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A selection of articles related to proper call handling techniques, common mistakes, and advice for attorneys at small law firms.

Tag Archive for: Call Handling

Busting 3+ Common Myths About Answering Services

The Truth Behind Answering Service MythsThere are many perpetual answering service myths that could cause some to turn up their nose to the idea. But most of what you hear about answering services are just that – myths.

In this post, we break down the top myths about how answering services work.

 

Myth #1. Your Callers Will Know They Aren’t In Your Office

This is possibly the biggest answering service myth. There are multiple factors that contribute to whether or not your callers will know if your receptionist is in your office or not.

 

1. Knowledge and Training

You might be thinking that answering services don’t typically require much from their applicants in order to hire them. And too often, that’s true.

Large call centers don’t specialize in one industry, and no applicant can be well versed in them all.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Boutique and specialized answering services offer a small team of receptionists who can speak with your callers confidently with knowledge and extensive training in your industry.

 

(Back Office Betties requires all applicants to pass a legal skills test before their first interview and provides customized training for every law firm. Small teams of 4 – 6 receptionists become familiar with your staff and procedures… as if they were sitting at your front desk.)

 

2. Call Centers vs. Remote Workers

There’s a significant (and important) difference between answering services operating out of call centers and answering services operating remotely.

  • The background noise in call centers is distracting for the callers AND the agents who are speaking with them. It’s not exactly what the office at your law firm sounds like.
  • Remote virtual receptionists work from home in their own quiet, private offices without background noises or distractions. That’s possibly even better than what the office at your law firm sounds like.

 

Not all answering services operate out of call centers

 

3. Location

While many answering services outsource their call centers overseas, it’s a common misconception that this is the only option when picking a provider.

There are many answering services that operate locally and never outsource.

One tip if you want your virtual receptionists to sound like they’re sitting at the front desk of your law firm: consider hiring a company that’s based in your country/language.

Language barriers can sometimes be confusing for callers and can be a dead giveaway that the person on the other end of the call may not be located nearby. This is especially important for attorneys – you don’t want case detailed to get missed due to simple miscommunications.

 

Myth #2. It’s Cheaper and Easier to Have an In-House Receptionist

It might sound easier to hire an in-house receptionist – It is conventional and you are familiar with it.

However, this isn’t typically true. Answering services are almost always cheaper and the management, payroll, benefits, taxes, and hiring processes are all taken care of.

 

Cost of Hiring Legal Staff Receptionist

The average monthly and annual cost of an in-house receptionist

While in-house receptionists can cost upwards of $4,123.60 a month, answering services and virtual receptionist prices range from $300 – $2,000 a month. With multiple plans, there are options for every law firm’s needs and budget.

Not to mention that in-house receptionists can only take one call at a time, need to take lunch breaks, step away to use the restroom, go on vacations, and call in sick.

With answering services, multiple receptionists can answer calls for your firm at the same time and there is always someone there – no disruptions by way of lunch or bathroom breaks, sick days, or vacations.

Answering services ensure that you’ll never miss a call and provide more service for that lower cost compared to an in-house receptionist.

 

Answering services work to save you time and money while improving the quality of service

 

Myth #3. Your Clients Will Receive Poor Service

The answering service myth that your clients will not receive quality service is debunked by providers with well-trained and highly specialized receptionists.

Common negative experiences with outsourced answering services are:

  • The agent didn’t seem to know anything about the company or their product/service.
  • You had to call again and got a different agent on the line who knew nothing about your previous call.
  • You were placed on hold right away – or even multiple times.

But not all answering services are the same. The quality of service provided is based on the level of expertise the virtual receptionists have due to specialization and training.

With the right answering service, none of these common complaints need to be a concern.

  • Answering services like Back Office Betties that specialize in the legal industry are able to speak with your callers with the same level of expertise as a legal receptionist in your office.
  • Boutique answering services with small teams of receptionists are able to communicate with each other, ensuring your callers won’t be starting from square one if they get someone new on the phone.
  • High-quality answering services will always take 1 call at a time giving your callers their full attention from start to finish.

 

Myth #4. You Have No Control Over Your Calls

A common complaint answering service users report is a lack of control over their calls.

However, most answering services do provide some level of customization. Most, if not all, offer a customized greeting and will answer a few FAQs for callers.

 

Many services will also schedule appointments for you and follow your custom directions for warm and cold transfers.

High-end legal answering services can even provide you with significantly more options and services to fit your needs, such as:

  • Completing complex legal intakes
  • Payment processing
  • Calendar management
  • Adding new leads to your CRM
  • Slack communication

These are just a few examples.

The virtual receptionist plans that Back Office Betties provides are specifically engineered for law firms at 4 different stages of growth – they include all of the unique features that law firms need and are customizable to fit your firm like a glove.

. . .

If you have concerns about any of these myths, be sure to question answering service providers about their operations before committing!

 

“Back Office Betties is the face of my company: they’re the first people that a new client talks to. People think their team is a receptionist in my office. I’ve never had an issue where someone didn’t end up hiring me because of their communication with the Back Office Betties team.” – Carla, Attorney

 

Don’t have time to quiz every answering service? Request a call with our Growth Solutions Strategist to discover how Back Office Betties goes above and beyond to ensure your clients will never know our virtual receptionists aren’t sitting at the front desk in your law firm!

 

The Guide to 10+ Best Ways to Answer Your Law Firm’s Phones

The Guide to Good First Impressions Answering Phones +ExamplesHow do you answer the phones at your law firm?

If you’re part of the 60% of law firms answering with, “Law Office”, you’re on wrong the track.

And why is that?

 

The Way You Answer Your Phones is Your Firm’s First Impression

It’s like they say: You never get a second chance to make a first impression.

Science has shown that first impressions are so concrete, even learning opposing facts about someone can’t change them.

You Never Get a Second Chance to Make a First Impression

Potential clients are likely calling through a list of attorneys looking for the best fit. The way you answer their call is just as important as answering it at all.

A good first impression will pave the way to a good relationship.

 

First impressions are permanent impressions

 

How to Answer Your Law Firm’s Phones

There are plenty of factors to consider, but it’s simple at its core.

Introduce Your Firm

It cannot be stressed enough how important it is to introduce your firm when you pick up the phone.

No more of these “Law Office” generic greetings.

When a potential client is calling a list of attorneys, stressed about their case, looking for the best option, you want your name in their head right away. And you want your name associated with the positive first impression you’re about to give them.

By the time a potential client hangs up the phone, it’s likely they won’t remember the name of the firm they just called if you don’t provide it.

 

The best ways to answer phones always include an introduction

 

Offer Assistance

The person who is asking the questions is the person who is in control of the call.

