The Importance of a Virtual Receptionist for Law Firms
Virtual receptionists can deliver a number of benefits to law firms that no other service can. If your firm is large enough to warrant hiring a full-time receptionist, and you have the physical space available, then you should consider adding a live answering service to your existing infrastructure to ensure that no incoming telephone calls go unanswered.
Small and solo firms would be smart to rely on virtual receptionists rather than maintaining their own physical space. Virtual receptionist costs are much lower than hiring, training and retaining an in-house receptionist. For small firms lacking sufficient office space, virtual receptionist services reduce the legal office square footage requirements. And if you ever decide to end the service or switch to a different service package , you aren’t stuck trying to unload that expensive office furniture.
But what if your firm is dependent on the billable hour? The short answer is: you probably need virtual receptionist services even more because they can help you increase billable hours. Here’s how: Virtual receptionists do for attorneys what they do for everyone else: they manage telephone calls. Every time your phone rings it’s for a reason, whether it’s a new lead or an existing client with a question related to a pending case. Many attorneys jump on a lead immediately because it could be the next big case anyone has ever seen. The downside of this attitude is the time it takes to perform proper due diligence and research into the matter prior to making contact. It is much better from a customer service perspective (and thus a marketing perspective) to let a qualified virtual receptionist handle the initial contact and set up a meeting for you.
Primary Characteristics of a Top Virtual Receptionist Service
A top-tier virtual receptionist service for law firms will typically include several key features that enhance its value and functionality. Some of these features are:
24/7 Services: Law firms often need to communicate with clients and other professionals at all hours of the day. Therefore, a 24/7 virtual receptionist service allows a law firm to never miss a call no matter what time it is.
Legal Experience: The call answering and administrative staff at leading virtual receptionist services are typically experienced in serving the unique needs of law firms. They tend to have years of experience and can provide genuine, informed and compassionate service to your organization’s clients.
Multilingual Support: In an increasingly global world, it’s a huge benefit for a law firm to be able to support clients in multiple languages. Leading virtual receptionist services offer support for many of the most commonly used languages around the globe.
CRM Integration: You need to make sure that your virtual receptionist service can integrate seamlessly with your CRM system so that you don’t have to deal with a lot of re-entry when it comes to handling successful lead generation calls and managing client relationships.
Best Virtual Receptionist Services for Attorneys
With law firm receptionist prices becoming more and more reasonable, the demand for them is skyrocketing. The following are the top virtual receptionist providers for lawyers:
Smith.ai prides itself on being there for you and your clients 24/7. There is a human behind every chat and call. It’s multiple platforms in one with live chat, voice, SMS, email integration and more. Their clients rave about them. A San Francisco Bay Area family law attorney said "My experience with Smith.ai has been wonderful, no complaints." His website traffic and leads have tripled over the last 3 years! A Dallas law firm client says "I’m so glad I made the switch to Smith.ai… It’s important to work with partners who look out for your brand, and they do just that. When you hire Smith.ai, you’re hiring a true partner." In addition to its world-class support Smith.ai provides call, text, and chat beyond office hours at affordable rates. Its comprehensive website platform supports more than 25 integrations with popular software. Features include appointment booking, lead intake forms, call screening and calendar management. It also provides integration into Salesforce and Infusionsoft. Its starting price is just $140 a month for 20 calls or chats.
AbbyConnect is another Portland, Oregon outfit. Same time zone as the west coast so those on the west coast may prefer AbbyConnect. They offer 24/7 call answering and message taking. Its other features include appointment scheduling, website and calendar integration, and lead capture. Customers love it. They say it’s like having a friend on the inside who really gets their business. Ruby also covers West Coast law firms with its Portland, Oregon headquarters.
BANDVI is located in the New York metropolitan area. They offer services similar to the above firms but do not say what their services entail.
How to Select the Right Virtual Receptionist for Your Firm
When choosing the right virtual receptionist service for your law firm, consider several factors, such as cost, specific needs, and the ability to test or try the service. Virtual receptionist services can be a vital asset to a law firm, as they can increase time efficiency while providing a more professional image for the firm. However, turning away from the traditional receptionist service in favor of a virtual receptionist service requires a little more effort and due diligence before the decision can be made successfully.
Explore the costs associated with the virtual receptionist options you have. Many times the costs associated with a virtual receptionist service are bundled into a package and charge a different rate if a law firm goes over that package deal, such as the minutes or calls received. You want to make sure that you have a clear understanding of the costs before you choose a particular service. If there are other services you are interested in, be sure to ask if they charge an additional fee for those services. It’s always a good idea to look at the strategies and services of more than one virtual receptionist service and see how they all weigh against each other.
Often law firms have a specific niche or practice area that requires them to have different methods of communications implemented. Be sure the virtual receptionist service you choose understands and can accommodate these requirements accordingly. For instance, a family law practice may have a high rate of incoming emergency calls, while a real estate law practice might rarely have emergency calls come in. These are two distinct and very different needs that should be addressed by the virtual receptionist service.
Virtual receptionist services typically give you a chance to try their service out at no charge for a particular amount of time, such as a week or two. Use this opportunity to see how the service works for your law firm, how long it takes to get issues resolved, whether or not the staff is attentive and knowledgeable, among other things. When the trial period is over you can choose the service or cancel it by simply notifying them in a method indicated in their terms and conditions.
