As a mass tort law firm owner, you understand the busy nature of daily operations in the office. The numerous activities you have to undertake arise from the demanding type of legal services you handle. Most lawsuits involve joining multiple plaintiff cases against one defendant for a medical product liability claim, and you often have to engage in many discussions with different clients.
As a result, staying on track with client communication is crucial for your law firm, as it is the foundation for maintaining client relationships. However, you may struggle to manage inbound calls and mails sent to your firm office, primarily if you work with many clients. In most cases, your receptionist and other support staff are overwhelmed by the existing client load. That means you may face strained communication.
Professionals in the legal field understand the importance of upholding reliable communication systems with potential and existing clients. Hence, you cannot afford to run your law firm with limited staff, primarily if you aim for business expansion.
Working with an answering service is an excellent idea to help improve communication. With a call answering service, you notice significant improvements in the interactions you hold with business partners, colleagues, and your firm's clients. The benefits you can expect from introducing an answering service to your mass tort law firm include:
You Receive Answering Services from Specially Trained Professionals
First impressions are crucial as they often influence a plaintiffs’ decisions to use your law services. Thus, you want your law firm to portray a professional and friendly image to new callers for additional potential partnerships.
Also, the maintenance of standard social etiquette is an essential requirement because you want your clients and partners to always feel valued. While your front desk manager may aim to uphold the law firm's image in a positive light throughout, he/she may sometimes suffer from fatigue. As a result, the receptionist's answering tone may be off, creating an impression of disinterest or ingenuity. Consequently, you may lose the opportunity to work with a potential mass tort applicant based on an unintentional slip-up.
On the other hand, using an answering service for your firm will uphold a positive and vibrant outlook throughout. Typically, the services appoint a well-trained live receptionist who handles inbound calls, emails, and voicemails as your employees focus on urgent matters.
The live answering training is comprehensive enough to equip the live receptionist with the skills needed to calm agitated callers down. As expected, most clients seeking information on mass tort lawsuits are upset and desperate for immediate assistance. The cases are common for callers who suffered severe medical complications from product defects. Therefore, the clients will be in good hands when greeted by the live receptionist operating the firm line.
Moreover, the live receptionist will work with the precise instructions you provide, including mentioning your firm’s name when receiving each call. On top of this, most call answering services allow their employees to take on different shifts, so you do not have to worry about having an exhausted or distracted call receiver on the line.
You Can Benefit from a 24-Hour Attorney Answering Service
One of the main concerns that law firm owners have is that their clients will not reach them at specific times. For example, if you or your employees decide to take leave from work over the holidays, you could miss out on important callers seeking to work with your firm on a serious mass tort lawsuit.
Additionally, some clients may live in different time zones, meaning that their call times may differ and bring about too many missed calls. Other times, most associates and front desk operators may step out of the office for breaks, leaving the office phones unattended for some time. All these gaps play a significant role in the cumulative losses that the firm faces.
While several solutions may exist to increase the reliability of call answering among your employees, you will have to incur additional costs. For example, you will have to make payments to your receptionist for any extra answering shifts he/she provides after working hours. Similarly, hiring additional staff may affect your firm's budget because of the requirements to pay benefits and insurance costs.
Working with an answering service is therefore recommended, as you benefit from a reliable 24-hour service. Upon partnering with an answering service provider, you can provide specific details on working days, working hours, and off days to guide the live receptionists on the important answering periods.
Thanks to the 24-hour call answering service, your clients will benefit from the reliable availability of information sources. For example, if a caller reaches your law firm over the weekend to confirm an urgent matter in applying for a mass tort suit, he/she will benefit from the readily available details provided by the 24-hour live answering agent.
Often, the accessibility of your law firm compared to other offices will distinguish you from the rest. Clients feel more appreciated when they speak to a live person regardless of the calling time than leaving voicemail messages.
Thus, you can expect strengthened relationships with your current clients from the 24-hour call answering service. Any potential partners will be impressed with the reliable communication systems in place, leading them to file their mass tort cases under your law firm.
Call Answering Agents Have Training in Dispatching Special Legal Information
While you may consider incorporating a call answering service in your law firm, you may worry about the live receptionist's experience in legal matters. Most receptionists will have stuck with your company over the years, meaning that they understand the necessary details when dealing with your clients.
Nevertheless, working with a call answering service provider specializing in providing legal establishments is advantageous. Upon selecting a niche service provider, you will enjoy the assistance of well-trained live receptionists who are conversant with different legal technicalities.
For example, a client may call your firm office to inquire about specific mass tort law in product liability. Since the answering services work to intercept calls and deal with non-urgent matters like inquiries, the live agent can quickly refer to relevant material and provide a satisfactory answer.
