Appointment Scheduling Answering Service For Attorneys
Missing calls or consultations means missing out on business. Find out how appointment scheduling and answering services can keep your business on track.
The typical day of an attorney is usually stressful and busy. You’ll have to appear in courts, write documents and briefs, meet with current clients, research a case, and study past related cases. While undertaking these tasks, the business phone lies on the desk unattended to.
That’s a bad thing for business.
About 82% of customers say they will switch to a competitor following a bad customer service experience. These can include long hold times, unanswered calls, and more. If you worry about how to handle calls from potential clients, then it’s time to consider working with phone answering services.
Here is how a 24/7 attorney answering service can make a law practice run smoothly while still meeting their clients for appointments.
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It Acts As an Extension
It’s true that a phone service is a third party that acts on behalf of the lawyer to attend to their clients. But the most notable thing is that it’s basically an extension of the business.
It’s correct to view the service as a typical receptionist.
If you have a phone answering machine or your hold times are unreasonable, an answering company brings a friendly and timely experience to your business. The service will undertake all the tasks that a typical receptionist does. This includes taking messages, preparing scripts, checking your availability, and scheduling appointments.
The agents provided by the service go beyond the normal by giving the impression they are part of your office staff.
Ideally, there are different benefits law firms can enjoy from hiring these answering services to ensure proper customer service.
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Choose Your Package
Another benefit of working with a phone answering service is the flexibility of customizing your package to suit your unique needs.
For instance, if you are an immigration attorney, you will need a multilingual service that caters to both English and Spanish clients. Also, you can opt to have a 24×7 service, which is inclusive of weekends and holidays. For this service, you will want to know if the company charges extra fees.
Lawyers can use call protocols to personalize their service for current and potential clients. The protocols help to ensure a personalized attention clients look for beyond the typical business hours. It does this while still saving a law firm the expense of having a full-time employee.
When selecting a package, it’s important to check if it includes call reports. These reports offer insightful metrics attorneys can use to streamline their support and tailor their marketing messages.
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Appointment Scheduling
Let’s face it. Life in legal practice is usually busy. Some attorneys find it difficult to manage their time properly and to accommodate as many clients as possible.
Unlike most businesses, lawyers tend to get calls anytime, even during off-hours. Clients may call an attorney while they are not in the office. Then, they get a mechanical voice telling them they can only schedule an appointment during normal business hours.
That’s frustrating, right? It’s quite impersonal for the clients.
With live answering services attorneys can improve their image with a simple and seamless appointment scheduling through an online software. The agents work diligently to maximize every available slot on the lawyer’s calendar.
Some services also accommodate lawyers with multiple calendars.
All an attorney needs to do is to tell the service how the need to schedule the appointments. This includes the number, time, and frequency of the appointments.
Lawyers can then view their appointment calendar through an online system and plan their schedule accordingly.
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Not Just a Typical Answering Service
One important thing to note is there is a sharp difference between general answering services and a dedicated attorney service.
For those looking for a phone answering company to delegate their non-core tasks, it helps to opt for those services that focus on attorney call support.
In addition to professional call-handling training, the agents of such services are specialized training on legal terminology, case classification, and different types of law.
By working with such a service, a lawyer is confident his or her clients will enjoy professional and personalized support.
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Low Operation Costs
This is a clear benefit, and one of the most sought after benefit by any business owner. Having as many ways to reduce overall costs helps to give lawyers peace of mind. It also ensures attractive bookkeeping figures.
For those who a hire a full-time receptionist, there are several costs that come in mind. These include salary, recruitment expenses, equipment costs, employment taxes, benefits, and space. This means a lawyer will still have to meet these costs even during those slow seasons and unproductive hours.
On the other hand, with a call answering service, a lawyer only needs to pay for those calls the service answers.
How to Choose the Right Answering Service For Your Law Office
Like in any other business, improving the standard and quality of customer service is important to law firms, too.
When looking for the right answering services, an attorney must ensure that the company can guarantee privacy and confidentiality.
The nature of legal services involves handling sensitive information of the lawyer’s clients. An excellent service adheres to data protection laws, such as COPPA, HIPAA, FACTA, and the Data Protection Directive.
It’s also important to assess the pricing model of the service. Let the company provide the prices for each package, listing the features and other essential details.
Some of the essential features to consider include call recording, call reports, call screenings, web access, voicemail, and appointment setting.
For those lawyers who need dedicated services, it’s essential to have a seating with the agents to plan the call support and clear any incoherent areas.
The Bottom Line
Understanding how answering services work is vital in improving the quality of service that clients get.
Using these services allows lawyers to channel their attention to ensuring clients get the defense and support the need.
To ensure a streamlined process, a lawyer needs to provide explicit instructions and ensure the service has access to all the relevant information.
This way, attorneys can enjoy tailored solutions that take into account their unique needs to ensure quality customer service.
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