Danny Dotson
Wouldn’t it be helpful if all legal affairs took place between 9 AM and 5 PM with even pacing throughout the day? Clients could speak to a representative in the office during those hours and there would not be a need for answering services to manage high call volumes or tend to the phones after hours. Of course, this is not a realistic scenario since we live in the real world which means legal matters can occur at 3 PM or 3 AM. Attorney answering services exist for this exact reason: to ensure your practice delivers excellent customer service around-the-clock.
How Attorney Answering Service Operate
Answering services utilize live receptionists to field all client calls without placing them on-hold or requiring a voicemail. This type of service is a reflection on your business and can be used by any type of legal firm from corporate to private practice and any branch of law. The answering agents are trained professionals who work for attorneys and are familiar with common legal terminology. This allows them to categorize calls based on the case type, can answer basic questions, and can provide information about your firm. In some instances, the agents are bi-lingual and can communicate in Spanish.
Why Hire an Attorney Answering Service?
Many legal advisors, practicing advocates, and attorneys utilize attorney answering services for the following reasons:
Affordability
The most important aspect of hiring a law answering service is the cost. Instead of hiring and training entirely new staff to manage call volumes or field questions after-hours, this service meets the needs of the business a much more affordable price.
Availability
Second to affordability is the ability to answer your clients around-the-clock. As you and your team will often be busy with court and consultations, you cannot answer every call. An answering service can handle large call volumes throughout around-the-clock so you can focus more on the needs of your existing clients while still providing top-notch customer service.
Flexibility
Different firms have different needs, so they hire a law firm answering service to manage overflow calls, all incoming calls or calls on the weekends and after core business hours. Flexibility from the answering service company allows you to get the service type necessary at a cost that fits your budget.
Industry Knowledge
Since they are professionals in the law field, an answering service is familiar with the challenges faced by your company and is aware of common legal terminology. The team of agents is trained to handle sensitive information while receiving and transmitting calls in a timely and sensitive manner.
Transcriptions
Most attorney answering services maintain digital records provided by the client to be sent directly to your firm through email or text. This can be helpful in the future for different types of cases.
