A lawyer’s time is precious. Time management often determines the outcome of a case, especially for solo and small firm attorneys. Yet many attorneys become bogged down with answering phones, keeping track of messages, or overseeing an on-staff receptionist. Some savvy solo and small firm attorneys, however, have discovered a simple, cost-efficient way to find extra time: hiring a virtual legal receptionist.
Many business owners are presently surprised by the professionalism of a modern answering service. Lawyers across the country have found virtual reception services remarkably helpful. Virtual legal receptionists provide phone answering services from a remote location, and the best attorney answering services employ cutting-edge technology to ensure legal clients can’t detect that they’re speaking to a remote receptionist. In addition to cheerfully, respectfully answering incoming calls, today’s virtual receptionists can answer clients’ questions, transfer live calls, forward messages via text or email, and convey the kind of sincere interest that wins new accounts.
Following are the top five benefits lawyers say they receive from hiring a virtual legal receptionist:
1. Increased happiness and job satisfaction. “Only about half of lawyers are very satisfied or satisfied with their work,” states the introduction to the Syracuse Law Review’s Symposium on Lawyer Happiness. Rates of depression and substance abuse are significantly higher for attorneys as compared to the average American. “The increasing pace, pressure, and competitiveness of modern practice,” including “intensified demands for instant responsiveness” are major factors in dissatisfaction among lawyers, according to the Syracuse Law Review piece. Hiring a virtual receptionist relieves some of these demands and pressures by providing reliable and instant responsiveness, allowing lawyers to spend more time performing the tasks they find fulfilling.