You can also present any special notes and guidelines that you want to be included wherever a client calls the call answering company. This way, you are confident that the type of information that clients receive is refined and comprehensive enough to warrant subsequent engagements.
In mass tort lawsuits, it is also important to ensure that all case classifications are correct, as it prevents issues with inadmissibility in court. Hence, you need an answering agent who understands how to assess first-instance facts as a client presents them to classify the case in the necessary category.
The receptionist should also engage a caller who does not understand the essential details to provide by asking prompting questions. Upon receiving the necessary information, the live receptionist can bring the necessary information to your attention for proper office operations.
Other legal processes related to mass torts include conducting follow-ups on witnesses, medical doctors, and other proof sources for specific clients. Without the help of a well-structured team, employees may take on overwhelming communication responsibilities that reduce office productivity. An answering agent is helpful in these situations, as he/she can promptly undertake most follow-ups as needed.
The Service Covers Multiple Communication Systems
Apart from managing inbound calls, you also need to maintain consistent communication through other avenues, including emails.
For some clients, calling may be nerve-wracking, meaning that they will engage the firm more through emails. Additionally, email communication is a preferred option for most people, as you can retrieve sent information for future reference.
Thus, it would be helpful to include a service provider who can extend services to general email responses. If you are keen on upholding the firm's client-attorney privacy, you may specify the types of emails the receptionist will handle.
You will also be free to provide scripted instructions to the live receptionists to promote a beneficial interaction. For example, if a client asks about the specific product liability claims your law firm handles, the receptionist can use the scripted information to provide important details. Essential information to mention will include crucial mass tort application deadlines, requirements for joining a product liability mass tort, and any required registration fees.
With a call answering service provider, you can also expect to gain a broader client base. The use of various communication lines expands your accessibility and probability of interaction with possible clients.
On top of this, current partners who are satisfied by your firm's reliable answering system are likely to recommend family and friends. Subsequently, your business will expand and accommodate new clients for continuous assistance in filing mass tort lawsuits.
You Will Cut Costs in the Office Significantly
Running a mass tort law firm is costly, as you and your employees will have to make a large number of calls per day to various clients. Therefore, your call volume may become expensive to maintain while using regular phone call services managed by office employees.
Depending on your tariff line, call rates for outbound calls to clients may amount to up to $10 per call. However, the price may vary depending on the minutes per call, and the client's location, especially if he/she is overseas.
Additionally, you may have to purchase expensive call answering machines and auto-response installation services that do not provide the same effective communication as live receptionists. To avoid incurring these recurring payment obligations, you can consult with the call answering provider for different service rates, depending on several circumstances.
Firstly, it gives information on the average number of clients your firm interacts with every day. The details are useful in determining an accurate call volume estimate. Afterward, you can provide specific information on the type of package you prefer, including the number of live receptionists you need to handle your firm's calls.
At this point, you can explore the various payment rates to get started with the services. Some of the standard rates include charges per minute. If you select this payment option, you will receive invoices for the number of minutes that live receptionists spend on the phone with your clients.
Alternatively, you may use a charge per call rate that generates invoices for each call session. Since mass tort law firms are bound to hold numerous call sessions with the various plaintiffs looking to join a lawsuit, you will have to assess the most economical option for your firm. Nonetheless, call answering companies are flexible and can accommodate your suggested rates, especially if you are looking for a long term partnership.
Your Firm Benefits from Well Organized Call Protocols
Like any profitable business, your mass tort law firm will have various clients on the top priority list for specific reasons. Commonly, a priority client will have an urgent pending case that requires extra attention and execution. Also, priority should be given to long-term clients and partners who have brought the firm significant developments.
As a result, it is important to channel priority calls directly to your line, preventing you from missing important discussions. In regular office communication systems, the front desk operator may have difficulty distinguishing between frequent inquiries and top priority callers. Consequently, your firm may lose out on crucial deals and priority deadlines that would set operations back.
An answering service will help your firm minimize call interruptions to help you and your associates focus on the priority callers. Most answering service providers have well-crafted systems that allow the answering agents to transfer essential calls directly to your line on time.
On the other hand, the live receptionists maintain professional and personal connections with callers in the regular category for an overall satisfactory law firm performance. Thus, you do not have to worry about services like taking down a new client's contact details, offering FAQ information, and scheduling appointments on your behalf.
The Final Verdict
Using a call answering service presents an excellent opportunity for your mass tort law firm’s growth. With virtual receptionists’ help, your firm can reach numerous clients at the same time while upholding quality services. You enjoy many advantages of including a call answering service to your mass tort law firm. For instance, you can reach a broader client base, your firm will cut costs on communication significantly, and clients seeking urgent details on mass tort filings will benefit from reliable call systems. Also, you enjoy 24-hour call answering services for enhanced access to your firm.
