Why Should Your Law Office Use An Off-site Receptionist?
Digital receptionist services are seen by many single and small law firms as logistical devices to help their lawyers and employees become more efficient (and billable) by not having to answer their phones every time they ring.
Yet virtual receptionists can be much more than simply outsourced answering the phone. These may also be an important hidden weapon for delivering excellent customer service to a law firm.
A VIRTUAL RECEPTIONIST PRIMER
If a caller–who may very well be a prospective or current client–dials a law firm's main telephone number operating with a virtual receptionist service, the telephone call is immediately redirected to an off-site receptionist who responds to the call with a customized greeting for that law firm. And that is when the magic begins. The receptionists of the company will guide calls accordingly, based on the call-handling instructions given by the law firm.
For example, if an attorney only receives calls from judges, counsel opponents or prosecuting attorneys during the business day, the receptionist will call the attorney when one of these individuals is on the phone. However, if the call comes from a prospective or current customer, the receptionist must handle those calls on the basis of the company's call-handling guidelines accordingly. That may mean that the virtual receptionist routes such calls to a paralegal or other solicitor, or manages them directly.
MORE THAN JUST ANSWERING PHONE CALLS
Many virtual receptionist services have the advantage of being able to do more than just answer incoming phone calls.
For prospective customers, many law firms use their virtual receptionists to manage intake. The receptionists will take a small, simple intake to obtain key details such as names, preliminary information about their cases, how the prospective customers found the company, contact information and the like. When this information is collected, the lawyer or staff member who then calls the prospective client will have all the details available to make the follow-up conversation successful and to close the deal.
A CLIENT SERVICE BONANZA
There are so many ways a virtual receptionist service can “wow” a law firm’s prospective and current clients that they practically leap off the page.
Take prospective customers for example: after making an unanswered call, 85 percent of potential customers will not call back. For automated receptionists, potential customers on the other end of the line will also be having a live voice ready to assist. And if a law firm has its virtual receptionist handling simple intake, imagine the impact made on a prospective client when an attorney or staff member from that firm calls that prospective client back armed with the details he or she received during the intake. At the very beginning, potential clients will feel like they are receiving excellent customer service from the law firm.
When a potential client is an actual client of a law firm, the virtual receptionist service offered by that firm will also be available to provide a live voice and direct questions to the attorneys or staff members of the firm. The sensitivity alone can distinguish a law firm from most of its peers when it comes to providing service to clients. But the helpful outbound calls that virtual receptionists may make about alerts and status notifications are a service that is so seldom provided to consumers— but one that they definitely see as an example of excellent customer service— that it's likely to be what customers think about when referring others to a lawyer.
A SECRET WEAPON FOR BOTH CLIENT SERVICE AND MARKETING
Digital receptionists allow solo and small law firms to offer a level of customer service that is unrivaled even by law firms which are exponentially larger in size by putting a modern twist on call forwarding.
This improved client support also bolsters marketing campaigns by a law firm. Once potential customers know they are receiving excellent customer service, they usually become customers. Once consumers feel like having excellent customer service they usually are satisfied customers. Happy clients continue to recommend their lawyers to their friends and family, leave good feedback and are eager to give favorable testimonials. And references, favorable feedback and testimonials are of course important marketing resources for law firms.
So, while a virtual receptionist service can be a dangerous customer service tool for solo and small law firms, the funny thing is that if a law firm makes full use of a virtual receptionist service, the service can be an equally effective marketing tool for that firm as well.
Does Your Business Need a Reliable Telephone Receptionist?
Reliable Receptionist helps small to mid-sized businesses enhance their professional image, improve customer service, manage workload and convert callers to become loyal clients. At Reliable Receptionist, we not only provide simple answering services but you can be confident your company’s incoming calls will be immediately answered by one of up to five trained representatives assigned to your account. These virtual telephone receptionists are professionally ready to answer questions about your business, provide directions, capture critical lead information, schedule appointments, and forward calls to the appropriate department depending on your set guidelines. Let's Work Together! For more information or to request a quote and free demonstration, send us a message or call us today at (925) 627-4200.
