Top Attorney Answering Service Reviews for 2018–2019
Don’t let valuable potential clients fall through the cracks. Find the right attorney answering service and call centers with the latest reviews for 2018-2019.
It’s no secret that attorneys lead a busy life. Between dealing with current clients, looking over discovery, writing and filing complaints, and going to court, you have little time to answer the phone.
Unfortunately, missed calls can mean missed business. Let’s say that you miss four calls from potential new clients. Three call back and you take their cases, but one goes with another attorney. That’s 25 percent less business!
So what’s the solution? If you aren’t able to keep up with calls but are worried about losing clients, then you should look into an attorney answering service. Not sure what that is? Read on to learn everything you need to know!
What Is an Attorney Answering Service?
An attorney answering service is exactly what it sounds like – a service that answers phone calls for attorneys. Think of it like a secretary that doesn’t actually work in your office.
Answering services are located in offsite centers. New and potential clients call your phone number, and if you are unavailable, the call will roll over to the answering service. If you don’t want to be disturbed by phone calls, or if you’re out of the office, you can set your calls to automatically roll over to the answering service.
You can ask an answering service to do a number of things for you when they answer your calls. When the call comes into the answering service, a script will pop up on the agent’s screen prompting them to start the call with a specified greeting.
The script has multiple drop down options that will take the agent through a number of scenarios. For example, you can set the script to have an option for new clients, current clients, or an “other” option. You can even have the answering service complete an intake form for new clients so you’re prepared when you return their call.
Most messages received by the answering service are emailed to you, but you can also provide an emergency number for the answering service to call if they receive an urgent call.
Attorney answering services are used by many large firms, but they are also an excellent resource for small firms and solo practitioners. They save you the expense of hiring a legal secretary, and they catch calls you receive after hours.
Is There a Difference Between a Virtual Receptionist vs. an Answering Service?
For the most part, there isn’t any substantive difference between answering services and virtual receptionists. Both answer the phone for you, perform intake, take appointment requests, and can reach you in the event of an urgent or emergency call. They can also perform outbound functions.
The main difference is that, if you’re using a virtual receptionist, you’re most likely going to have them answer your calls all the time. They take the place of an in-office receptionist and can route calls to the appropriate person. Virtual assistants may also have more training on how to handle legal matters than an answering service.
5 Top Picks for Attorney Answering Services
Now that you know what attorney answering services are, you’re probably considering using one. You’ve probably also noticed that there’s no shortage of answering services out there. Luckily, we’ve taken the guesswork out of it. These are some of the best attorney answering services out there.
1. Answering Legla
This answering service is a great all around service for firms of various sizes. They offer personalized scripts and answer calls 24 hours a day. The company delivers 24 hour live legal answering service support for about $3.00 a minute, or as little as $1.99 a minute for law offices using a minimum of 200 minutes.
2. Ruby Receptionists
Ruby Receptionists works well for small firms and solo practitioners who don’t want 24-hour service. They consider themselves to be virtual receptionists rather than an answering service and are available from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. PST Monday through Friday, and 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PST on the weekend.
3. MAP Communications
MAP is a great answering service for both the small and larger firms. They have multiple locations and over 500 agents available to answer your calls 24 hours a day. This company offers one of the best prices solutions, and hands down has the latest state of the art answering service software.
4. Voice Nation
Another great option for attorneys! They have four sites, 24-hour service, and over 100 agents to answer your calls.
5. Answer Connect
Answer Connect works well for large firms, too, with over 300 agents available to take your calls 24 hours a day.
How Much Should a Good Attorney Answering Service Cost?
In the words of nearly every single attorney on earth, it depends. Ultimately, the cost of the service will depend on how many calls you receive and the complexity of those calls.
Most answering services charge by the minute for a basic answering service. If you route a lot of calls to them, or if you set it up so the answering service completes a long intake form, then you’ll spend more on the service than if you receive more calls or just have the service take a message.
Many answering services also have additional things you can add to your package such as appointment scheduling or inbound call patching.
The bottom line is that the cost of the service is dependent upon what you make of it. If you just want someone to take messages, then it’ll be inexpensive, but if you want it to function as a real-life secretary, then it’ll cost you more.
Keep in mind that, even though you’re spending more money on an answering service, you’re also bringing in more clients and adding value to the service your existing clients are receiving. In short, it’ll pay for itself.
Don’t Lose Business! Sign Up for an Answering Service Today!
Answering services make a huge difference for law firms. A good attorney answering service makes sure that you don’t lose business due to missed calls. They also make sure your current clients feel valued and you don’t miss important phone calls from opposing counsel or court clerks.
Lastly, not having to worry about keeping up with the phones means you’ll have much more time to dedicate to working on cases. With all these benefits, it makes perfect sense to invest in an answering service.
Ready to give it a shot? Sign up for a quote today!
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