Running a law firm needs full focus on establishing, nurturing, and maintaining extraordinary relationships with all clients. This is more than just taking them through legal procedures and giving them top-notch legal counsel. Successful law firms prioritize their clients and take the necessary steps, seamless communication included, to ensure they feel important and comfortable.

The client-centered approach guides virtually all the choices you make regarding your firm, including your office’s location, marketing strategy for your firm, client expectations when they visit your office, and who will handle your calls and how. Even though all these choices play a critical role in how your clients perceive your firm, what highly matters is having the ideal party to handle your calls.

To address this issue, you can contract virtual receptionist services tailored towards meeting your precise needs without incurring many expenses and benefiting in a few other ways.

Law Firm Virtual Receptionist Services Are Becoming Increasingly Popular

Virtual receptionists have become highly popular among law firms and attorneys practicing solo because of the many benefits they offer. Some law firms and lawyers use virtual receptionist services to attend to their inbound emails, chats, calls, and any other inbound communication. Others use these services to address any overflow whenever there's a spike in volume or there's no one available to handle the calls.

Some lawyer virtual receptionist companies offer cloud-based phone services that will enable the management of call analytics, call routing, and other helpful calling features.

Identify Your Needs before Choosing a Virtual Receptionist for Your Law Firm

If you're looking to contract virtual receptionist services, you will need to consider a few things that will assist you in making an informed decision. You'll first have to identify your needs. In identifying your needs, you’ll have to:

Decide if You Require a Committed Team of Virtual Receptionists

Some law firm virtual receptionist service providers distribute incoming phone calls among several virtual receptionists. Whenever a person answers, they'll use a script containing your custom greetings and possibly a pronunciation guide. However, they won't know your law firm. Other providers assign your law firm a team of receptionists and help you train them about handling calls. This could also have an impact on availability and price.

Evaluate the Availability You Need

It is attempting to presume that 24/7 services are the best, but there might be compromises. For instance, some providers use local virtual receptionists during regular work hours and remote receptionists in different time zones after-hour shifts. If you plan to work with a small, devoted team, you may not receive 24/7 services without using additional virtual receptionists after business hours or increasing your team's size.

Find out What Else You Require Apart From Call Answering

You can hire a lawyer virtual receptionist just to answer phone calls. However, most receptionists provide additional services such as client intake, scheduling and confirming appointments, taking payments, having retainer signed, live chat, and more. Outsourcing other services might cost you a little more than what call answering alone would.

Determine How You Wish to Pay for the Services

Many companies charge by the minute. However, you could go for one that charges by the call or offers customized or unlimited plans. Based on the types of phone calls your law firm receives, given plans may be the best option for your needs and the needs of your law firm.

After you've defined your needs, filter what companies are in the best position to meet them. Then go to their product pages to know what law firms are in their target pricing, demographics, and any other aspects you may need to know. After that, narrow your options to three or four companies you're considering, read reviews about them and choose one.

A Law Firm Virtual Receptionist Will Do A Lot For You

Essentially, law firm virtual receptionists provide customized phone answering services. Phone answering services are inclusive of:

  • Transferring phone calls to the relevant party in your firm
  • Identifying your caller plus their needs
  • Call center methodologies and etiquette to respond to calls
  • Call dispatching service
  • Calls answered in a customized manner suited for your firm
  • Providing you with a live individual responding to calls

You can expect your law firm virtual receptionists to do what your live receptionist would've done had you hired them full-time. Virtual receptionist services are delivered by an actual individual trained to work in a call center, using call center telephone etiquette to handle phone calls.

More than Just Telephone Answering

Apart from phone answering services, law firm virtual receptionists can offer other services like:

  • SMS and text messaging -Apart from answering phone calls, your law firm virtual receptionist can also send and receive text messages from your clients using your telephone system.
  • Live receptionist- live receptionist entails an actual individual answering your phone calls and offering you phone answering services. A virtual receptionist can also assume this role.
  • Live chat— a live chat refers to a chat service that virtual receptionists offer through a live individual answering messages and chats.
  • Lead generation— a virtual receptionist can also record a caller's data and information based on what kind of details your firm requires. This information will eventually be stored in your firm's Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system and can be used to convert the callers into leads.
  • Screening calls—call screening entails ensuring the caller meets given established criteria before their call is transferred to you or any other relevant party. For example, your virtual receptionist could screen your call to make sure the caller is effectively calling for services your firm offers.
  • Routing calls—call routing is when the virtual receptionist directs an inbound phone call to an in-person individual or based on your established routing protocol. This depends on whether or not the caller is calling during working hours.
  • Recording calls— your virtual receptionist can also record your clients' phone calls. This way, you could listen to them later and assess the services your virtual receptionist is offering and measure their quality of service. Call recording will also help you listen to your client’s phone calls and sort out their needs in your free time.
  • Analyzing calls—your virtual receptionist can analyze call data, including the duration, type, patterns, volume, and other elements. Doing this will enable you to monitor all your inbound activities and measure the success of your publicity and marketing campaigns.
  • Scheduling appointments—your virtual receptionist can also book appointments for you and schedule meetings in your or the firm's calendar.