How to Incorporate a Virtual Receptionist Into Your Law Firm’s Routine
Once you’ve selected a virtual reception service, it’s time to start integrating reception into the daily operations of your firm. This process involves collaboration between you and your virtual receptionist as well as implementation of service constraints so that the arrangement meshes with your current systems rather than disrupts them.
The first step is to capitalize on the calendar service that many virtual receptionist companies offer. Ensure that your new virtual receptionist has online access to all staff calendars so that scheduling interruptions are to a minimum. Every cancelled or rescheduled appointment should be immediately recorded in the shared system. Clients are then given the assurance that their calls will be returned and appointments rescheduled as quickly as possible.
Secondly, ensure that you assess the volume of calls that your firm can handle daily to determine the number of virtual receptionists you should contract with to manage your firm’s needs. In addition, a good virtual receptionist service will have a contact protocol in place that alerts you of important or time-sensitive calls . Establish a standard with you manager to determine which types of calls are prioritized when scheduling your calls to be returned. Make sure you and your staff stick to these schedules.
You should also develop an internal communications system in order to keep your virtual receptionists updated on the status of client cases. They will need to be able to provide specific client information so that your clients feel serviced by your firm and not an outsider. You will also need to ensure that all of your virtual receptionists are trained in the same way, using the same resources as regular employees.
Finally, make sure that your virtual reception service has a fully equipped call center that is open and running 24/7. A good service will also be able to provide customer data and invoice information as required. Your virtual reception service will also be able to provide non-legal services such as those provided by an IT or marketing department. Look for a service that provides a professional website with a modern hosting service, a backup of all your software and unlimited call forwarding among other tasks.
Virtual Receptionists for Law Firms: Case Studies
J. P. Yoo & Associates, Attorneys at Law – Atlanta
Working from their home offices, J. P. Yoo & Associates needed to present a professional image to clients and contacts. Yoo had been using another service but felt the receptionists lacked professionalism and were not familiar enough with his business. He came across Ruby®’s website and decided to give the service a try. Since then, he has received compliments from clients and friends about Ruby®’s exceptional professionalism. "Many of my clients are non-Hispanic and I sometimes need Spanish language speakers to answer my calls. Ruby’s bilingual team is of great help," says Yoo. "They’ve saved me thousands of dollars by efficiently handling my scheduling needs. I have no regrets."
Manning & Kass, Ellrod, Ramirez, Trester LLP – Los Angeles
This large firm with a complex 24-hour/7 day a week schedule was struggling to find a reception service that could meet their needs. Their previous service had trouble handling the out-of-state and international calls. One box on their list was off hours reception. Their chosen solution had live operators, but not around the clock. A friend suggested Ruby® Receptionists, which had 24/7 availability, seamless customization into their office and email management. Their online portal makes it easy to change settings or access call reports. "Ruby® has been a tremendous benefit for our firm, allowing us to provide a level of service that let’s our clients know that we value their business," says Thomas B. Palladino, partner.
The Center for Peace and Spirituality – New York
A nonprofit founded by a prominent spiritual teacher, The Center has a very unconventional reception desk. Continuously busy, the center needed to be very strategic in how it presented itself both on and off the phone. They found Ruby® Receptionists on the Internet and felt one of the benefits was that it offered a small-town feel for its clients while enabling them to maintain a professional image. With the ease of 24/7 service, a contract that can be cancelled any time, and live receptionists that were pleasant, friendly, and professional, Ruby® won the Center over. The next step for the Center is to try Ruby Luna™ (the 24/7 receptionist for mobile), as more and more of their calls are from travelers.
The Future of Virtual Receptionists for Law Firms
The landscape of virtual receptionist services for law firms is experiencing a significant transformation as we move toward 2025. Several technological advancements and trends are on the horizon that have the potential to reshape how legal practitioners interact with their clients.
One such advancement is the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in virtual receptionist services. In the near future, law firms will be able to manage more administrative tasks through AI-powered systems. These systems will process client communications and categorize them according to urgency or subject matter. This means attorneys can focus on high-value interactions while routine inquiries are handled efficiently.
Furthermore, the voice recognition technology used by virtual receptionist staff is becoming increasingly sophisticated. The latest innovations allow virtual receptionists to recognize and authenticate callers based on their voice. By 2025, we can expect voice-authenticated communications to be a standard service offering. This stands to improve security and the overall customer experience when calling a law firm.
Integration with legal practice management software platforms is another anticipated trend in virtual receptionist services for law firms. As more firms adopt these solutions , it will become imperative that virtual reception teams are able to seamlessly integrate with the workflow of the firm. This will likely come via plug-ins and add-ons that can be easily incorporated into every major legal practice management system.
Robust analytics and data security will also be significant factors driving the future of virtual receptionist services in the legal sector. Firms of the future will demand additional reporting and analytics from their chat and phone receptionists. Law practices will want insights about the types of questions received; what services were requested and high call volumes during particular times of day or days of the week. For detailed reporting, these virtual receptionist services will need to utilize high-grade encryption and secure cloud-based servers to ensure client and customer privacy.
While innovative security measures and advanced integrations with existing software programs will always change the way that firms do business, law firms will still need a safe and secure platform to connect the firm with its clients. By 2025, we expect the successful virtual receptionist service for law firms to be the one that combines cutting-edge reporting and analytics with the ultimate in security and ease of integration. With that said, one thing is for sure: The competition to provide the best virtual receptionist service for law firms is heating up!