Take control of the phone call immediately – follow up your introduction by offering assistance in the form of a question.

 

Adjust Your Tone

Confidence is key. And there’s nowhere that is more true than in the legal field.

  • Know what you’re going to say before you reach for the phone.

Stumbling and hesitation will decrease your callers’ confidence in you. You might lead potential clients to think…

“Do they know what they’re doing?”

“Do they know what they’re talking about?”

“Have they not done this many times?”

  • Smile!

Yes, it comes through over the phone, and yes it makes you sound more confident.

And subconsciously or not, it is recognizable.

If you’re happy, comfortable, and at ease, you come across as more confident. And therefore, more capable and professional.

 

With all of this in mind, here are some examples of the best ways to answer your law firm’s phones.

 

The Best Ways To Answer Phones

You have options when it comes to picking a greeting. Not everything is applicable to every firm, and some things just won’t be your cup of tea, but each of the following is guaranteed to start your calls on the right foot.

 

Answering phone calls with a cheerful “Good Morning” or “Good Afternoon” gives your caller that conversational friendliness without spending time on longer pleasantries:

  • “Good (Morning/Afternoon), thank you for calling (Law Firm Name). How may I assist you?”
  • “Good (Morning/Afternoon), this is (Law Firm Name). What can we help you with today?”
  • “Good (Morning/Afternoon), (Law Firm Name), this is _____. How may I assist you?”

 

Introducing yourself is another friendly way to connect with your callers:

  • “(Law Firm Name), this is _____. How may I direct your call?”
  • “Thank you for calling (Law Firm Name), this is _____. How can I help you today?”
  • “You’ve reached (Law Firm Name). My name is _____. What can I assist you with?”

 

If your law firm requires a call recording disclosure, it doesn’t have to sound clunky or uncomfortable:

  • “Good(Morning/Afternoon), you’ve reached (Law Firm Name). All calls are recorded for quality assurance. How may I assist you?”
  • “Hello, this is (Law Firm Name). Your call will be recorded. How can I help you today?”

 

If you have a complicated triage, get started right away:

  • “(Good Morning/Afternoon), (Law Firm Name). Do you know who you’re calling for?”
  • “Thank you for calling (Law Firm Name)! Are you calling with a new legal matter we can help you with?”
  • “Hello, you’ve reached (Law Firm Name). Are you a current client of ours?”
  • “(Law Firm Name), _____ speaking. Are you calling regarding a current case?”

 

If you want to keep it as simple as possible, there are a couple of shortcuts that still sound professional:

The most important factor is to never skip introducing your firm.

  • “Good (Morning/Afternoon), (Law Firm Name).”
  • “Hello, you’ve reached (Law Firm Name).”
  • “(Law Firm Name), how can I assist you?”

 

A person’s favorite word is their name. Using callers’ names with in the first few seconds of the phone call can make a huge difference in connecting with your caller:

  • “Good (Morning/Afternoon)! This is (Law Firm Name). Who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?”
  • “You’ve reached (Law Firm Name), this is _____. Who am I speaking with today?”

 

 

 

Don’t have time for all this? Request a call with our Growth Solutions Strategist to discover how we can customize your call handling and answer your phones in the best possible way for your law firm.

 

How to Control Your Phone Calls & Avoid Being Trapped By a Caller

The Powerful Call Control Techniques Experts Use

Call control is one of those things that can make or break your law firm’s operations.

It can mean the difference between chaos and tranquility in your office, and landing a client or losing one.

Unfortunately, call control isn’t easy. And law firms face unique challenges that can even render traditional advice unhelpful.

Maybe you know the struggle of trying to keep a handle on calls well, or maybe you don’t even realize that you’re losing time and money unnecessarily.

 

In this post:

  • The achievable benefits of expert call control
  • How uncontrolled calls are costing you money
  • An expert’s advice on call control with Back Office Betties’ Operations Manager, Katelyn Koplan
  • How to gain control of your calls to get ahead of the competition and reclaim your time

 

 

The Achievable Benefits of Expert Call Control

  • Give your callers a professional experience
  • Turn more leads into clients
  • Make more money
  • Get better reviews and more referrals
  • Keep clients happy and feeling taken care of
  • Maintain a stellar reputation
  • Outshine the competition
  • Complete intakes seamlessly
  • Reduce your time on the phone
  • Free up your staff’s time
  • Save your clients’ time

There’s a lot to be gained from taking control of your phone calls. And there’s a lot of money to be lost by staying out of control.

How Uncontrolled Calls Are Costing You Money

Time is money and your uncontrolled calls are adding up.

When You’re Answering Phones Yourself

If you’re in a position where you’re the one taking calls for your firm, there is definitely no time to waste.

It’s likely that your firm is still small, if not solo. Presumably, you’re handling a lot of other administrative work as well.

The longer you spend on phone calls, the less time you have for billable work! You don’t have time to chitchat. Call control that keeps calls short, sweet, and to the point should be your top priority.

 

You don’t have time to chitchat – keep calls short and sweet so you can get back to work.

 

When Your Office Staff Is Answering Phones

Having your office staff taking calls for you is a step up from handling them yourself…

But legal staff are expensive. You can’t afford to have them on phones all day. The more effective your team is at call control, the more time they’ll have for important administrative work.

Cost of Hiring Legal Staff Receptionist

Legal Staff is expensive – use their time wisely

You’re ready to stop losing money – but how can you take your call control to the next level?

 

An Expert’s Powerful Techniques and Advice on Call Control

Katelyn Koplan, Back Office Betties’ Operations Manager, is indisputably a call control expert. It was her own natural ability and skilled work that led her to where she is today: Not just managing and training the Back Office Betties team, but operations as a whole.

 

Attorneys are pretty busy. What’s your call control advice to avoid wasting time?  

Katelyn Koplan: If I am running into someone who is very emotional or stuck in the right side of their brain, I will do a simple method of asking three very factual back-to-back questions that usually just require a confirmation or a yes or no. Doing this takes them into the left side of their brain and gets us back on track to facts and logic.

Also, being “nicely aggressive”. You are in control of the call. When we let others take control of the call through filling silences or storytelling, we are no longer in control.

If the call is a planned meeting, set an agenda and adhere to that agenda! Include timed sections for each discussion and a solid end time. It’s nice to be able to give a reason like, “to stay on agenda and respect everyone’s time”.

 

Is it really possible to collect all the information needed while keeping calls short and sweet?

Katelyn: Yes of course! The left vs. right side of the brain strategy works best. I also like to ask my questions back to back to back. Then at the end of the call, confirm that I got everything correct.

If you allow room for silence in between, people will fill that void with stories or more unneeded information because silence makes people uncomfortable.

