Online reviews give your clients and potential clients a voice… and they’re not afraid to use it.
One way to protect your law firm’s online reputation is by streamlining your client intake system.
Client intake is often an overlooked, but crucial, part of your law firm’s overall experience. For that reason, it’s important to consistently and unfailingly make it a good experience for your clients.
Evaluate Your Firm’s Intake Process
Missed calls and poor intake is more dangerous than ever before. In fact, it can easily and quickly damage your firm’s online reputation. Here are some common intake mistakes to avoid:
- Missed Calls: This is an obvious one. But every busy lawyer knows sometimes you just can’t get to the phone. It might be you’re running from court case to court case, or there simply are not enough hands in the office to make sure every call is answered. This is understandable. However, potential clients desperate for your immediate attention and service might not think so. To them, it could seem you are too busy to offer them the support they so direly need. And trust us, a voicemail will not suffice. They will move on to another firm, leaving a review about your firm’s lack of attentiveness in their wake.
- Poor Service: Sometimes it’s hard to put forth a warm, welcoming attitude over the phone when your firm is getting slammed in every direction. You’re busy. You’re stretched in too many directions. Answering the phone is the last thing on the list of things you want to worry about. Unfortunately, bad service is a deal breaker for most. This single unsatisfactory experience can run the risk of not only upsetting one client, but also driving away many once that review about your law firm’s terrible service is posted for the world to see.
- Failure to Return Messages: On the off chance the potential client leaves a voicemail, or if they leave a message with their issue and contact information with a receptionist, it’s vital you return their call ASAP. If you don’t get back to them in a timely manner, they will likely think your firm is too busy, forgetful, or possibly even insensitive to their needs. Again, they aren’t afraid to voice these concerns online and tarnish your reputation.
Protect Your Online Reputation
Every call to your firm could be a potential client trying to contact you about a valuable case. If you don’t pick up the phone, or worse, if you do pick up and they don’t have a great experience during that very pivotal phone call, your clients could resort to letting out their frustrations online.
All of these frustrations will be directed at you, regardless of who answered the phone (or didn’t).
It will be your firm’s name and reputation on the chopping block. You will lose their business and consequentially the business of many others.
Alert Can Help
Not sure if you can handle all of the calls on your own to help preserve online reputation?
Alert Communications can help. Our highly-trained intake specialists answer every call. They know how to “wow” those who call into your office by providing a friendly voice that exudes expertise and empathy. You’ll never have to worry about voicemail again. You also won’t have to stress about losing a case, or many cases, due to a single phone call.
Let us take care of the calls. We’ll let your clients use their online “voices” to write sparkling reviews and boost your online reputation. For more information, visit https://www.alertcommunications.com or call 844-694-6825.