Other services your law firm virtual receptionist can provide are:

  • Email response
  • Reporting in phone call management
  • Customized advertisement on-hold music
  • Management of phone call overflows
  • 24/7 phone answering services
  • Answering calls after hours

Remaining Competitive with Law Firm Virtual Receptionist Services

The capability to project confidence and competence is the keystone of any legal profession. Most legal problems are solved behind the scenes with little client input. This makes it challenging for a client to determine the quality of the services through conventional measures. For instance, an attorney with high legal expertise but modest conversational skills might find themselves incapable of attracting and retaining clients. It is the same case at the law firm level, whereby a practice's incapability to express its competence in a courtroom outside of it might cost it when it comes to attracting clients.

Consider this: a potential client encountering a civil or criminal court case tries to reach out to a law firm for help. The first law firm they contact does not have a system whatsoever. The phone merely rings severally until the client ultimately hangs up. They try the second firm. The phone rings once, and then they receive a voice message promising to contact them back if they leave their phone number. However, they don't do so since they are not sure if the firm will help. They try the third law firm, which welcomes them, directs them to what button will lead them to what lawyer or specialty, and requires that they briefly hold until someone can answer their call. Encouraged that the firm can meet their needs thanks to the virtual receptionist, the client is confident the firm can assist them.

This example shows how a law firm virtual receptionist can improve client experience from the beginning. Rather than irritate a possible client, a firm should subtly provide them with precisely what they require promptly and easily.

Reasons Why a Virtual Receptionist Could be Necessary for Your Firm

Outsourcing virtual receptionist services for law firms and lawyers can be a critical decision but possibly an excellent one for your practice. These are reasons why retaining a law firm virtual receptionist is the best strategy:

  • You will be able to respond to all incoming phone calls
  • Your phone calls will be answered even after hours
  • You’ll save much time that you’ll use to manage your personal business
  • You can depend on the virtual receptionist 24/7
  • You can request the receptionist to route and dispatch calls to anybody, anywhere
  • Appointment booking will be easier with a virtual receptionist
  • You will minimize interruptions on your daily legal operations

If you can see worth in the points we have listed above, you can realize how valuable a virtual receptionist for your law firm is.

Controlling Costs Control With Law Firm Virtual Receptionist Services

Hiring an in-house receptionist means every hour they're at the reception desk, they're billing your firm. That’s the case whether the telephone is ringing off the hook or it is a slow day, and they only have to answer a few calls during their entire shift. If you have a law firm virtual receptionist, you can control your costs easily since you pay only for whatever you really need. Retaining a virtual receptionist means you won't have to pay setup charges, and you can cancel your services at any time.

Presenting a Professional Image with a Law Firm Virtual Receptionist

A law firm virtual receptionist displays your potential and existing clients that your firm is professional. This is critical since, after all, clients want a person who can represent them plus their interests. No one wants to associate themselves with an unserious or unprofessional company as far as any kind of business is concerned, particularly if it's anything that concerns the law.

Hiring a Law Firm Virtual Receptionist Doesn't Mean You Won't Entirely Need an In-House Receptionist

Most law firms with in-house receptionists additionally use virtual receptionist services to address overflow phone calls and those coming in after hours. Here is how you may use a law firm virtual receptionist alongside your in-house receptionists:

  • Having a law firm virtual receptionist results in your in-house receptionist having a lot of free time to do more in-office duties.
  • You can forward your phone calls to your virtual receptionist during the period your firm is not open, particularly during weekends, holidays, and nights.
  • During the period when your in-house receptionist is on the phone, your virtual receptionist will answer the calls that would've otherwise been missed.

Automated Phone Answering Isn't the Same as Virtual Receptionist

It is critical to differentiate between automated answering services and virtual receptionist services.

The automated call answering service is generally known as Auto Attendant. An auto attendant system is a system that permits call transfer to an extension without a receptionist or operator intervening. You can also use this system to route a phone call to a live operator after the caller chooses a few options offered through the auto attendant system.

On the other hand, virtual receptionist services are delivered by a live individual who handles inbound calls to your firm. Virtual receptionist services can be provided by a professional company or self-employed person offering administrative support.

Having a virtual receptionist work for you is almost the same as having a live receptionist at your office responding to phone calls, screening callers, and routing the calls.

Find Competent Law Firm Virtual Receptionist Services Near Me

At Best Call Center, we're available 24/7 to cater to clients' needs all over the country. Since our team is trained to work per personalized scripts prepared specially for every client, you don't have to worry about an uninformed or impersonal virtual receptionist answering your phone calls. On the contrary, you can rest easy knowing all your callers are being served by resourceful experts eager to bring a polished phone presence to your practice. Contact us now at 800-385-4656 to partner with us.