Running a restraining order law firm is a tiresome and demanding job. You will always have multiple tasks on your schedule, including defending clients in court, offering legal consultation, and filing all important documents for your cases.
However, you understand that the clients seeking your help to take out restraining orders or contest one are as important as the ones you already have. Therefore, when a person contacts your law firm for legal guidance, they expect to receive a fast and reliable response.
Taking time out of your busy schedule to answer phone calls can distract you and reduce productivity. Although using an answering machine can be a short-term solution, legal clients must be more impressed by recorded messages. They want the human touch associated with answering phone calls.
Partnering with an answering service provider may be the best way to offer the excellent and professional services that your clients need. The answering service agents will be available to answer all your phone calls at all times, which can help your law firm grow significantly.
The expected benefits you will accrue from hiring an answering service for your law firm include the following:
Professional Image for Your Restraining Order Law Firm
Your professional image is critical to operating a successful restraining order law firm. Although you can use business cards and websites, partnering with an answering service can improve your professionalism in the following ways:
- Voicemail and automated messages will not turn clients off. When someone wants to obtain a restraining order or is served with one, they will want to talk to an attorney immediately. Your restraining order law firm will display a poor image when the calls are transferred to voicemail. After such an encounter, the client will imagine an empty office with incompetent personnel. This takes away your credibility, and they may need help to trust you to handle their legal issues.
- Answering service agents understand the right way to respond to clients. When you work with an office receptionist, you cannot control the tone or attitude of the receptionist as they interact with clients. If the receptionist has had a bad day, their unprofessionalism can reflect on your business and give the wrong first impression, which is difficult to shake off.
- The answering service gives your business a polished look. Even with so much effort put into creating perfect letterheads and great websites, a bad first impression can harm your business. Parenting with an answering service tells your callers you are an organized business capable of providing desired services.
Ability to Capture All Clients
The number and quality of clients you work with can dictate the rate at which your firm grows. Calls to your office can be very overwhelming for the receptionist. You may miss out on some crucial clients when you are busy handling other matters.
Most clients needing legal guidance will only call your firm once. If there is no answer on the first try or they must listen to automated messages, they will not want to do business with you.
An Answering Service Boosts Your Online Presence
When you work with an in-house receptionist for your restraining order law firm, the staff should focus more on paperwork and phone calls. This means there will be no time left to respond to messages and other forms of online communication. With the increased use of technology, many people turn to the Internet for all their needs. Even when you create an attractive website, you must be able to respond to concerns and answer potential clients' questions.
When there is no response from your website, people will give negative reviews, which may discourage other clients from seeking your services. Building a solid online presence will require constant communication with people with queries or concerns. An answering service will have multiple agents who can quickly respond to customer concerns on all communication platforms.
How well you respond to people online may impact how clients view your ability to offer top-notch services and meet their needs.
Broaden your Scope of Customer Service Through Bilingual Agents
A bilingual answering service matters regardless of the size of your law firm. Your law firm must adapt as the Hispanic community grows in the United States. With a bilingual answering service, you can capture more clients.
When a person falls into legal trouble, they may feel at ease speaking to someone conversant in their language. This allows clients to express their needs and receive much-needed legal guidance. You will not need to hire and train multiple in-office receptionists when you have bilingual answering service agents. Additionally, including all cultures in your services can politely reflect on your business.
Increase the Productivity of Your Office Staff
As a defense attorney, your responsibilities change all the time. You may be caught up in discussing details with a client, attending a court session, or handling legal paperwork. Most of these tasks require extreme concentration. When you are in court or in a meeting with a client, you will not be able to answer a phone call from a potential client. Sometimes, these calls come from individuals with minor queries or concerns.
When your office staff takes time from their busy schedule to handle phone calls, they could be distracted, affecting their productivity. You can increase the productivity of your staff by hiring an answering service to handle phone calls and online communications.
Save on Operating Costs
Another significant benefit of hiring an answering service for your law firm is that you can save on the cost of operations. Some ways this action will save you money include:
- You spend less on salaries. When you have an in-office receptionist, you must always account for their salary in the budget. Office staff must be paid even when they are on holiday or cannot come to work due to illness. Most answering service providers will only charge you depending on the number of calls they take. When the intake is low, you spend less on call answering services.
- No training expenses. New in-office receptionists will require money and time for training. However, most answering service agents are conversant with taking calls and handling online communications. This allows you to save more money.
- Cut on equipment cost. Answering service providers come into your business with their equipment. With this, you will save on purchasing and updating equipment.
