"Tip of the Week" - Have a Professional Answering Service, or Lose Clients

I guess I am a customer-service freak.  I am so sensitive to customer service mistakes because of what I do. Understand that ramifications of bad client experiences is costing you money AND other opportunities.

Recently, I was interviewed by the National Law Journal, article appearing the week of September 17 about a recently released survey called the After the JD Study:

The report, "Women in the Profession: Findings from the First Wave of the After the JD Study," finds that 34% of solo practitioners are women.

I was asked to give a perspective on why this might be.

But here is why I say, "have a professional answering service or lose clients and other opportunities."  At the end of the interview I was asked to provide some names of female solos who could give their perspective from the active practitioners viewpoint, new voices.  I agreed but wanted to contact the individuals first to see if they were interested and to let them know the topic. 

I contacted one attorney and got a receptionist chewing and giggling into the phone who then told me the attorney was out to lunch and would transfer me to her assistant and was promptly disconnected.  Given there is caller ID I had hoped the receptionist would call me back and apologize and find out what the issue was or at least ask if I wanted to leave a message (I had already said it was about a press opportunity for her employer to the first person who answered the phone.)  Nope.  Nothing.  Nada.

I then contacted another attorney.  The phone rang 15 times and then her voice mail came on scratchy, difficult to hear and I wasn't even sure I got who I wanted.  So I redialed and it was the attorney.  I didn't bother to leave a message.

Then I looked up the website of another attorney.  Clicked on the URL and it wasn't operational.  Too bad.  No press for you.

I called another and she is in a shared space utilizing the other attorney's receptionist.  This receptionist answered the phone as if she was awakening from an all night binge session.  Didn't leave a message either.

Being solo and having services like this as the first impression made upon your potential clients (and existing client base) is a sure way to lose business and business opportunities...like press coverage.  These individuals have been crossed off my list for future contacts.

There are numerous cost-effective ways to have quality 'first impressions' made with your clients at minimal cost.  Even if you get the benefit of a receptionist from a shared space arrangement, spend $10.00 a month and get your own e-voice telephone line so you control the impression you make on your clients.  A live receptionist is only good if they enhance the client's experience, not detract from your profits. 

And, this experience just happened to be with female solos and is not an indictment against them.  I have contacted numerous male solo attorney's offices and been less then impressed.  It just happened this particular time annoyed me because it was a great PR opportunity for them and they lost it because of something so basic and controllable.

Geez.  Sorry.  This one really got to me.

Comments

[Lawrence D. Burroughs II]

I noticed a significant increase in business when I hired an answering service. For the first year I was working part-time and relied almost exclusively on my phone company's voice mail system. Once I moved and switched to full-time I decided I'd splurge on an answering service because I noticed a number of hang up calls when I was away from the office. I wasn't ready to take on an employee but wanted some way to capture some of those hang up calls. Long story short, my business more than doubled within the first month. I'm not necessarily sold on the company I'm currently using, but I'm sold on the idea as a short term fix for a new solo attorney trying to keep my overhead down. Now, I need to work on quality control with my existing answering service or consider using others. Any suggestions for decent answering service companies?

[Susan Cartier Liebel]

Lawrence, You are on the right track and present a great example of why the first impressions can influence business. As to services, this is a personal choice...live or not, professional 'hired' voices for your voice mail..there is so much out there. Many people are happy with E-voice and the many services they offer. But I'm sure there is a lot of competitors for you to choose from. Thanks, again.

[PT-LawMom]

You are so right. As a legal secretary, I see the way bad staff affects clients. When I worked in litigation, I had several clients who would call me to reach another secretary's attorney (working on the case with mine) because she was just so toxic and hard to deal with. This can be a double-edged sword because, on the one hand, it's important to give good service to all firm clients; on the other hand, guess who was working nights and weekends on filings and who walked her toxic self out the door at 5 p.m. on the dot? I think it is important not only to hire good people but also to FIRE the toxic ones so that the good ones don't get burned out. This probably isn't as relevant to solos - I'm just saying.

I wish I had the time and energy to contract out as a contract legal secretary. Apparently there is a lot of need out there.

[ShockedReader]

I've enjoyed your blog in the past, but this post is ridiculous. Frankly, this is a petty over-reaction on your part. Are you really going to make a snap judgment to permanently bar someone as a professional contact because of one 30-second interaction with a subordinate? For all you know, the giggling receptionist could have been fired shortly thereafter. The woman who dropped the call could have been a brand new employee who was still learning the phone system. You might call someone whose voicemail never picks up simply because the phone lines are down that day. Rushing to judgment this way, based on one minimal interaction, is far more unprofessional than having a difficult-to-hear outgoing voice message. Getting pissy without having all the facts just makes you seem overly self-important.

[Susan Cartier Liebel]

Dear Shocked Reader,

Thank you for your comment. I'm curious. Do you really believe it is an overreaction to emphasize the point a client's first impression or interraction with your law firm can be his last? I did not know these lawyers personally. It was my first interaction, too.

Your front line represents you and as the adage goes, "you don't get a second chance to make a first impression." I happened to write about my experiences. Businesses don't know who hang up to never return or why because potential clients don't stick around once they are turned off.

When a client has a matter chances are good there is a sense of urgency. First impressions are very important as is the ability to address the needs of a client who feel this urgency.

Practitioners (and all business owners) need to understand the importance of this front line of interaction. Generally, they are not going to call back to find out why they were treated unprofessionally or whether or not the employee was new or fired. Unfortunately, that's life and we have to avoid putting our clients or potential clients in that situation in the first place.... as best we can.

I do appreciate your opinion as I'm sure other readers of this post will, too.