final bills and records, and collect anything else the demand needs.

• When a client texts that they are done treating, Lia records it, and the text is logged to the matter.
• The provider follow-up playbook collects final bills and records.
• Lia chases the client for what is still missing, and the files arrive as attachments on the Clio matter.
• Files land in the matter's Documents under their original names.

7. Negotiation

The jobs are to keep the client informed while offers go back and forth, and get the client's decision on each offer.

• Stage updates keep the client informed without a phone call.
• Questions about case value, settlement or timing go to your attorney every time. Lia escalates them and does not answer them.
• Your attorney talks the client through each offer in the same text thread, which is logged to the matter.

8. Settlement payouts

The jobs are to pay the client, pay medical providers and lien holders, and answer "where's my money?"

• Hona Disbursements, powered by Confido Legal, pays your client, medical providers, lien holders and other vendors from Hona.
• Drafting and approving a payout are separate permissions, and an approver at your firm releases every payout.
• The client gets a secure link in the same text thread, verifies their identity, and chooses an instant payout to a debit card or free direct deposit.

How Hona Disbursements works.

9. Closing out

The jobs are to ask for a review and measure how the client felt about the case.

• Review requests and NPS surveys go out automatically when a case reaches the phase you choose.
• A reputation dashboard tracks the results.
• When a matter is closed in Clio, Hona marks the case complete on its next sync.

How do you set up Hona with Clio?

An admin with access to both Clio and Hona sets up the integration.

1. Connect. In Hona, open Company Settings, then Integrations, click Connect on the Clio tile, and click Allow Access in Clio.
2. Check the status. The tile shows Connected, Inactive. Hona can read your Clio data, but nothing syncs on its own and nothing goes to clients yet.
3. Map three fields. Click Map Fields on the Clio tile and map practice area to project type, matter stage to phase, and Hona Enabled, a custom field you create in Clio to decide which matters sync.

Hona Enabled can be a Yes/No picklist or a checkbox. Yes, or a checked box, means the matter syncs. A blank field means it does not, and a matter needs a client in Clio to sync.

4. Set up project types and phases. For each project type, choose its Clio practice areas and whether it moves on matter stages or tasks, then give each phase at least one Clio trigger. A stage can belong to only one phase in a project type, and stage names must match Clio exactly.
5. Map your team, if you want. Add a custom Contact Select field in Clio for each role, such as Case Manager, and enter that name as the role's CRM Name in Hona. Clio's Responsible Staff field works too.

The matter's Responsible Attorney syncs too, and is the client's primary contact unless you mark another role as primary. Contact Select fields named Hona Follower, up to Hona Follower 4, add those people as followers on the case.

6. Test a matter. On the Projects tab in Hona, click +, choose Clio, paste the matter ID from the matter's Clio web address, and check that it lands under the right project type and phase.
7. Go live. When you are ready, your Hona onboarding or account manager sets the integration to Active, and nightly syncs begin.

How does Hona keep your team in control?

Lia works alongside your staff, never around them.

• Lia tells clients she is an AI.
• Lia texts and emails clients, and she can call a client to schedule an appointment when your firm turns calling on.
• She never gives legal advice, medical advice, or an opinion on case value or settlement. She escalates those questions, and any client in distress.
• Lia's proactive messages go out only between 9am and 7pm in your firm's time zone, and in the client's when it is known. Lia answers incoming texts at any hour.
• Your team can review Lia's work, pause her, or take over any conversation.
• Lia updates Clio records only as part of a playbook, and only when your firm wants her to.
• Every text, Lia's included, is logged to the Clio matter, so the record shows what was said.
• Turning Hona Enabled off on a matter stops Hona's automatic updates to that client. The case stays in Hona, and your team can still text the client.
• Hona is SOC 2 Type II and HIPAA compliant.

The takeaway

Keep Clio. It is the record of every matter, and it is good at that. Add Hona to do the work a record cannot: reach out first, follow up, notice when a client goes quiet, and hand your team what needs a person. Every text, note and file lands back on the Clio matter. Your playbooks already describe the work. Lia runs them.

Book a demo to see Lia run your playbooks on matters from your Clio account.

Frequently asked questions

Does Hona replace Clio?

No. Clio stays the system of record for every matter. Hona connects to Clio Manage, does the client and provider follow-up through its AI case agent Lia, and logs texts, notifications and client files back to the matter.

What does Hona write back to Clio?

Every text with the client, Lia's included, is logged to the matter as its own communication. Notification history, form submissions and AI Receptionist call summaries for existing clients are logged as notes, client files arrive in the matter's Documents, and form answers you map update matter and contact fields. Lia can also update Clio records as part of a playbook when your firm wants her to.

Which Clio matters sync to Hona?

Matters with the Hona Enabled custom field set to yes, or checked if it is a checkbox, and with a client on the matter. Each matter's practice area sets its Hona project type, and its matter stage sets its phase and the client's case tracker.

How quickly does a stage change in Clio reach the client?

Hona picks up stage changes on its nightly sync, and the update goes to the client the next day. Clio changes do not reach Hona in real time. For an immediate update, staff open the case in Hona and click the sync icon in its header.

Can the case tracker follow Clio tasks instead of matter stages?

Yes. Each Hona project type can move on matter stages or on tasks, so firms that run matters on tasks can keep doing so.

Does Hona work with Clio Grow?

Yes, for intake. A Hona lead automation can create each new lead from the AI Receptionist or website chatbot in your Clio Grow Lead Inbox, with the caller's name, email, phone, a message, the referring page and the lead source. Clio Grow is set up separately from your Clio Manage connection.

How do we stop Hona updates for one client?

Set Hona Enabled to no on that matter in Clio. Hona keeps the case and keeps syncing it, but stops automatic updates for it, including stage updates, drip messages and review requests. Your team can still text the client through Hona.

Does Lia give legal or medical advice?

No. Lia never gives legal advice, medical advice, or an opinion on case value or settlement. She escalates those questions to your team, and she tells clients she is an AI.