 

What is a Chatty Cathy and how can you use call control to avoid being trapped by callers?

Katelyn: Chatty Cathys are callers who go on and on. You might feel like you’re struggling to get through the call. The details that Chatty Cathys have are usually just extra information that would be best as part of the conversation during their consultation.

A Chatty Cathy can also be someone who is very emotional and needs reassurance or guidance. Find out what they want from the outcome of the call and provide that if you can.

 

Do you have any advice for screening out solicitors?

Katelyn: These are my favorite! I know of only two solicitors who ever got through my screening process.

I never ask a solicitor if they are a solicitor. They will always tell you no. The best phrase to use is “Are you calling to introduce yourself or your services?” even for the most advanced solicitor, that question is hard to get around honestly. If they say they are, of course, we send them on their way.

If they are calling from places like Avvo, LexisNexis, Yelp, etc., in some cases your staff might not be familiar with which accounts you do and don’t have. Asking, “Do we have a current paid account with you?” works best. They might be calling to offer marketing or to win back your services.

After our statements, we will wish them a great day, ask them to add our number to their do-not-call list and disconnect.

Being a solicitor is difficult work. We still want to remain kind and respectful. I find it best to just end the call because often they will go into “Can I get your email? Can I talk to someone else? Is there a better time to call back?”

 

Betties’ Receptionists are experts on call control. What do you think sets them apart?

Katelyn: Our team is trained on legal lingo and personally trained on all new client accounts. They’re not going from answering calls for a doctor’s office, to a CPA’s office, to a restaurant, to a law office… We are 100% focused on small law firms.

Our team is also taught to place quality and customer service first. We will only hire those who capture their warmth and kindness over the phone.

Our receptionists are your office’s first impression and your MVP. When a possible new client is calling a list of attorneys, they are going to remember that friendly, empathetic, and kind receptionist that they spoke with at your office!

 

. . .

How to Stand Out From the Competition with Expert Call Control

While your callers may contact law firm after law firm, you’ll be sure to stand out with expert call control.

Develop a Script

Shockingly: Law firms fail to collect emails 86% of the time and phone numbers 45% of the time on the first call.

Those numbers are staggering. Ensuring contact information is collected is the most basic procedure, yet isn’t happening. But admittedly, it’s hard not to miss something when you’re busy and pulled away from your work.

 

Developing a script can help.

Of course, you’ll want to include generic questions like name, phone number, and email.

But to really get a leg up on the competition, build an intake script that you can complete on the first call to turn potential clients into clients.

 

Law firms fail to collect emails 86% of the time and phone numbers 45% of the time on the first call.

 

Clients who complete an intake on the first phone call are invested in your relationship and much more likely to choose you over a firm that didn’t even ask for their email.

Some more benefits of using a script:

  • The same information will be collected for every call
  • Your firm can maintain a consistent professional reputation
  • You can save time by eliminating the need to call back for more information
  • Streamlines transferring information to your CRM
  • Acts as a call control template for taking charge and controlling your phone calls

 

Take (and stay in) Control of Your Phone Calls

What does it mean to take charge of a phone call or to be the one in control?

Being in control of a phone call means you are the authority that’s choosing the direction of the call: Where it’s going and where it’s been.

  • Ask questions back to back
  • Don’t leave empty silence
  • Know what the caller wants and guide the conversation to that outcome yourself

 

Authoritative call control means a better experience for the client or PNC. Because you appear professional and on top of it, not like you are in the middle of something else or their call is a burden on you.

Asking precise and quick questions without leaving time between will lower the stress of the caller by increasing their confidence in your ability to handle their case.

 

Keep Calls Short and Sweet

What makes phone calls long in the first place? For law firms, it’s usually the client to blame.

Potential clients call in ready to tell you every detail of their case and the full timeline of events – when all you really need is a quick synopsis.

Keeping calls short and sweet:

  • Benefits you and your staff by wasting less time and allowing you to get back to work
  • Benefits your client by giving them a quicker stress-free call making them feel in good hands

 

If a potential client feels the need to share a detailed chronicle of their story, they’re feeling stressed. They think you need all of that information.

So give them a break! Let them know there’s no need to stress further, all you need is a quick summary and you can take care of it from there until the consultation.

 

Your time is valuable. Don’t let anyone hold you hostage on the phone.

 

Screen Out Solicitors

It’s typical for law firms to receive solicitation calls. If they’re not dealt with quickly, you’ll find that you’ve wasted time and interrupted your work for nothing.

Have a call control plan for solicitors.

  • Know your verbiage.
  • Make sure your staff is aware of your policy.
  • Don’t be afraid to be firm but polite with a caller.
  • Question the caller right away. (You should be able to determine a suspected solicitor within the first few seconds of a call.)
  • Keep your staff cognizant of the accounts you have open.

 

Make sure your staff isn’t afraid to be firm but polite with solicitors.

 

Don’t ask a suspected solicitor if they are a solicitor. Not only are they likely to lie (there are plenty of other titles that solicitors will give themselves), but this is where a lot of people become hesitant fearing being impolite or making the caller upset.

There are more effective and polite call control questions that even the most nervous of your staff members will feel comfortable asking:

“Are you calling to introduce yourself or your services?”

“Are you calling to introduce your business?”

“What company are you calling on behalf of?”

“Do we currently have a paid account with you?”

 

Okay, but maybe you are interested in hearing about solicitations.

Make sure whoever is answering your phone takes a short message – and doesn’t transfer the call to you. If you’re answering your calls personally, it’s a bit trickier, but don’t be discouraged.

It’s a solicitor’s job to sell you on their product or service. They want to pitch to you today, and they will still want to pitch to you tomorrow, next week, next month… you get it.

Solicitations are never an urgent matter and should never be interrupting your work.

 

Consider Virtual Receptionists to Handle Call Control for You

Did you see that coming?

A legal specialized virtual receptionist can control your phone calls eliminating the stress on your firm.

Back Office Betties’ Receptionists… for example… are experts at call control.

  • Relentlessly friendly and professional
  • Comfortably screen out solicitors
  • Skillfully collect the information needed from callers in short, friendly calls
  • Always stay in authority during calls
  • Ready and in the zone for every call
  • Make callers feel cared for and important

 

Outsourcing your call handling will:

  • Free up your staff so they can get their work done
  • Ensure every call gets answered
  • Give you peace of mind knowing your calls are being taken by the experts themselves
  • Give you back your time (Why not do some work you can get paid for? Maybe go home before dark this Friday?)

 

 

Sound like something that could benefit your firm? Request a call with our Growth Solutions Strategist to learn more about how our receptionists can customize your call handling and control your phone calls.

