When it comes to professional services, there are few with higher standards than solicitors. Working so closely with the law and the delicate matters of their clients, they hold themselves and their service providers to the highest standards of quality and integrity. That means providing great service to their clients at all times – including over the phone. But with the phone lines always ringing, how can a firm of solicitors be sure they are always on top form?
Protect Valuable Time
When you’re working in a legal firm, time really is important. Solicitors time is often stretched, with paperwork, client meetings, phone calls and court dates all battling for attention. So if an enquiry can be dealt with without being put through to the solicitor themselves, it’s a much more effective use of everyone’s time. A telephone answering service can be used to ensure all calls to the firm are answered, and filter out which calls really need to be put through, and transfer them through to the right person within the firm. This ensures each solicitor’s time is well protected, without sacrificing client happiness.
Saving Costs
A big advantage for solicitors using a call answering service is the cost savings. Running a law firm isn’t cheap, and with so many employees involved, each and every one has to be able to prove their worth. But for many firms, hiring a full-time receptionist is expensive – especially when you consider all the extra costs involved in the recruitment, training and general employment process. A call answering service can provide you with the same results (better usually), but at a fraction of the cost. Our client Alex Brown from Bakers solicitors phrased it perfectly:
“We have saved a minimum of 30% on the cost of employing one receptionist. Plus savings on sick pay, office space, equipment, teas, coffees, pensions, payroll costs, management time and red tape!”
Get Messages To the Right People
Of course, it’s not just solicitors working in law firms. There are also runners and clerks, admin assistants and potentially even work experience staff working there – all of whom may be able to answer enquiries, or receive phone calls. Call answering services allow solicitors’ firms to filter enquiries based on topic, working out who within the firm they need to speak to before passing anything on. This means that all enquiries won’t always be going to the same person – instead they will be spread out across the whole firm depending on who the right person to deal with that enquiry is. This ensures the right people get the right messages each and every time, with no miscommunication or crossed wires.
Streamline New Enquiries
One of the more general (and useful) reasons for solicitors to use a call answering service is to help them qualify new enquiries. Using a series of set questions, a virtual receptionist can determine which callers need to speak to which departments, or even if the firm can actually help with their request. And if a member of staff is on holiday, the enquiry can still be handled in a professional manner, and the business won’t be lost. This also has a knock-on effect – each enquirer has an immediate human interaction and their query attended to immediately, all of which leads to better customer service and a stronger client experience. Paul Donnachie from Donnachie Law Court solicitors agreed, saying:
“I am pleased to say that I am enjoying the thought of having enquiries passed over to me by the call answering team whilst on holiday – without having to worry about missing out on new business.”
At Verbatim we work with many law firms to help them streamline their service and protect their most valuable asset – time. Whether you’re a small firm or a large one, we can help you manage your time more efficiently, improve your customer service and save money while we’re doing it. If you would like to know more about our call answering services for solicitors, just get in touch with the team today.
