One of the central goals for a law firm is to convert leads into signed, paying clients on the very first call. Achieving this goal is crucial because it “stops the shopping,” keeping clients from contacting other law firms and bringing them into your fold. You’ll not only achieve the maximum return on investment from your lead generation campaigns, but you’ll also see an increase in business and revenue. Here are six best practices we’ve put together to help law firms, just like yours, accomplish this goal.
1. Create a Customized Client Intake Script
A customized script is essential because it guarantees that no vital detail is left out of the conversation between a potential client and an intake specialist. The best scripts will move from gathering information about the client and how they found you, learning about their problem, and finally into getting the contract signed. There are many excellent sources for writing a good intake script that can guide you in this process.
2. Hire a Dedicated Intake Specialist
To achieve superior results you need trained specialists who focus solely on client intake. When you multitask and have someone handling this job as well as other tasks, the results won’t be as effective. An intake specialist should also have legal knowledge, empathy skills, call control, and sales ability. At Alert, for example, our specialists undergo a specialized training process to deliver the best quality of service. This gives your potential clients confidence that they are in capable hands.
3. Provide a Prompt Response
When people are looking for legal assistance, particularly for personal injury cases, they are likely under stress and want help immediately. Also, there are many other firms out there, so providing a prompt response is vital if you don’t want them to look elsewhere. Aim to answer calls within three rings and limit hold times to 15 seconds to ensure you don’t lose callers to unresponsiveness.
4. Implement Live Transfer and Call Routing
Much as above, potential clients usually require urgent attention. While your in-house intake team may not always be able to answer each incoming call, having a live transfer and call routing system makes sure there are no long waits when the call needs to be transferred. Calls can be routed to other staff or a qualified legal answering service.
5. Add Spanish Bilingual Support
It’s likely your potential clients are a diverse group of people, and many of them may speak Spanish instead of or in addition to English. By adding bilingual intake specialists to your team, you can expand your market. While it may be a challenge to hire bilingual employees directly, Alert Communications has trained, bilingual specialists who can handle incoming calls from Spanish-speaking callers.
6. Send Contracts Quickly and Easily
When clients have a chance to hang up and consider other options, they are more prone to shop around. That’s why sending a contract immediately, without breaking initial contact, is crucial. Offer multiple methods for contract delivery, including text and email (with e-signature) and old-fashioned “snail mail.” Just make sure contract delivery methods are safe and secure to protect the client’s information.
Your goal during client intake should be to turn a caller into a paying client on the very first call. If you keep these best practices in mind, you’ll increase conversions and thus drive business, increase revenue and boost your return on investment. As you work to build your law practice, you’ll undoubtedly appreciate these benefits.
