“Your heart is true, you’re a pal and a confida-a-nt.”
A truly gold member fan of the hit sitcom The Golden Girls, you have the show on in the background while browsing some trading sites for authentic collectables. Hearing Dorothy make one of her classic, snide remarks at Rose, you chuckle and then realize that the “Thank you for Being a Friend” tune is actually not introducing a new episode, but is your most recent ringtone – and you’ve almost missed the call!
Of course, it’s your mom, and she wants to tell you that someone on Facebook Marketplace is claiming to sell Sophia Petrillo’s original wicker purse – what?! You quickly log onto Facebook and contact the seller. To your delight, no one else had made an offer. You cringe a little, thinking $400 is pretty steep for a purse, but then you remember that many of your friends have paid double that just for name brand which, truthfully, can’t compete with the name Sophia Petrillo. You and the seller delight in conversation about how she bought this at an auction while on vacation touring the original Golden Girls home. Now that she’s downsizing, she doesn’t want it to be lost, damaged or forgotten, so she is passing it along to the next enthusiast. In complete trust, you Venmo her $400 and she has the purse on a FedEx truck to your house the next day.
When the doorbell rings, you turn off your work camera, mute your mic and bolt to sign for the delivery. Carefully opening the thoughtful packaging, you beam with pride and cannot wait to put it on display right next to an originally autographed photo of Bea Arthur – perfect! The exterior is spotless but, as you open the clutch, a potent, flowery odor fills the air – this is not what you could imagine Sophia smelling like! Annoyed, but trying to be polite to the sweet seller you share so much in common with, you calmly and compassionately explain the unexpected, eye-watering scent. Embarrassed, she remembers that she had used it only once to show off at a party 20-some years ago, and her to-go perfume bottle had slightly cracked. Slightly?
The Unemotional, Purely Monetary and Most Compassionate Way to Solve Disputes
Have you ever been in situation like this? A business deal that you need mediated and made official, but want to keep your personal relationship out of it?
While many would argue that automated intelligence (AI) dehumanizes interactions and doesn’t belong in legal negotiations, the truth is that its work actually underlines the human component: AI pools all the evidence and information, and focuses on number-based rationale so that case participants can make the most informed, most compassionate decisions. In other words, AI alleviates the tedious, behind-the-scene work and allows people to focus on what it cannot – emotions, relationships, and morals. This short episode of The Paperless Productivity Podcast explains it best by handing the mic to The National Center for State Court’s CIO Paul Embley and Consultant Diana Graski – together, they walk us through several, real-life instances where, with the support of AI (or “automated insights” as they call it), the Judge had more personable interactions with each litigant and everyone walked away feeling heard, regardless of the case’s outcome.
With “Automated Insights” in mind, Meet Mollie – the AI Mediator
Mollie is the world’s only known AI Mediator who also happens to be available with our online dispute resolution software. On hand 24×7, around the case parties’ schedules, Mollie’s facilitation transcends geographical constraints and often allows her to wrap up clients’ disputes within minutes, hours or, worst case, a day or two.
Mollie resolves monetary disputes for small claims, landlord-tenant cases, child support, misdemeanors and more by working with each case party on blind bids until they are within a reasonable ballpark of each other. She then encourages the parties to reveal their blind bids to one another – if an agreed-upon number is reached, Mollie drafts up the settlement with the terms, any contingencies and a due date. As long as she’s integrated with an electronic signing platform, Mollie can have each party eSign the terms and quickly close out the case.
To learn more about the one-and-only Mollie, visit this webpage.
Will the Purse Be Retired to Shady Pines?
Now that we know Mollie, let’s see revisit the purse incident and see how she closes the case on this not-so-mint smelling clutch.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time you’ve been disappointed by a less-than-promised item – not too long ago, you were the winning bid on a pair of Blanche Devereaux earrings, only to compare them to actual clips and realize the stone color is slightly different. You remember using an online mediation tool from a local ADR office, and suggest using it again now. This way, you can fondly remember this lady and still get some of your money back.
Before recruiting Mollie, you and the seller agree that she will refund some of your money and you will keep the purse. However, if a mutual amount can’t be agreed upon after five rounds with Mollie, you will ship the purse back and the seller will refund you 100 percent.
Thankfully, after only two rounds, you and the seller have achieved ballpark bids and disclose your amounts to find they are an exact match – you will be receiving half the purchase price ($200) back, and the seller will reimburse you for some dry-cleaning to try and rid the smell. For you, this is perfect – you only spent half as much as originally planned, and still get to showcase the clutch on video calls. After all, the smell only wafts when opened, and no one will get a whiff from being on screen.
Picture It: Your Case, Resolved in Minutes, Mediated by Online Dispute Resolution
Aside from resolving your disputes in picturesque Sicily, AI Mediation is the next best thing. Of course, Mollie doesn’t account for every context and human mediators can take over if need be.
If the two parties find no common ground after so many rounds with Mollie, they can request their case be escalated to human mediation. Or, if a certain mediator is desired right off the bat, our ODR tool can facilitate that request too. Learn more about comprehensive, conducive online dispute resolution for your practice, including the option to leverage Mollie when convenient, at www.ResolveDisputes.com.
Thanks for being a friend!