When you are running a successful business or are starting to run your criminal defense law firm, giving your clients access to your services should be your number one priority. A satisfied client will return for your services and refer your services to family and friends, reflecting well on your revenue.
Clients will always call your law firm whenever they find themselves in trouble; they expect to talk to you when they do so. Most arrests are made at night or over the holidays; if a client or a prospective client reaches out to you in their time of need, they expect you to be there and help them.
Your response to a client’s call could have life-altering ramifications for the client. Therefore, it is essential always to have someone answer your phone, whether after office hours, over the holiday, or attending a courthouse session. Employing an answering service will ensure that your clients always have access to you, among other benefits like:
Live Receptionist
An answering service has a live receptionist who answers your client’s call whenever they come through. These receptionists are well-trained to handle your callers professionally. When a call is placed to your firm, a live receptionist will take all the information provided and categorize the call under the case type.
Customized Service
You can always have your calls customized to ensure your clients receive information about the services you offer. You can also answer service agents the type of questions you would like them to ask your callers; this will ensure that correct information is passed. With the trained agents, your clientele will receive information about your practice whenever they call you.
You Will Always Be Available to Your Clients
A live call center service will always ensure that all your calls are answered at any time of the day or night. When a client places a call to your office, they expect to connect with you or your team, and having an answering machine pick up their call can put them off. Sometimes all a client requires from you is your availability; having someone pick their calls at your office shows them that you are accessible, building their trust in you.
Professionalism
Your office staff can sometimes have a hectic day, and at the end of the day, they are not in their best state of mind to answer a call. A live answering service will always have trained agents answer your calls, providing your clients with excellent customer service. The confidence these agents have will relax your callers, assuring them that their case is in better hands.
Schedule Appointments and Make Follow-up Calls
The live agents are trained in your field of practice and can categorize the calls in order of urgency. They will then proceed and make appointments with your clients and pass that information to your team.
You Will Receive Message Dispatches On the Go
Depending on the callers’ case, the live answering service provider will ensure that they forward any vital message to you or your team. Urgent message dispatch will always ensure that you prioritize cases that may severely affect ramifications to the client’s life if handled well and on time.
Answer Routine Calls
Sometimes a prospective will not go through your website to find relevant information about your practice. With an answering service provider, the agents can answer some routine questions like your location, hourly rates, and the types of cases you handle. An agent will answer these questions in a friendly and professional manner that will put a prospective client at ease.
The live receptionists have the necessary skills to ask relevant questions regarding your practice, and depending on the answers they receive; they can filter calls that can wait.
Excellent Customer Service
Most of the time, a client will call your law firm when facing some criminal charges or when someone has committed a crime against them. At this time, if their call is received by someone who empathizes with them or understands their plight, they feel well cared for. With an answering service, you do not have to worry since your clients are in better hands.
Once you explain your core values, the agents will always ensure that their clients’ interactions reflect your values. The client will feel like they’ve spoken with you and that their case is in better hands. This excellent service will leave your clients satisfied, which will make them repeat clients. A satisfied client will always refer their clients back to your law firm, which will boost your revenue.
Confidentiality
With an answering service, your clients' privacy is guaranteed; they have data collecting tools that pass the information to your office once they are done. The live agent guarantees maintaining your clients’ confidentiality and ensuring that the data collected is handled with care and well protected.
Specialized Services
An answering service will offer you agents trained in criminal law and are well conversant with your practice field. Trained agents in your operation area will answer questions asked by the clients comfortably and confidently, reflecting well on your law firm. They will provide the client with relevant information regarding your practice.
Bilingual Services
When a client calls your firm in distress, sometimes it helps to have someone who understands their language as most people revert to their language when they are under great stress.
Handle Different Cases Accordingly
You can have them send particular cases to different team members if you have a large team. This will ease your workload and, at the same time, ensure that every team member handles cases that best suit them. They can schedule appointments for different team members handling other matters.
Cost-Effective
Hiring a receptionist to work after work hours or during the holidays can be a costly event. You can reduce this cost by hiring an answering service that you will only pay for what you are utilizing, which is much cheaper than hiring several receptionists to cover your office 24/7.
