Lawyer Hotlines – Another Marketing Tool?

This article, Batman!  There’s a Lawyer on the Line! (ABA e-report 2/10/5)
discusses a law firm’s use of hotlines, a no-dial phone placed in a high traffic area like a currency exchange.  Clients can pick up the phone, reach a hotline and get a call back within an hour.  The article doesn’t describe the effectiveness of this tool and frankly, I’m not sure what a computer kiosk with IM wouldn’t work better.