Virtual Reception Services: The Boutique Law Firm’s Solution to Phone Answering
One of the top challenges solo attorneys and boutique law firms face is managing limited resources. A small team is often responsible for a dizzying array of priorities on both the legal and administrative sides of the business.
One of the most common frustrations of a small legal practice is simple: phone answering. Today, we’re going to explore how virtual reception services can help resource-strapped law firms serve existing and future clients with the type of customer service expected from Big Law.
Hiring a virtual receptionist gives attorneys more time for billable work
Virtual services, like phone answering, free up time for attorneys and their team to work on billable projects. When you know the phones are being handled by a trained professional, you can work on other tasks without fear of being interrupted.
Your virtual receptionist will keep a log of callers and notes, including details on whether a return phone call is needed.
When you want to earn new clients, first impressions are everything
It’s a Catch-22: Your practice needs to grow and acquire new clients. But, your day is already full of client meetings, court hearings, strategy sessions, and more. You simply don’t have the time to stop for interruptions, no matter how much the call could help your business.
To make things even trickier, according to a 2017 legal trends report, two out of three potential clients say their decision to hire an attorney or firm is primarily influenced by the firm’s “initial responsiveness”.
What’s a busy attorney to do? The answer is simple: Show that your legal practice is professional and responsive with a virtual receptionist service. You may even be able to find a professional who already has legal experience and training. Many of our Intelligent Office (IO) virtual assistants and receptionists are trained in client intake and other legal office intricacies, for example.
You’ll never have to waste energy worrying about the phones again
With virtual reception help, you get peace of mind knowing the phones are under control. You don’t have to worry about cell service in spotty coverage zones, and you’ll never have to let people know you’ll be unavailable during a plane ride or long deposition. Your receptionist will handle all incoming calls and can even assist with scheduling as needed.
If your firm already has a receptionist, try conditional phone answering
During busy times of the year, do incoming calls sometimes go to voicemail while your in-house receptionist is on another call? In these cases, it pays to have a conditional call forwarding service, where a receptionist will jump in to answer any calls that don’t get answered after a few rings.
Conditional call forwarding is just one example of how flexible virtual reception solutions can be. To learn more about phone answering and other virtual assistant services for your legal practice, visit this page for more details and a free quote from Intelligent Office.
