Happy New Year! As your law firm starts 2020, you might be worried about your competition. You should be: while the number of lawyers practicing didn’t go up in 2019, the competition between those lawyers did.We did the research for you in our upcoming Ultimate Guide to Legal Customer Service and Growth and found that the firms that were actively growing in 2019 were taking on more cases without increasing this staff. This led to growth rates upward of 110%, while the firms that weren’t increasing their rates were shrinking at rates of 50%.You need to grow your firm in 2020 to stay competitive. How can you do it?
Make your firm available 24/7/365
Improving your availability is your first step, and it’s crucial. If your firm isn’t available around the clock, or at least after hours, you’re missing clients. Your leads are all in a highly stressful situation and need your help, fast.79% of consumers expect a response from a lawyer within 24 hours. -Clio 2019 Legal Trends ReportIf you can’t get back to them when they need to hear from you, you’re not going to earn their business. Simple as that.Nexa legal intake specialists work 24/7, 365 to ensure your callers reach a knowledgeable, live voice who is trained specifically in your firm’s procedures and workflow.
Be the authority your callers need
When people are seeking out legal counsel, they’re in an intense period of stress. They’re dealing with matters that can affect their freedom, and they want to know you can help them handle it.Your team needs to provide the answers clients want. Clio says ‘Clients have an appetite for knowledge and want to get as much information about their case as possible.’Clients are no longer content with being brushed off on the first point of contact. They want general legal knowledge, guidance on next steps, financial estimates, and a breakdown of their case. Those polled by Clio revealed that all of these factors ranked closely in terms of importance.Your first point of contact needs to be able to handle it.Nexa legal intake specialists move through your custom intake process and ask pre-set qualifying questions to find the best leads for your firm, and even handle outbound calls to respond to leads from your web forms. After that, they inform your team of all relevant information.
Focus on customer service
Focusing on customer service is crucial to firms wanting to grow in 2020.8 in 10 Americans (81%) report that businesses are meeting or exceeding their expectations for service, compared to 67% in 2014. American ExpressCustomer service is the best it’s ever been, across every industry. That means you’re no longer just competing with other lawyers-- you’re competing with every service experience your clients have ever had.Focusing on customer service ensures that you retain current clients and earn referrals for new ones.Nexa legal intake specialists handle your calls with industry insight, professionalism, and empathy. Our legal intake specialists are trained to answer questions specifically for your practice – callers will never know they’re not speaking to a member of your in-house team. Nexa legal intake specialists work as a true extension of your firm.
Move your firm forward in 2020
These challenges professionals are currently facing in the legal industry shouldn’t be taken lightly. The good news is if you increase availability, focus on authority, and develop excellent customer service, your firm is going to come out on top.Get a head start by choose Nexa as your call answering solution. Our legal intake specialists will make all the difference when you grow your law firm.
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