10 reasons a law firm would benefit from a Telephone Answering service

Any client-facing business will know that its clients are at the heart of everything it does. This is especially true for law firms, who often deal with high volumes of enquiries and time-sensitive matters. The legal industry is also notoriously busy, often requiring round-the-clock availability.

In this blog, we highlight 10 reasons why a law firm would benefit from a telephone answering service. If you own a legal business, keep reading to find out how Bizik can help you.

1. Save money

No matter how long your law firm requires an extra pair of hands, opting for a telephone answering service rather than hiring full-time employees could save you a considerable amount of money.

• See more: Telephone answering services – what you need to know

According to Glassdoor, a Legal Customer Service Representative could cost between £18k and £25k a year – not including any commission rates, employment benefits, and HR-related costs. In addition, small law firms often find that their expensive solicitors are fielding calls, reducing their billable hours and reducing their efficiency.

For a small law firm, this is a substantial cost to bear. Even if you do take on staff members, it may still not be enough to handle all your incoming calls. Meanwhile, at Bizik, prices start as low as 99p per minute, and you only pay for what you use.

Therefore, a telephone answering service can be not only more cost-efficient than hiring permanent staff, but also makes budgeting easier.

2. Boost client satisfaction

There is nothing more frustrating than trying to contact a business and being placed in a queue for 20 minutes with terrible stock music. Clients who cannot reach you will switch off and take their business elsewhere.

In fact, according to Aircall, a staggering 85% of potential clients whose calls go unanswered say they will not call back. That is a great deal of business to miss out on.

However, there is a simple solution. A telephone answering service will ensure that every incoming call is answered quickly, helping to boost your client satisfaction rates. After a positive experience, callers are more likely to become loyal clients and recommend your law firm to others.

3. Manage peak periods

If there is a particular time of year when your law firm experiences an exceptionally high volume of incoming calls, you could benefit from a telephone answering service. Rather than searching for and employing staff, simply outsource this part of your business operations, as and when you need to.

Most telephone answering services charge by the minute as opposed to rolling contracts, so you can sign up based on the average number of calls you expect to receive. Once your peak period is over, you can simply return to your regular team.

4. Increase productivity

Responding to client’s queries and providing good client service is a key part of running a successful law firm. However, answering large numbers of client calls can significantly increase your daily workload, interrupt workflows, and impact overall productivity. A telephone answering service can free up your time to focus on other business matters.

Whether you are working on an existing client’s matter, meeting with new clients, or planning your firm’s strategy, you can focus on the tasks at hand without having to juggle client calls at the same time. Instead, you will increase your productivity, knowing that your client support will not suffer.

5. 24/7 availability

Law firms are exceptionally busy. Important client queries can come in at any time, whether from someone requesting an update on their matter, or a potential new client seeking urgent legal services.

However, your team could be too busy with other work to answer, or it could be outside of your normal working hours. This could potentially lead to the loss of a client or a poor client experience, which could damage your brand image.

By using a telephone answering service, you can ensure that any out of hours calls are captured using a personalised voicemail service. Existing and future clients can reach you around the clock, and you can rest assured that all queries – from general questions to emergencies – are captured and responded to.

6. Confidentiality and Compliance

Confidentiality and regulatory compliance is especially important for law firms. In particular, maintaining client confidentiality, and compliance with data protection requirements such as under the UK GDPR, are fundamental to the reputation of your business.

When you sign up for a high-quality telephone answering service, your dedicated virtual PA will be fully trained both in your firm’s internal policies relating to client confidentiality and personal data, and the regulations applicable to law firms and solicitors relating to confidentiality and data protection, including the SRA Code of Conduct and the UK GDPR. In this way, a high-quality telephone answering service will support you to uphold your professional and legal obligations at all times.

7. Gain a competitive advantage

We mentioned that unanswered or delayed calls can deter potential clients. With the help of a telephone answering service, your law firm could be the business that clients turn to when one of your competitors fails to attend to them.

An attentive, responsive, and high-quality client support function can help your small business stand out from the crowd. It gives the impression that you are a client-focused, accessible, and reliable business, giving you a competitive advantage.

8. Flexibility

We know that the life of a business owner can be busy and demanding, especially in the legal sector. So, we recommend using a telephone answering service to operate flexibly.

In addition to answering your calls, virtual PAs can generally access your team’s schedules, so they know when you are busy and when you are free to take a call.

However, naturally things can come up unannounced – maybe an impromptu client meeting or a personal matter you need to attend to urgently. In such circumstances, your virtual PA can see your real-time availability, so, if you are unavailable for any reason, you will know that your incoming calls are answered no matter what.

9. Maintain professionalism and your brand image

Professionalism and trust are of utmost importance for a law firm. A telephone answering service will help you maintain credibility and your individual brand image. A good telephone answering service provider will pair your firm with a dedicated virtual PA (or team of virtual PAs) who will become fully trained in your firm’s values and language.

• See more: 7 benefits of using a telephone answering service
• See more: How we answer your calls explained

Whether there is a certain tone of voice you would like them to use, or answer certain queries in a specific way, simply express your priorities in the onboarding process, and your virtual agent(s) will speak your language – callers will not even notice that they are not talking to your firm directly.

10. Optimise your time

Last but not least, a telephone answering service can help your law firm optimise its time. Getting organised is essential, so if this is something you’re struggling with, you could benefit from a virtual PA.

Most PAs will be able to gain visibility of your business calendar, instantly showing them when you are available and when you are busy. If a client calls to schedule a meeting, for instance, but you are preoccupied, your telephone answering service can arrange it for you based on your calendar.

This way, not only do you avoid missing out on valuable business opportunities, but you also optimise your precious time.

Looking for a telephone answering service?

If you are ready to sign up for a telephone answering service, Bizik is here to help. With Bizik, you will never miss a call or lead again. Our trained and experienced team of virtual PAs is ready to learn about your business, represent your brand, and deliver outstanding client service.

To find out more, contact our team by phone on 020 3917 7444 or talk to us via live chat on the Bizik website.