16 Unique Phone Calls Every Law Firm Should Be Prepared For

How to Handle the Most Frequent Law Firm Phone Calls

The way you handle your law firm’s phone calls has the potential to be the deciding factor in setting you apart from other firms. Considering the #1 bar complaint is lack of communication, call handling should be a top priority for your firm.

These are 16 of the most common law firm phone calls and how you should handle them.

 

1. Existing clients wanting an update

The best way for your law firm to handle phone calls like these is to avoid receiving them in the first place!

Setting communication expectations from the start (and following through with them!) will leave your clients feeling confident that they will hear from you without prodding you constantly.

 

2. Existing clients upset about something with their case

These are possibly the worst law firm phone calls. Disgruntled clients are likely to leave negative reviews. Therefore, smoothing things over with upset clients should always be a top priority.

Now, if you’ve already had the misfortune of receiving unfavorable reviews, this ABA article offers some advice on ethically responding to negative reviews.

 

3. Existing clients wanting to schedule a meeting

Schedule immediately. When a client calls wanting to schedule a meeting, they are ready with their calendar and information on hand.

There’s no telling what your client may be busy with when you call back. The inconvenience of waiting for you to call back and then having to interrupt their work to take what may be a very private phone call (not everyone wants to be overheard on the phone with their attorney) makes a big difference in the overall experience.

At the very least, provide your clients with online scheduling links.

 

4. Existing clients needing to make a payment

If possible, allow your clients to pay by credit and debit cards. The ease of being able to pay from their device or over the phone with your receptionist makes collecting payment easier.

Plus, if your firm has a link to pay online, your receptionist can share that link with your clients allowing them to pay on their own next time—avoiding this type of law firm phone call entirely!

Furthermore, 40% of potential clients would never hire a lawyer who didn’t take credit or debit cards anyway. Give your law firm an edge by doing so.

 

40% of potential clients would never hire a lawyer who didn’t take credit or debit cards

 

5. Existing clients calling about a new matter &
6. Previous clients calling about a new case

These two law firm phone calls are where using an excellent Legal CRM comes into play.

If you aren’t already using one (or if what you’re using isn’t great), you will be shocked at the difference a good legal CRM makes.

You’ll be able to easily and precisely assign multiple cases to your clients eliminating the confusion of which case an update, payment, document, etc. is associated with. And it makes for easy information processing on the first phone call.

Some of our favorite Legal CRMs:

MyCase Logo

Clio Grow Logo

PracticePanther Logo

 

7. Potential new clients wanting to schedule a consultation

Complete your potential clients’ intakes during the first phone call!

Not only does this ensure that you collect all the information needed before the consultation, but it also increases the likelihood of retaining the client.

When intakes are completed during the first phone call, your potential clients feel like they have already started their legal process with you and feel less like you are just another option that they’re considering.

If your office staff is too busy and unable to pause their work at any moment to complete full client intakes, this is where a legal-specialized virtual receptionist can really help you out.

 

If your office staff is too busy to complete client intakes at the drop of a hat, consider a virtual legal receptionist.

 

8. Potential new clients calling on behalf of someone else with questions

The most important factor with this law firm phone call is to make sure you take down the information for not just the caller, but the person they are calling on behalf of as well.

This way, you’ll be able to reach out to the potential client to follow up. Even if you can’t get their contact information, make sure your receptionist at least takes down their name.

 

9. Potential new clients calling to ask what type of case they have/if you accept it,
10. PNCs wanting more information about what to expect from a consultation, &
11. PNCs asking about pricing/payment plans

For these 3 law firm phone calls from potential new clients, the importance of having the requested information on hand to provide to the caller is a given.

Consider creating a PDF with FAQs and information regarding your firm’s practices that you can email your callers:

  • Case types you accept and examples
  • Payment and Fees
  • Payment types you accept and links to pay online
  • Appointment types and what to expect
  • Office hours
  • Scheduling procedures and links to schedule
  • Contact information
  • Referral programs
  • Client account information and troubleshooting
  • Firm-specific FAQs
  • Etc.

This has multiple advantages:

  1. Provides potential clients with all the information they need
  2. Gives current clients something to refer back to with questions
  3. Creates a more professional image for your law firm
  4. Allows you to collect every caller’s email address for your sales funnel, even if they aren’t interested in scheduling a consultation yet

 

12. Opposing counsel calling about an upcoming meeting &
13. Opposing counsel calling about their case

Law firm phone calls from opposing counsels should be handled on a case-by-case basis.

Send a quick update to your receptionist each morning with any pertinent information:

  • If Attorney Tim Walton calls about John’s case, transfer him immediately.
  • Attorney Tim Walton will be getting back to me about availability for an upcoming meeting. I can do Monday or Wednesday. Otherwise, transfer it to me.

This is an excellent way to save yourself and your staff time. If you haven’t left a note about the caller, you won’t be bothered with a call when a message would do, and your receptionist won’t spend their time attempting to transfer calls or checking on your availability before taking a message.

 

14. Judges/court clerks calling with questions/information about a hearing (new location, rescheduling, needing documents)

You probably want your receptionist to send calls over right away when they include time-sensitive information. But it’s also a good idea to have your receptionist take down any times, dates, or document types before transferring the call to you.

If you’re not in a place to take notes yourself, you’re likely to forget the details.

 

15. Fellow attorneys calling to refer a case

Answer calls from fellow attorneys referring a case right away!

As you probably know, attorneys are pretty busy. It might be a while before they have time again to get back to you with the information.

 

Ensuring that calls are never missed and that time is available to take down all information is essential.

 

16. Solicitors

It’s common for law firms to receive phone calls from solicitors, so make sure you and your staff are prepared.

First, you need to develop a policy for solicitations.

Are you interested in staying aware but don’t have the time to listen to a sales pitch?

Consider having your receptionist take short messages. Make sure they get the name of the company (many solicitors won’t offer it) so that you will be able to do a quick search before committing to a sales call.

Do you have no interest in solicitations and don’t want your staff wasting time entertaining them?

The key is to get off the phone call as quickly as possible. The back and forth is what leads to awkward conversations.

Second, know how to spot them!

Don’t be afraid to ask probing questions. “Are you a solicitor?” may sound rude, but don’t worry, there are polite questions you can ask to screen out solicitors.

  • “Are you calling to introduce yourself or your services?”
  • “Do we have a current paid account with you?”
  • “Are you calling to offer your services?”

If you get a “yes” to any of the above, move forward with your solicitation policy.

 

OVERWHELMED? Request a call with our Growth Solutions Strategist to strategize finding the time to set your law firm apart with top-notch call handling.