Staff Production
When you hire an answering service, your office staff will be in a position to concentrate on their workload without having the phone disrupting their concentration. When they dedicate their full attention to the work at hand, it will translate to higher office productivity. Your staff and co-workers will need to serve the clients while they are at their best; they can’t do this while they are overstressed from scheduling clients’ appointments and answering the phone. With a legal answering service, your staff will have some peace of mind.
Improve Organization
Your office will benefit greatly when the calls are answered on time at any time, appointments scheduled, and reminders sent. When most administrative tasks are well taken care of, you can concentrate on your cases. Excellent organizational skills will translate to high efficiency in the running of daily office chores.
Call Screening
With this service, the live agents will screen your call and note the important ones while dealing with other calls like telemarketers. This will save you a lot of time utilizing relevant office work like research or attending to clients’ hearings in court.
Offer Social Media Management
With an answering service, you enjoy benefits like having your entire social media platform monitored, and in case of anything serious, the service provider will bring it to your notice. They also send emails to your clients, ensuring you are free to concentrate on your office work.
Great Family- work Balance
You will need to have an outstanding family balance in your life; your family life does not have to be negatively affected by your office life. With an answering service, you are guaranteed to enjoy time off with your family unless a critical emergency arises.
Boost your Service Delivery
When you are so busy with attending court hearings and doing research, you may fail to accord your clients the necessary attention. When you engage the services of an answering agency, your clients will have the attention they desire when they call your office, and this will go a long way in boosting your reputation as a caring law firm. Excellent service delivery will always translate to significant revenue for you and create client confidence in your law firm.
Convert Calls into Business Leads
Answering service providers have their agents trained to convert prospective calls into business leads. This will have a significant impact on your revenues as a new client will pay for your services. When a prospective client calls your office with some inquiries, the agents will answer them professionally, which will help boost the client’s confidence in your ability to represent them.
Have a higher Hand than the Competition
Sometimes when a prospective client calls a law firm, they expect to find someone who will offer solutions to their problems. If they call and receive a voicemail, they will go to another law firm with a live person to communicate with. When you hire an answering service provider, your calls will always be answered, giving you an edge over your competitors.
Reduce clients work
When you use an automatic machine, your clients will be redirected before they can attain the necessary service they are seeking. This will make the client feel like they are wasting their time, and they could end up looking for other law firms to assist them. With a legal answering service, your client’s calls are answered promptly, and any questions they have responded to immediately. Clients value their time, and with this service, you will retain your clients and gather new ones.
You will Always Be in the Know.
Running a busy firm, managing client’s cases, and having a balanced life can sometimes be a thin line to tread. You may miss an important call or fail to keep track of all your appointments, which could lead to loss of revenue and client dissatisfaction. With an answering service, you will always keep in mind what is going on in your law firm. They will update you on the most critical cases to handle and effectively organize your schedule so that you never miss out on client meetings.
Free Trial Available
When you want to incorporate an answering service provider, always try their free trial to ensure that you receive the services that best suit your law firm. You can place a call as a prospective client and receive firsthand experience on how they operate. Follow the information to check whether the information you provided on the call is the same information sent into your office. You can also check if they can customize your package as per your instructions.
CRM Integration
Most legal answering service providers offer Customer Relation Management (CRM), ensuring that all the data collected during a phone conversation is sent to your office and on time. This ensures that they provide efficient data collection and tacking.
Customer Satisfaction
There is nothing that puts a client off, like having their call go to your voicemail. Even if a client calls at 3 am, they still expect to reach you. This inconvenience is well taken care of with live agents as your client calls can always contact you. How the agents will handle the call will leave your client feeling that their case is in better hands, and they can rest easy. A satisfied client will give your practice glowing recommendations and reviews.
With thoughtful customer service, it will forge long-lasting impressions with the client. Customer satisfaction will translate to a great working relationship between you and the client, increasing your revenue and standing in the community.
Conclusion
Clients are the lifeline of any criminal defense law firm; you must ensure that their comfort level is of utmost importance. Let your client feel that you value them by having a professional live agent answer their call at any time of the day. By investing in an legal answering service, you will not only benefit from the service, but your clients will enjoy the professional services as well. Take your time and conduct necessary research before hiring a legal answering service.
Always hire the agency that resonates with your firm's core values, and that will offer your clients the best possible services. If possible, train them on how you would wish your clients treated whenever they call your law firm. This will ensure you enjoy your peace of mind even when you are away from your office.
