So, you’ve come to the conclusion that a virtual receptionist service is the best fit for your firm.

Well you’re not short on options, and there are many companies claiming to offer something unique. You’ll hear a lot of broad promises, and vague claims of, “We’re the best!” but everyone’s services sound the same.

We want to be precise and clear. Back Office Betties promises a different experience compared to other providers, and we’re going to break down those differences case by case.

Starting with Ruby:

Ruby is a popular answering service and virtual receptionist company that you will likely run into during your search. We’re answering key questions to compare our services, and help you determine the best choice for your firm.

Who Do We Serve?

Betties: Attorneys Exclusively

• Back Office Betties’ receptionists are experts in the legal industry. When potential new clients call, our receptionists are able to determine their case type based on their situation and route them accordingly. Our receptionists can complete custom intake forms by case type, or provide the caller with a recommendation if their case is outside of your practice area.
• Betties’ receptionists must pass a legal skills test prior to their first interview, and complete an in-depth training program on legal terminology, common cases, and practice areas upon hiring and before taking any calls.

Ruby: Anyone & Everyone

• Ruby’s receptionists take calls from a wide range of industries. They may take a call for a real estate agent or plumber one minute, and your law firm the next.

There’s a limit to the industry knowledge Ruby’s receptionists can possess while working with so many of them.

This helps Ruby get more customers, but it doesn’t help make each customer’s experience the best it could be.

How Do We Handle Your Calls?

Betties: With Undivided Attention

• Betties’ receptionists will never place your calls on hold to take another. Our receptionists answer each call within 4 rings, and give your caller their full attention from start to finish.
• Your messages are crafted in real-time and sent to you immediately before the receptionist takes another call.

Ruby: With Momentary Holds

• Ruby’s receptionists place your calls on hold immediately after answering. Their receptionists are taking so many calls, from so many different industries and clients, that they need to place every call on hold to review their account. Unfortunately, you will be charged for the hold time.
• Ruby receptionists save time by waiting to send messages until they get a free moment, meaning that your message may be delayed until an entire batch of messages is ready to send. This can lead to inaccuracies or mix-ups.

How Do We Tailor Your Experience?

Both Betties and Ruby offer customized greetings, call routing, and provide answers to caller’s FAQ’s, but that’s where the similarities end.

Betties: Firm-Specific Customization and Training

• Unlimited FAQ’s.
• Directions for lost callers.
• Multiple custom intake forms. (You need different information for different cases, we get it.)
• Slack Communication. (Our receptionists can instant message you through Slack to see if you’d like to take a call before attempting to transfer. Additionally, you can message our receptionists directly with updates.)
• Custom training courses on your firm.

When you sign up for Betties’ virtual receptionist service, we create a custom training course all about your firm:

• What types of law does your firm handle?
• Who are the contacts on the account and how do you pronounce their names?
• What landmark is next to your firm’s office building?
• How much do you charge for a consultation?
• Do you want us to transfer or take a message for Spanish callers?

These are just a few examples of questions that are on the quizzes that Betties’ receptionists must pass with 100% accuracy before taking your first call.

Ruby: General Customization

• 4 – 6 FAQ’s.
• Known callers can be greeted personally.
• A selection of 7 different hold music choices, and the option to use your own.
• Limited custom intake forms.
• 100% choice of service hours. (Ruby is open 24/7/365! Although, bilingual receptionists and outbound call requests are only available from 5am – 6pm PST)

Ruby’s receptionists will pleasantly greet your known callers personally. But unfortunately, serving so many accounts and industries means they can’t offer a high level of knowledge about you and your firm.

How Many of Our Receptionists Are Answering Your Calls?

Betties: 4 – 6

• Your firm will have a team of up to 6 receptionists taking your calls. This enables our receptionists to form a personal connection with each firm, and feel like a genuine member of your team!

Ruby: 40 – 240

• Ruby explains:

“Every account has both a primary call group and a secondary call group. Each answer group is made up of two or three receptionist teams, which are comprised of 20-40 receptionists. Every call for your account will ring to the primary call group first; if everyone in that group is already assisting someone, the call will ring over to your secondary call group.”