6 Reasons To Love Back Office Betties (That Happen To Be Why Our Competition Hates Us)

Reasons to Love Back Office Betties Virtual Receptionists

There’s a lot to love about Back Office Betties… unless you’re one of our competitors. We’ve been criticized for many of the unique things we do in our business, but those are the exact reasons that small law firms love us. Let’s take a look at a few of them!

Back Office Betties’ Receptionists Work From Home (Even Outside Of A Pandemic)

Working from home has been proven to increase employee morale, productivity, and performance. All of our receptionists have their own quiet, private office spaces eliminating distractions, background noises, and the infamous soul-crushing call center environment. This enables our receptionists to feel and work like receptionists, not phone operators.

Companies that support remote work have a 25% lower employee turnover rate than companies that don’t, and 45% of remote workers have been in the same position for five years or more. Low turnover and longevity in the workplace create a level of expertise that simply cannot be found elsewhere.

Some answering services will claim that it’s not possible to build camaraderie when teams are working remotely, but one of our most common anecdotes from new employees is how much they love the team environment and feel involved in the company.

Quality Assurance

Our receptionists have high standards to attain that many other services might not be able to live up to. We monitor every call taken and regularly meet with our receptionists to review their work and ensure that they meet their performance goals. Being a boutique service enables us to have interpersonal relationships with each receptionist and be invested in their performance.

Not only are our receptionists specialized in legal intake, but our receptionists are also specialized in your firm!

Each law firm that we work with has a small number of receptionists assigned to them, and all of our receptionists complete a training course about your firm’s operations before taking a single call for you. These factors allow our receptionists to become familiar and comfortable with your operations and feel like a part of your team.

Your clients will never be able to tell that they aren’t sitting at the front desk in your office!

Exceptional Employee Benefits

We offer excellent benefits as well as competitive pay and performance bonuses. Attracting and keeping the best talent is always a priority! We incorporate fun perks like wellness days, wish-granting, and team building events into our company culture. We provide ongoing training, professional development, and encourage our employees to be resourceful and have a say in the way we do things.

Many companies will do the minimum and provide the cheapest benefits they can get away with, but fostering relationships with our employees is a priority that helps us attract and maintain the best talent in the industry.

We Send Your Messages in Real-Time

Our receptionists send out each message in real-time immediately upon ending the call.

You won’t be left waiting for hours until 15 messages have stacked before they are sent out to you. This is a corner that other services cut to ensure their receptionists will never have a moment of downtime between calls.

Sending messages immediately takes a bit longer, but we know it’s important for you to get them in real-time and without mistakes or inaccuracies.

We Take One Call at a Time

We guarantee that your client will never be placed on hold in the middle of their call for our receptionist to take and place another call on hold.

Other services will place your call on hold multiple times because they take 3-5 calls at once. This may get each call answered within their advertised time, but is that what you envisioned when you were told how quickly your calls would be answered?

When receptionists are bouncing back and forth between calls, it’s easy to get information muddled and make mistakes. Unfortunately, other answering services are willing to take that hit to their quality of service to save a buck.

At Betties, each call gets answered within 4 rings and has our receptionists’ full and undivided attention from start to finish.

Customized Call Handling

When our receptionists answer your calls, they’ll use a script we’ve customized just for your firm.

Most answering services have limited customization (if any at all!). It takes time and staffing for us to set up customized call handling, but we are more than willing to use our resources for everything that will give your firm and your clients a better experience.

Customized scripts allow our receptionists to fully intake new clients and avoid the generic service that will leave your clients feeling like they’ve reached a call center and not your office.

 

To learn more about the difference between Back Office Betties and other answering services, request a call with us today.

Your Law Firm Is Losing Money By Missing This One Critical Step

Triage your law firm's clients | Back Office Betties

 

How much time do you spend on billable work?

According to Clio, lawyers record only 2.5 billable hours per day on average. Yikes.

You could be earning more than double if you stopped doing so many non-billable tasks.

Your time is valuable! Treat it that way and watch the returns roll in.

We know that administrative work can take up a lot of time, and client intake is one of the worst offenders. So what can you do?

Hire someone to triage your clients.

What Does It Mean To Triage My Law Firm’s Clients?

triage

[trēˈäZH]
NOUN
1. (in medical use) the assignment of degrees of urgency to wounds or illnesses to decide the order of treatment of a large number of patients or casualties.
VERB
1. assign degrees of urgency to (wounded or ill patients).

In this case, your callers are the patients. Treat them like they’re trying to get a diagnosis and prescription that will make their ailments disappear.

Their call is the waiting room, your receptionist is the triage nurse, and the diagnosis and prescription come from your expertise after they’ve made it back to the exam room.

How Can Triaging My Clients Help Grow My Law Firm?

  • Stop wasting time on leads that aren’t a good fit
  • Streamline your intakes and increase scalability
  • Effectively instill confidence in your clients
  • Use your time on billable work, not administrative tasks

 

Stop Wasting Time On Leads That Aren’t A Good Fit

Your time is best spent on people you know you can help.

Many times, a caller will be looking for help in an area you don’t serve or they can’t afford your fee. When the caller isn’t a right fit for you, you’re wasting your time and theirs.

To make the most of your (valuable) time, you should know that they fit into your ideal client demographic. Likewise, you should know that your expertise is not a waste of their time or money.

Potential clients don’t always know the nature of their case, and it very well may take some prodding (time!) to get all the information needed to determine it. Often enough, that prodding can be done by a legal receptionist or paralegal who can walk them through specific questions that get to the bottom of their needs.

Once your leads make it past these questions, you’ll know that your time spent on a consultation has the potential to be mutually beneficial.

Streamlined And Scalable Intakes

Your clients’ first impression of you is on the phone, so it’s important to get your intake process right.

Making mistakes in the way you handle new leads is much easier than you may think. Did you know that 61% of law firms forget to ask the client’s name during the initial conversation? Not only that, but 72% forget to ask for their phone number!

Missing those vital pieces of information is a fast way to lose a lead and, in turn, lose money.

However, when a professional legal intake specialist is there to answer that first call, you can guarantee each and every lead will start the intake process and that vital information will be captured.

Once you’ve set your process and determined who will handle potential new client calls, things become more simple and streamlined. This is easier on your callers (they’ll know what to expect every time they call) and easier on you (hello newfound time!).

Keep in mind, too, that simplifying this process with an intake professional is scalable because you are not being called away from your most important work and have room to keep adding new clients to your calendar.

Effectively Instill Confidence In Your Clients

When you go to a medical appointment, it would be pretty strange to be greeted by the doctor sitting at the reception desk, wouldn’t it? We’ve been conditioned to view doctors as important and hard to reach because they’re so busy and in-demand.

