A HUGE problem law firms have when it comes to generating new cases is not responding to potential clients when they reach out.
According to the 2019 Clio Legal Trends report in which the firm ran a survey, they found that 64% of law firms NEVER responded to a lead when they sent an email or made a phone call.
60%+ of Law Firms Never Respond to Leads
Since part of getting new cases is being able to answer the phone, we felt like sharing these two tips that could help improve the likelihood of getting in touch with potential clients.
After all, if you're spending money on marketing, you don't want to put those dollars to waste by not being responsive. Callers will generally look for another lawyer if the first one they reach out to doesn't respond.
Use a third-party phone answering service
If someone calls your office, they're interested. But there are many instances where you or your team are unable to answer calls.
Reasons for not picking up the phone:
You're a busy lawyer tackling paperwork
Your receptionists are on break or out sick/on vacation
You or your team are attending other clients
The solution to this issue is using a third-party phone answering service whose job it is to take all calls when your firm isn't able to. This could be perfect for calls that come in early in the morning, even before you open, and for calls late in the evening after everyone on your team has gone home.
Third-party phone answering service vendors for law firms:
Set up your voicemail process
As simple as this step may seem, most law firms don't have a solid process for their voicemail systems. In fact, many of them don't even have a voicemail that works.
The first thing you should do right now is to check if unanswered calls are directed to a voicemail inbox.
You want to avoid:
Ringing that never ends (the voicemail message can be after 30 seconds)
"Inbox" is full messages
Unclear voicemail instructions (ask callers to leave their name and phone number)
Furthermore, you want to make sure that your team has a plan in place to return calls to those that were unanswered. You'll want to create a standard practice such as:
Check voicemails early in the morning
Return calls as soon as possible
Follow up with voicemails up to three times in case no one answers the first two times
By following the tips above, your law firm will miss fewer calls and as a result, will generate even more consultations and land increased numbers of clients.
Reach out to us if you have any questions or need help actually getting calls in the first place.
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