If you're a lawyer who helps people with immigration law today, you're likely very busy. Especially today, there's a growing need for help with things like asylum cases and student visas.
For many years, I've helped law offices all over the country, and I've seen how important it is for them to answer every call. For those that work in immigration law, you already know missing a call can cause big problems for your business and your clients. But, if you aren't familiar yet, you might wonder why.
Well people need to trust you right away. If someone answers the phone quickly and is professional, friendly, and treats their case like it's the most important thing in the moment, it makes a good first impression. It tells people that you are organized and ready to help them with their immigration law needs.
Over the years, I've seen how a good service can be a real lifesaver for lawyers who work with immigration law for that very reason. So, let's take a look at 7 reasons why an answering service can help your law firm.
You deal with people's lives. It's about their homes, their families, and where they can live. This means you need to be kind and professional when you talk to them. They might be worried or not be able to speak English very well. As someone who has answered on behalf of our clients in law firms, I know that being clear and caring from the start is super important.
If you're answering the phone for your law firm while handling current clients' cases, you're not going to be able to be on your A-game with every call. You might forget a name, a number, or worse—sound too busy to deal with a new client.
A trained agent? They spend 100% of their time and attention from the moment the call starts to the moment the call ends on making your caller feel welcome. They're representing your firm in the best possible light while capturing their information for you to follow-up.
Things can be urgent. There are deadlines and rules that can change fast. Sometimes, people in trouble might need a lawyer right away. If you miss their call, it can be really bad for them and their case. You have to be ready to answer when they need you.
What if you're able to handle calls during the day and just want information captured when you step out of the office? Good news: a legal call center can support your after hours calls exclusively if you so choose.
Plus, many people who need help come from different countries and speak different languages. It can be hard for your office to handle all those calls. Everytime you say "No habla espanol", you're losing a client. So, what's the solution to that problem? Someone that can speak Spanish to bridge that language gap!
That's why having a service that can speak other languages can be a huge help for firms everywhere. Bilingual call handling serivces are popular with law firms for this very reason. Our legal clients certainly appreciate it, but their clients appreciate it more.
The people at a good virtual receptionist service are trained to be polite and helpful. They know that people calling might be stressed, so they try to be kind and professional. That's why it's important to choose one that has a process for training it's agents.
Bonus: Find an award-winning call center that's worked with legal clients!
They can learn which calls are most important. If they aren't pressing, they'll write the information down and send it for you to review whenever you're free.
But if it's pressing? They can send those calls to your office right away so your team can deal with the urgent case immediately. That way you show your lead how serious you are about their case and maintain that speed-to-lead against your competition.
A good service can work with the software your office uses. This makes it easier to keep track of calls and messages that you get! You can learn more about integrations for law firms here.
When someone else is answering the phone, you and your staff have more time to work on cases and help your clients.
I remember one immigration law office that was getting lots of calls after hours from people who were scared and needed help with asylum cases. Their own staff couldn't handle the sudden influx of calls. So, they turned to us, and included our bilingual service. It made a huge difference. Every call was answered, the right info was taken down, and the lawyer on call knew right away about the emergencies. This gave the lawyers more time to work on the important cases.
Here are some things to think about:
For lawyers who work with immigration law, being able to talk to people clearly and answer their calls is super important right now. A good service can help make sure you don't miss important calls and that your clients feel heard and supported.
You can learn more about how our law firm virtual receptionists have helped grow thousands of law firms across the country. If you're eager to get support soon, you can contact us here to learn more about how we can help your exact needs. Remember, a reliable company is a smart choice for any firm that wants to do its best.
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