However, growth comes with new challenges and obstacles. A law firm will need more staff as it grows. While a small firm may be able to manage with just a receptionist at the desk or switchboard, it might not be sufficient to handle large volumes of calls. What happens on weekends or at night? Are you able to have after-hours calls forwarded directly to your phone or do they go to voicemail so that you can get back to them later?

These solutions can only be used up to a point. They can cause frustration with clients, missed opportunities and take away time from your family if you answer business calls during work hours.

There are already solutions. To ensure they don’t miss any important calls, many law firms use an answering service. Others employ a call centre. What’s the difference? Which one is right for you? Let’s get into the details.

Answering Services vs. Answering Services vs.

What is the difference between an answering company and a call center, you ask? First, the difference in personnel. A call center typically has several agents who take care of multiple customers simultaneously. An answering service usually has one agent. Call centers, as you might expect, have a higher operating cost and generally require more support than small or medium law firms.

Also, call center staff are more educated than answering service personnel. An answering service may only be there to answer calls and take messages later. One call center might have many support agents who are familiar with the company’s policies, procedures and practices. This can lead to better customer service.

Are You Ready for Your Law Firm?

These are signs that your law firm may benefit from, or outright require, call center.

You may need to upgrade your answering services if you are receiving a lot of voicemails beyond normal business hours or if your current answering service is not keeping up with the call volume. Each lost call can be a lost client and that is not good for your business’ growth.

If your front desk has trouble keeping up with calls or clients (and possible clients) hang up because they are spending too much time on hold it could be a sign that a call center can dramatically improve customer satisfaction.

If you feel that it is necessary to deal with customer support requests and customer queries, then consider integrating call centre services. One of the many benefits to having a call centre — which we’ll cover in a moment –is the ability of call centers to do a lot of the heavy lifting for you. You can now focus on the important things when you outsource customer support and ticket routing.

Benefits of a Call Center for Lawyers

Let’s assume you have done your homework and weighed all options before deciding to incorporate a call centre into your law practice. What are the key benefits? Here are some key perks:

* 24 hour availability: The main benefit of an answering service , or is that it can be reached at any time.

* Call centers can be integrated into your existing phone system so that there are no after-hours number to dial.

A call center will have fewer unanswered phone calls and more clients.

* Increased efficiency. Agents can gather information from the call center and then transfer it to the right department or legal team.

* Scalability. * Scalability. Call center software should be capable of supporting your firm’s growth and adapting to your changing needs.

* Detail reporting. Every business owner knows that metrics are key to maximizing your success and failures. Call center metrics provide a wealth information. It is possible to find out the speed at which calls are answered, how quickly queries are resolved, and conversion rate. This information can be used to determine areas that need improvement.

* Omnichannel Support allows clients to reach out through multiple channels, including email, phone and contact forms.

* Automation. * Automation. Call center agents can convert queries and calls into support tickets that are routed to the right person. This is much better than voicemail.

* Call centre agents can streamline appointment scheduling and engage in active leads generation and marketing outbound, leading to more clients and conversions.