Offer Personalized Services to your Clients
Clients call your restraining order law firm with different legal concerns and needs. Some clients want your help petitioning for a restraining order, while others want your insight in contesting an order issued against them. Since no two cases are similar, recording automated messages could be a turn-off for your calls.
When the first impression of your law firm is one of generalized service, clients will not want to work with you and can give poor feedback about your law firm. When you partner with an answering service, you must remember automated messages. Your clients receive direct contact with your law firm, and they receive personalized services. This assures them you value their case and will work toward your best interests.
You can ensure that your answering service offers customized help for your callers by giving them the following information:
- Your business mission and core values. When you hire an answering service, you should guide them through the values and mission of your restraining order law firm. This helps ensure that the information provided to each client is customized to align with your business practices. Since answering service providers have their own values, they can align them with yours.
- Details of your business. While offering the best reception and services for your clients, you want to ensure that the answering service agents have accurate details of your business. The right answering service will ask for that information when you sign the contract to work with them. This ensures that they do not mislead your clients. For example, if a client is satisfied with the initial phone call to your law firm and wants to visit, they may be able to receive your services if the correct address is provided.
- Special-care client instructions. While you don’t want to play favorites with clients, you understand that some need specialized care. When clients call your law firm, they will tell you what kind of help they need and how soon they need it. Some clients want to come into the office to discuss their cases, while others need immediate help.
- List of prohibited practices. As you strive to provide expert and customized legal services for your clients, you will have guidelines that help you achieve the goal. When you partner with an answering service, you can give them guidelines on the communication behaviors that apply to the industry.
Create an Image of the Size
Image is everything in today’s size. Individuals seeking legal guidance for themselves or their loved ones are often vulnerable. During such a difficult time, the person wants assurance that they will receive the best legal services to ensure a favorable outcome for their case.
Being served with a restraining order or having to take one out can be a daunting experience. Clients contacting your law firm want to feel they are working with an established and professional law firm.
Working with an answering service gives you the perception you need to attract more customers. When the answering service agents answer the client's first call, they may feel comfortable knowing that you have invested in updated technology and that your firm can handle their case appropriately.
Additionally, partnering with an answering service can give your law firm a desirable reputation. This will translate to more clients and increased growth for the business.
Efficient Communication with Remote Teams
Businesses adapt to new working methods, and the legal industry has been included. When teams are distributed, the need for effective communication increases. Partnering with an answering service plays a significant role in ensuring smooth communication. Since remote teams do not have a centralized location, the staff can focus on their core duties while ensuring potential customers receive the attention they need.
If a concern requires immediate attention from a lawyer, the answering service agents can transfer the calls to you. Additionally, the agents can note any queries and prioritize the messages. This lets you easily handle your clients when you return to the office.
Offers Business Continuity
Most lawyers hardly have any free time. Whether busy in court or on vacation, you want your law firm to continue functioning seamlessly. When you work with an in-house receptionist, they will not be able to answer calls for the business when they are on vacation or not feeling well.
A person’s criminal case and legal concerns will not wait for you to return from your holiday or court sessions. If your law firm is not receiving new clients and the existing ones are not receiving the assistance they need, its growth may be tremendously affected.
When you hire an answering service, they will ensure the continuity of your business by taking your calls while you are away. This ensures that you get all the leads.
Answering Service Agents Bring Experience to Your Law Firm
When hiring an in-house receptionist, you must take time out of your busy schedule to train them and ensure they familiarize themselves with your business operation. This could take time, which you need to have on your side. Sometimes, the receptionist could make a mistake in answering the calls, affecting your impression of clients.
Most answering service providers will have agents with experience in various business fields. Therefore, you can ask the answering service to assign agents who have worked with other law firms. These agents are an asset if you want to grow your law firm and customer service. Their experience and expertise working in the field could benefit your law firm.
Find a Reliable Answering Service Provider Near Me
Most people understand that the first step towards ensuring their safety through a restraining order is to contact a criminal defense attorney for guidance. For this reason, your law firm will be receiving phone calls constantly. When a person seeks a restraining order or is served with one, speaking with a lawyer can put them at ease, knowing that someone is handling the situation.
If a potential client calls your law firm and their call is sent to voicemail or is met with an automated message, they will move on to the next law firm. This could indicate poor customer service, which can bring down your business. If you are looking for ways to streamline the operations of your law firm and improve client satisfaction, hiring an answering service may be the solution.
Answering service agents are trained to appropriately answer calls for your business, take messages, and schedule appointments. Unlike in-house receptionists who go home after business hours have ended, answering service agents offer twenty-four hours’ support. This lets you capture all calls and take in more clients for your law firm.