How Do We Manage Your Appointments and Calendar?

Betties: Full Calendar and Appointment Management

• Betties’ receptionists take care of anything and everything you need. Give us your information, and our receptionists will log into your calendar themselves.
• Not only do we schedule appointments, we’ll cancel, reschedule and make changes as well.
• If you have special circumstances or exceptions, our receptionists will happily accommodate.

For example: You accept same-day appointments, but only with 2 hours’ notice, and you have to be contacted upon scheduling. No problem!

Betties currently works with:

• Acuity
• AppointmentCore
• Bookings
• Calendly
• Clio Scheduler
• Cozycal
• MyCase
• Setmore

Let us know what calendar you’re using. We’re able to accommodate most platforms, and if we can’t, we’ll get you set up with one of the best!

Ruby: Scheduling Only

• Ruby’s receptionists are only able to schedule appointments through online scheduling links (the same thing you’d provide to the client themselves).
• Ruby’s receptionists are unable to view, cancel, reschedule, or make changes to existing appointments.

Ruby currently works with:

• Calendly

Calendly is heavily encouraged, but Ruby is willing to work with other online scheduling links if they fit within their parameters.

What About Outbound Calls and Special Requests?

Both Betties and Ruby provide outbound call services and requests that are included within our plans.

Do We Process Payments For You?

Betties: Yes!

Betties’ receptionists can process payments for your clients over the phone through payment portals.

Ruby: No

Ruby does not offer payment processing.

Do We Offer Bilingual Services?

Yes! Both Betties and Ruby have Spanish speaking bilingual receptionists available with no additional charge.

What Software Do We Integrate With?

Betties:

• Acuity
• AppointmentCore
• Bookings
• Calendly
• ClientRock
• Clio Grow (Formerly Lexicata)
• Clio Manage
• Clio Scheduler
• CozyCal
• LawPay
• MyCase
• PracticePanther
• Setmore
• YouCanBook.Me

Ruby:

• Calendly
• Clio Grow (Formerly Lexicata)
• Clio Manage
• Rocket Matter

Where Are We Working?

Betties: Remotely

• Betties’ headquarters are in Scottsdale, Arizona, but our team of virtual receptionists work remotely from Arizona, California, Florida, and Texas.

All of Betties’ receptionists works from home in their own quiet, private office spaces.

Having a private office eliminates distractions, background noises, and the infamous soul-crushing call center environment. This enables our receptionists to feel and work like receptionists, not phone operators.

Ruby: In Office

• Ruby has offices in Portland, Oregon and Kansas City, Missouri.

All of Ruby’s receptionists work out of these offices.

What Plans and Pricing Do We Offer?

Both Betties and Ruby have multiple plans that are structured with flat rates covering up to a certain number of minutes with additional charges for overages.

Betties: Plans based on exact minutes.

We’ll never round up minutes or charge for calls placed on hold.

Betties’ plans start at $299/month with 100 minutes and go up to $1,599/month with unlimited minutes.

Ruby:  Plans based on receptionist minutes.

Ruby does charge for hold time, and describes their receptionist minutes here:

“Receptionist minutes are billed in 30-second increments, and calls are rounded up to the nearest 30-second mark. As an example, if a call is ten seconds long, it will be billed as 30 seconds (or half of a receptionist minute).”

Ruby’s plans start at $319/month with 100 receptionist minutes and go up to $1,399/month with 500 receptionist minutes.

Which Virtual Receptionist Service Is Best for You?

If you have a large firm, need 24/7/365 service, voicemail transcriptions, and a mobile app – and don’t need calendar management, payment processing, legal expertise, or any bells and whistles – Ruby might be a good fit for your firm.

If you’re looking for a tailored experience, legal expertise, and a small team of dedicated receptionists – and you want a wide range of integrations, full calendar management, payment processing, client intakes, and undivided attention for your callers – Back Office Betties is the way to go! Sound like you? Schedule a call with our Growth Solutions Strategist today and find out exactly what Back Office Betties can do for your law firm.