A Better Answer Blog

Law practices can be demanding and complex. On account of this, many are hesitant to outsource customer service because of a fear that they won’t be represented properly to current and prospective clients. Fortunately, the right answering service can serve as an extension of your brand and reinforce the same qualities your staff embodies on a daily basis.

The only question is, what qualities do you want your answering service to represent? Professionalism? Trust? An experienced answering service can serve as an extension of your brand and reinforce the same qualities your staff embodies on a daily basis. Plus, hiring an answering service allows you to focus on your core business of handling your clients’ legal matters.

Here are five things every legal office needs in an answering service:

1. Specialization

Your legal office specializes in a particular area of the law and your answering service should know that area. The call center representatives should be well versed in what you do and the needs of your clients. You should also feel secure in knowing that the right calls will be escalated to the right person in your office, if needed. The right answering service will be a seamless extension of your office.

2. Flexibility

When dealing with a legal matter, there are times when clients are calling with a sense of urgency and desperation. You need the security of knowing that your calls will be answered promptly by call representatives 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

3. Understanding

Your clients should feel valued and understood by the person who answers your phone. An answering service should have a customized script or call handling procedure for assisting those who are calling your office for a legal matter. Your clients should hang up the phone confident that their message will get through and that the person who answered your phone is representative of the trust they feel with your office.

4. Bilingual Capability

A frightened prospective or existing client can become easily frustrated if the person on the other end of the line isn’t speaking their language. The right call center will have representatives that are able to help with bilingual campaigns for your legal office. This is especially helpful for businesses in the Southwest.

5. Promptness 

When someone is calling your office, you want his or her call to be answered promptly and courteously, right? The right answering service will answer your calls within one or two rings, will have a less than one-minute average hold time and will have a less than one percent average abandoned call rate.

If you’re considering hiring an answering service for your legal office, make sure they have the five characteristics mentioned above.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in September 2014 and has been completely revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.