Your callers should feel that same way about you! You’re the one that’s going to save them, but first, the triage nurse (intake specialist) needs to gather all of their information and prep them for their appointment.

When you show up to that appointment, you’re able to skip the time-intensive initial questions and spend more time offering true value and expertise.

All of this works together to instill confidence in your clients because 1. your firm presents itself professionally and 2. they view you as busy and important, so they’re honored to have you helping them.

Plus, there is no risk of confusing back and forth, complications, or missed communications because the steps to getting help are simplified and organized.

Grow Your Law Firm And Make More Money

Wouldn’t hiring someone to do my client intakes just cost me money?

Definitely not!

The reality is, your billable rate is much higher than the cost of outsourcing someone to do your intakes. When you spend your time on administrative work like answering the phones, those calls are costing you the hundreds that your time is actually worth.

Consider how much time you spend triaging clients, completing intake paperwork, and the back and forth that comes with it… how many billable hours are you wasting each day? How much money does that amount to?

Let’s do a little bit of math – Say your billable rate is $250 per hour. Say your average intake call is 15 minutes. Each time you do your own intake call, you’re spending $62.50 on that one call when you could have MADE $62.50.

Now say that you’re taking 6 intake calls in one day – that’s a loss of $375.

Your time is more valuable than $20 an hour, so stop doing these $20 an hour tasks.

Spend your time on what makes you money. Outsource what doesn’t. Then sit back and watch as your calendar fills up with more paid appointments because you opened up the time to accommodate them.

Overall, a streamlined intake process leads to your clients having a good experience, leaving stellar reviews, and recommending you to friends and family. This is an investment you will absolutely see a return on!

 

Interested in other ways you can help free up your billable time and make more money in your law firm? Download our Money-Making Automations Guide here.

Troubles With Google Voice? Here’s What We Recommend Instead

Trouble with Google Voice Free Phone Services

We understand the attractiveness of the free version of Google Voice, but is it really benefitting your law firm? Let’s dive into the facts.

Who Is Using The Free Version Of Google Voice?

The free version of Google Voice has continued to increase in popularity among small businesses. It’s easy to understand why: Small business owners need to save money where they can and will always be on the lookout for ways to do so. In fact, the majority of the companies that use this version of Google Voice have less than fifty employees.

Google Voice Is Not Meant To Be Used For Business

Unfortunately, the free version of Google Voice simply isn’t intended for business use. In fact, Google actually changed the name of this version to include, “For personal use”.

When you consider all of the known issues and the frustration this service has caused business owners and administrative staff, it makes sense that they are dissuading businesses from utilizing the service. Though, perhaps the most concerning aspect of this for businesses is the fact that the quality cannot be guaranteed. When you’re running a small business like a law firm, you need reliability. Google Voice simply doesn’t provide that.

There Is No Customer Support

The only support offered to users of the free Google Voice is a list of commonly asked questions and community forums. Run into an issue and need tech support? You’ll be left hoping that someone else has publicly solved that same problem on a forum in a way you’re capable of accomplishing by yourself.

Do you really want the operations of your business reliant on a “fingers crossed” situation?

Call Forwarding Is Tricky And Known To Not Always Work Properly

The most common complaint with Google Voice is that call forwarding simply stops working out of nowhere, sending your calls straight to voicemail.

The initial call from a potential new client is crucial and can make or break their trust in your law firm.

If you were trying to find a lawyer and had a list of numbers to call in front of you, would you really waste your time waiting around to see if someone gets that voicemail and returns your call? Not if another firm answers and can get your process started right away.

This is where that lack of technical support can really cause some issues.

Here’s the scenario: It’s the middle of your workday. You’re busy and working on time-sensitive cases. After a while, you realize all your calls have been going straight to your voicemail.

What can you do? Spend the rest of your workday on Google’s community help forums? Lose all of your potential new clients for the rest of the day? Neither of those is ideal, so why chance putting yourself in that situation in the first place?

Your Receptionist Only Has So Much Control Over Your Calls

There are a couple of things to consider when using Google Voice with a virtual receptionist service such as Back Office Betties:

Google Voice is designed to quickly locate a human for a live answer. If the call is not answered within a few seconds, it then forwards to Google Voicemail. Unfortunately, this means that if a call comes into our system during a high-volume time and rings more than a couple of times, the call will route to Google Voicemail.

Not only does this take the call out of the hands of the professionals you’re paying to WOW your callers, but it’s also sending messages to yet another voicemail box that you’ll need to check.

Many of our clients do use the free version of Google Voice in conjunction with our services successfully, but the fact that some law firms have issues is enough for us to work out some alternative suggestions for your law firm.

Keep in mind, the Betties team will always do our best to troubleshoot anything within our power. We can track a call once it’s entered our system and your receptionist team has successfully answered. However, if the issue of Google Voice sending the call to Google Voicemail arises, we may not be able to offer a full resolution to the problem.

We Recommend Taking A Look At These Other Providers

You might be thinking that sure, there are some drawbacks, but doesn’t the fact that it’s free make up for that? Not really.

If you want to grow your law firm, client experience is everything. When it comes to phone services, saving money now might lose you business later.

There’s a saying that goes “If you buy quality, you’ll only cry once.” While we don’t expect your phone service provider to be a big enough ticket to have you crying, it will absolutely help you avoid crying every time you miss a potential client’s call due to Google Voice acting up!

Phone Service Providers That We Have Had Positive Experiences With:

 

RingCentral

With an annual contract, RingCentral’s Standard plan is $24.99/user/month. This includes 24/7 support, quality-of-service reports, integrations with popular applications, unlimited audio conferencing, and internet fax, among others. Take a look at their solutions for small businesses.

Dialpad

Dialpad boasts serving some of the most innovative companies like TED, Uber, and WeWork. Their Standard plan is $15.00/user/month with an annual contract. This includes unlimited calling, SMS and MMS, G Suite & Office integrations, among others. Take a look at their small business solutions.

8×8

8×8 has a special page on their site for legal solutions. They have mobile and desktop apps, enterprise-grade security, and 14 countries in their unlimited telephony calling zone under their Standard plan, which costs $24.00/user/month with an annual subscription.

Vonage

Now serving companies as large as Glassdoor and Allstate, their original business model catered to families and small businesses. Vonage uses a pay for what you use by the minute/message pricing system. Outbound calls start at $0.0139/minute. Some features include, 24/7 customer support, call analytics and reporting, integration with popular applications, among others.

Grasshopper

Made for small businesses, Grasshopper includes mobile and desktop apps, incoming call control, virtual fax, voicemail transcription, detailed call reports, and more with all of their plans. Their Solo plan with 1 phone number and 3 extensions is $26.00/month with an annual contract.

