6 key benefits of an attorney answering service

Being an attorney is a highly-skilled and demanding profession. Attorneys are regularly touted as some of the most hardworking professionals out there; dealing with clients, handling cases, researching, continuing education, presenting and preparing legal documents – the list of responsibilities goes on! It is not uncommon for attorneys to work over 60 hours per week, and commitment is paramount.

One way to free up a significant amount of time is to hire an attorney phone answering service. Here at Moneypenny, due to our success and support for the legal sector, we have developed a specialist team to handle calls for attorneys.

This article will outline some of the key benefits associated with using an attorney call answering service, and why using a dedicated legal receptionist of this kind is so beneficial.

Missing a call from a client or a potential client can be bad for your firm for various reasons. First impressions are critical, and if a potential client's call goes unanswered, chances are, they will take their business elsewhere.With an attorney call answering service taking your calls whenever you are unavailable, every call can be answered promptly and in a professional manner. Our specialist attorney receptionists will make your callers feel valued, while each call can be recorded and transcribed with a message sent on to the relevant individual.Reducing distractions is vital when it comes to productivity. Attorneys are known for being exceptionally busy, but missing a call is rarely an option. With the number of spam and scam calls steadily increasing in recent years, unwanted calls are also becoming a problem for professionals in every industry.When you are trying to focus on a task or project, unwanted phone calls can be a significant hindrance that threatens your work output. According to one study carried out at the University of California, Irvine, "It takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds to get back to the task", following a distraction. Further research has demonstrated that a single interruption increases the rarate of errors committed, with levels of anxiety and annoyance skyrocketing. This is precisely why hiring an attorney call answering service is so beneficial; it prevents missed calls, and increases revenue.When it comes to your firm and its reputation, clients will tend to remember one thing – the way they were made to feel during interactions. With our attorney phone answering service, when you are unavailable, all of your calls will be answered in your firm's name by a polite and highly professional receptionist. The dedicated receptionist will be a member of your team, and the caller will be unaware that they are speaking with an outsourced receptionist.An answering service can also maintain business continuity, whether you are busy, on vacation or having problems connecting your phone. With a dedicated legal receptionist available to take your calls, your clients will receive the same VIP treatment regardless.Outsourcing provides a way to grow your business while mitigating financial risk. Not only is our attorney phone answering service more affordable than a full-time employee, but you will also not have to spend time recruiting and training a new member of staff.There is also no need to deal with permanent contracts, vacations and benefits. However, with Moneypenny, you’ll still benefit from the services of a highly trained receptionist who specializes in the legal sector. You can enjoy the same level of service as a full-time receptionist, for a fraction of the cost.With no lengthy contracts and a flexible payment structure based on how many minutes you use each month, hiring an attorney call answering service is so effective and allows you to grow your firm without the commitment involved in hiring a full-time employee.If your business is seasonal in any respect, or you’re working in an unpredictable industry, outsourcing your firm's call handling can be an intelligent way to develop your business and service offering, without incurring a significant increase in overheads.Your clients can often be in stressful situations and predicaments themselves, and as a result, their expectations and demands can be high. Despite this, a recent report found that:"The majority of lawyers neglect their emails, and most wait more than 72 hours or more to reply to voicemails." ((Quote source)With the option of 24/7 cover, our attorney phone answering service helps your firm to answer calls from clients around the clock. With clients made to feel valued and appreciated, regardless of the time of day or night, an out-of-hours answering service can make a significant difference to your client service and, in turn, the growth of your firm."When someone is looking to hire a lawyer or a law firm, for many people who haven't done this before - or in some cases have - law firms are as fungible as peanut butter. They are the same, and they can be swapped out. Exemplary client service can be a huge differentiator. That's something that smart law firms capture and it's not hard." (Quote source)Sometimes it takes a lot of bravery for people to get in touch with a law firm, as attorneys can seem intimidating to many. Callers can, for a variety of reasons, feel frightened.Quelling this potential fear with promptness and politeness is good for the client and important for your firm. With client service touted as a "key brand differentiator" in a recent report by WalkerInfo.com, answering calls promptly and politely can provide a significant competitive advantage at a highly affordable cost.Unlike other US call answering services, with Moneypenny, you benefit from the services of a dedicated receptionist. Acting as a seamless extension of your firm, your receptionist will allow you to focus on the work at hand while your callers are given VIP treatment.Your skilled, attorney receptionist is hand-picked to suit your firm, based on their personality, experience and skill set. You can choose to send calls to your receptionist all of the time or just when you and your team are busy. They will answer all your calls promptly, answering in your company name, exactly as if they are based in your office. Depending on your availability, the caller will either be warm transferred to you or a colleague, or a message will be taken and immediately sent via email or SMS.Moneypenny has over 20 years of experience in business communications. With our encrypted network and highly-trained receptionists, we ensure that your calls are answered correctly and that all your data remains secure. Discover our attorney phone answering service and find out more information on how it can benefit your firm.