A growing law office can be a rapid-fire business environment, constantly buzzing with activity and a consistent inflow of inbound calls. As your practice grows, and word of mouth starts to spread, this increase in inbound calls can test your in-house team’s ability to handle the volume.
As a lawyer, you know how valuable qualified leads are and how costly they can be to acquire in your paid marketing efforts. So you fully understand how expensive and crippling it would be if you were squandering potential clients by not answering their calls immediately.
You never know which call is going to be that really juicy lead. Your office is probably swamped daily with calls from clients asking questions or requesting updates on their legal matters. You probably spend a considerable portion of the day on the phone scheduling meetings, requesting copies of documents and conferring with your legal colleagues.
And while all of those day-to-day matters are taking place, your practice is undoubtedly on the lookout for new business, and that next call may well be that big whale client you’ve been waiting for.
And when that call happens, are you and your staff going to be too busy to answer?
If the answer is “maybe” than you may be harpooning the future growth and esteem of your practice. Don’t let that happen to you. Hire a qualified live virtual answering service and have a specialized customer service receptionist handle each and every call you otherwise might have missed.
Here are a few more reasons why lawyers should consider a phone answering service specifically trained for legal services:
Live Receptionists Deliver 24/7 Service For After-Hours Callers
As an attorney, you know how frequently clients need to speak with you at odd hours. It’s probably common for you to be in the office late into the evening, discussing matters with those you currently represent or obtaining information from potential clients. But even if you are working 100 hours a week, there are still times when you won’t be available, whether you are sneaking in a few precious hours of sleep or you are already on the phone with a client.
With a call answering service, you won’t miss a single lead.
A Specialty Answering Service Can Qualify, Prioritize Your Calls
Your time is valuable. You simply can’t be wasting time talking with poorly qualified leads, or personally answering every client’s update request. Time is money in every profession, but it’s more true for lawyers in small practices. When you do take a call, you need some assurances that the time spent will be profitable. And you need to be able to make those decisions quickly, by having all the pertinent information delivered to you in a timely fashion.
Live call answering services for attorneys will help you avoid non-billable hours. The best receptionist services will be able to expertly handle first-time inquiries, basic client questions, and can help you prioritize the potential leads you get over the phone. They will also meticulously record client details into forms that are instantly passed over to your firm, for quick internal review.
Live Legal Services Customer Service Improves Your Reputation
As your reputation grows, more and more people will begin inquiring about your services. As previously noted, many of these callers will be unqualified leads — individuals who don’t actually have a profitable case, or those seeking services outside your legal speciality. While these callers are very unlikely to have revenue-potential, they still need to be communicated with in a professional, considerate fashion.
Many law firms sully their reputation by being terse when responding to queries that aren’t from their ideal client. The issues the callers face are very important to them, and if they are left with a bad taste in their mouths after contacting your practice, they are very unlikely to keep their feelings to themselves.
Save yourself the headaches that this bad word-of-mouth reputation can bring, by ensuring that all of your callers are treated with respect. Call answering services that specialize in working with lawyers are adept at listening to callers’ concerns and offering alternate solutions in instances where your services and their needs do not align.