Nextiva

Rated the Best Business Phone Service in 2020 by U.S. News, Nextiva offers unlimited calling, texting, and faxing worldwide, 24/7 support, unlimited conference calls, and video conferencing, among others. Their Professional plan is priced at $31.95/user/month for 1-5 users with an annual agreement, and costs are lowered with longer agreements and a higher number of users.

 

All of the above were featured in either The Best Small Business VoIP Providers of 2020 from GetVoIP or Best Business Phone Systems of 2020 from U.S. News and many of our clients have success in using them.

 

We are here to ensure all your calls are answered – don’t let your phone provider sabotage you! If you have any questions about forwarding calls to Back Office Betties or ensuring that your current call process is suitable for your law firm, give our Growth Solutions Strategist a call at 800-958-8591.

The Right Way to Answer Your Law Firm’s Phone

The Right Way to Answer Your Law Firm's Phone | Back Office Betties

Are you still answering your law firm’s phone with, “Law Office”? If so, we are begging you to stop! Seriously, we’re on our hands and knees over here.

Aside from not answering at all, answering your law firm’s phone with “Law Office” is one of the most common mistakes we see in law firm call handling.

Why? You’re allowing yourself to be forgotten.

Don’t feel too bad—you aren’t alone. As your potential clients are calling through a list of firms, at least 25% of them will answer their law firm’s phones the exact same way.

Unfortunately, this can lead to confusion and your potential client forgetting who they just spoke with. You don’t want to be forgotten about in a sea of law firms, right?

Now that we’re clear about what not to do, let’s talk about why it matters, and how to answer your law firm’s phone in a better way.

Establish a relationship right away

Trust and mutual respect is an important part of the attorney/client relationship.

Whether you realize it or not, that relationship starts as soon as you pick up your law firm’s phone. First impressions matter—and that first phone call is your chance to give a killer first impression. Don’t blow it with poor customer service, answering your law firm’s phone with a generic greeting, or missing the call altogether.

Start your attorney/client relationship off on the right foot by answering your law firm’s phone with a friendly greeting and announcing the name of your firm. Your potential client immediately knows they reached who they intended to and the call starts off positively. It also helps to mention your own name so your potential clients know who they spoke with, should they need to reference it later.

Small talk is okay, but try to get straight to the point of what your caller’s needs are. Be friendly and upbeat while keeping them focused on their needs so you can understand exactly what they need help with. This avoids wasting your time and gets the potential client the help they need sooner rather than later.

Collect your law firm’s callers’ contact information

Nearly nine times out of ten, law firms fail to collect full contact information from their callers. This is alarming; those callers are your leads! Leads turn into clients—don’t let them walk away.

Every time you hang up your law firm’s phone without collecting contact information, you’re throwing money out the window. You are now at the will of your callers and can’t follow up with them to sell your legal services.

Not to mention, if they do call back, you have no record of what happened during that initial call. Did they explain their case? Ask a question about pricing? Neglecting to record that information can result in your law firm looking unprofessional and disorganized—it can even frustrate your caller because they are now repeating themselves. Making this mistake has great power to turn potential clients off of your firm.

Instead of leaving your business to chance, set up an intake process that you go through for every caller. The information you collect will differ depending on the type of call, but it’s important to set up a process for every call your law firm receives.

Documenting this process ensures that anyone who answers your law firm’s phone will understand their responsibility.

Ensure your law firm’s phone is always answered

74% of potential clients contact law firms by phone, but more than one-third of those calls go unanswered. Partner that with the statistic that 80% of callers who reach voicemail will not leave a message, as well as the fact that potential clients wait 3 business days on average for a response, and you’ve got lost business adding up!

The best way to capture all the business that comes your way is to always answer your law firm’s phone. We understand that this isn’t possible for a busy solo attorney managing their own phones (court, client appointments, and consultations add up!). However, those reasons exemplify the necessity of dedicating someone else to your answer your law firm’s phone.

Interruptions and cost/benefit aside, outsourcing your law firm’s phone management is pertinent to capturing every call and converting more of those callers into clients when you’re too busy to answer.

Hiring an in-house receptionist is expensive, and bouncing calls between attorneys eats up valuable time that could be spent on cases. Instead, consider hiring an answering service to provide your callers with a better experience and gather all of the information you need from each potential client.

BONUS: A few of our favorite law firm phone greetings

If you need some inspiration on ways to cheerfully introduce your law firm on the phone, we’ve got you covered! Check out some of the below examples of great greetings when answering the phone.

  • “Good (Morning/Afternoon), thank you for calling (Law Firm Name). How may I direct your call?”
  • “Hello, you’ve reached (Law Firm Name). How can we help you today?”
  • “Thank you for calling (Law Firm Name). My name is _____, how may I help you?”
  • “Happy (Day of the Week)! You’ve reached (Law Firm Name). Who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?”
  • “Thank you for calling (Law Firm Name). Are you calling with a new legal matter we can help you with?”

 

Perfect Your Phone Call Process in 5 Easy Steps

Perfect your phone call process in 5 easy stepsAnswering the phone when it rings. Easy as pie, right? Not necessarily! The way that you answer your phone (and actually ensuring that someone always does) can make or break you when it comes to landing clients. When potential clients are calling a law firm, they are likely running down a list, trying to find anyone who can help them. Attorneys are not scarce and it’s important to stand out by way of communication and customer service. Once you’ve missed their call, it’s likely that you’ve missed their business altogether.

That is Why You Need to Perfect Your Phone Call Process

We harp on this all of the time because it’s that big of a deal. 80% of callers refuse to leave a message. If you only answer half of your phone calls, 40% of your total callers will have moved on and you’ll never hear from them again! Perfect your phone call process so that calls aren’t missed and callers are wowed from the moment they speak to someone representing your law firm.

Determine what times someone is available to answer the phone

When is someone staffing the phone? Do you have a dedicated receptionist? Or do phone calls fall to the attorneys? (Psst, that is a whole other problem!) Determine the hours of the day that every single call will be answered, regardless of meetings or lunch breaks or court dates. Ensure that these hours are regular so that you are not missing any opportunities and set up a proper voicemail box for those after-hours calls that may come through.

Determine what happens when someone can not answer the phone

What happens if the phone rings while your receptionist is in the restroom or out to lunch? If you answer your own phones, who answers while you’re in court? Set up a fall back so that if for some reason the dedicated phone answerer can’t get to a call, it still gets answered.

If there is too much time that the phone is not being answered, an answering service is a great backup. You can adjust your call forwarding to only apply during certain times, covering the phones when you are unable.

Craft a friendly greeting

This is vital to standing out while a potential new client is running through a list of attorneys! Do not answer your phone with “Hello?” or “Law Office”. Make yourself stand out by crafting a friendly and personalized greeting. Something simple and easy to say that states who the caller is reaching and quickly gets to the point for their call. eg. “Good morning! Thank you for calling the law office of Richie Rich. Are you calling about a new legal matter?”

WOW-ing your caller from the start is an easy way to ensure that yours is the law firm they want to hire.

Determine a process for call transfers

If someone else is answering your calls, when should a call be transferred to you versus a message taken? Draft an outline of the calls that are important to transfer and the calls that are not, then ensure that everyone who may answer the phone understands the process. This is also a great time to outline what you want to happen with solicitor calls and how you want to handle new client intakes. Should your receptionist be asking the intake questions or do you prefer to do that yourself? Do you want them to take a message for solicitors or let them know you aren’t interested off the bat? Add it to your outline!

Create a list of client intake questions to be asked every time

Consistency is really important to successful outcomes and communication with your clients. Ask every client a full list of intake questions that help you best attend to their needs, every time. The easiest way to form this list is to determine everything you need to know before you can take any action on their case. Then, use that list to create an accessible form that your receptionist can input the information as she goes. Finally, connect that form to your CRM so you have everything in one place.

Possibly even more important than actually asking the questions, ensure that every answer is clarified. Their name should be spelled correctly and all details double-checked to be sure nothing falls through the cracks.

 

Once you’ve done all of the above, your phone call process will be set up for success! Bye-bye phone stress and hello new clients.

If this sounds like too much work to you, give us a call at (800) 958-8591 and we will work to create the perfect phone call process for your law firm.

How to Choose the Best Virtual Receptionist for Your Law Firm

How to choose the best virtual receptionist service for law firmsSo you’re ready to hire a virtual receptionist for your law firm? Or, you’re ready to at least think about hiring a virtual receptionist. Congratulations! This is a huge step in the right direction for growth in your law firm. We’ve designated 2021 to be a year of growth here at Back Office Betties and we hope to help all of our attorney friends do the same.

There’s a lot to know before you choose the best virtual receptionist service for your law firm. There are countless services that all claim to be the best (we are shamelessly one of them!), so research is key. What are your priorities when it comes to hiring a virtual law firm receptionist? Is it 24/7 call answering? Or can you make do with normal business hours? Do you prioritize high-quality calls or is quantity over quality your motto? Regardless, we’ve compiled all you need to know right here in this handy dandy article!

Why should law firms hire an answering service?

It’s no secret that a phone that never stops ringing is a giant pain in the rear. What is a little surprising, though, is just how much those phone calls interrupt your daily work! Did you know that attorneys spend an average of only 2.5 hours on billable work each day? That makes up only approximately 30% of a typical workday. In addition, according to the 2019 Clio Legal Trends report, only 86% of those billed hours actually get paid.

Do you want to work for free? Certainly not!

The right virtual receptionist or answering service not only frees up your time and reduces your interruptions, but they also help to follow up and collect those missing payments.

Now, you may ask, why shouldn’t I just hire an in-house receptionist to handle all of that?

One of the most obvious answers to that question is: Cost. To hire a full-time legal receptionist, you’re looking at a cost of approximately $4,123.60 per month after factoring in employer taxes and benefits. Add to that the lost income from time spent recruiting, hiring, and training someone, plus the time lost for managing 1 employee (6 hours/week, by the way).

Now spin around and look at pricing for an answering service. With services offering a range of approximately $70 per month up to $1599 per month, even the top plans are going to give you major bang for your buck! The fact that you don’t lose any time managing or recruiting staff is just a bonus. Check out the following graphic we created for more stats on this:

Cost of hiring in-house receptionist for law firms

Is your law firm ready to hire a virtual receptionist?

The first step to hiring a virtual receptionist is deciding whether or not you are ready. If you spend your days frustrated and chronically ignoring calls that come through, the answer is that you probably are! But there are some other key points to consider:

  • Are you ready to hand over the reins when it comes to being the first client contact?
  • Do you want to land more business than ever before?
  • Will you be organized enough to follow up with messages you didn’t take yourself?

If you said no to any of the above, you might not be ready yet! That’s totally okay, but keep in mind that doing the same thing gives you the same results. Bookmark this article and keep researching, but come back here when you feel like you might be ready.

What does your law firm need in an answering service?

Now that you have determined that you are in fact ready to hire, it’s time to figure out your priorities. No two answering services or virtual receptionist services are the same! Some offer extended hours, some offer higher quality calls, some are cheaper, and some are legal experts. Let’s narrow down your priorities to determine what you need to ask your prospects!

  • What are your business hours? When do people typically call you? If you get calls at all hours, you might consider a 24/7 service. If you only get the occasional after-hours call, a business hours only service will be perfectly fine!
  • Do you want help with client intake? Will you entrust your virtual receptionists to intake new clients? Or do you prefer they simply take a message so that you can do the intake at a later date?
  • What is your budget? If you are strapped for cash, you may not have much choice in the matter. You don’t want to overstretch the budget if you aren’t sure you’ll get a return. However, it’s important to keep in mind how many billable hours your answering service will free up (if they take intakes and follow-up off your plate!). Oftentimes the pricier service that offers higher quality call-handling is worth the return!
  • What is the size of your firm? Different services offer different plans and some may be more conducive to smaller or larger firms than your own. Do your research and determine how many people will be receiving messages and/or transfers, then choose your service and plan accordingly.
  • Is your client intake complicated? If you have a lengthy and complicated legal client intake, it is in your best interest to research plans specifically for lawyers. Legal-trained receptionists will help your potential and current clients to feel more comfortable through the intake process. Not to mention, they will be more efficient and understanding of your law firm’s terminology and processes.

Choose the company that best meets your needs.

After considering all variables and deciding what your firm really needs from a virtual receptionist or answering service, and the things you can live without, you can choose the best company for your needs. No single company is the right fit for every law firm, and you might even find that it takes you a few trial runs before you find the company that works best for you! However, once you find that perfect fit, you won’t be sorry. The stress-reduction of trusting someone else with the calls you can no longer handle is worth every penny!

 

Curious how Back Office Betties can benefit your law firm? Request a call with our Growth Solutions Specialist here, or give us a call at (800) 958-8591.

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Take Your Small Law Firm to the Next Level

Take Your Law Firm to the Next Level

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Our newsletter shares expert advice & practical articles to elevate your law firm’s success.

BettieGram Newsletter Snippit
Take Your Small Law Firm to the Next Level

Take Your Law Firm to the Next Level

Subscribe to BettieGram

Our newsletter shares expert advice & practical articles to elevate your law firm’s success.