2019 is right around the corner, and you know what they say—new year, new goals!

As a lawyer, the New Year is a great time to take a hard look at your law firm’s intake system.

Ask yourself:

  • Who is answering your phones? Is it you or someone else in your office?
  • Do you have an effective legal intake system in place with a plan to take leads from initial contact to signed contract?
  • Are you converting callers and web leads into actual paying clients, or are they slipping through the cracks (along with your marketing dollars)?

If these questions inspire a need for change at your law firm, and your New Year’s resolution is to kick up your intake system a notch and turn more leads into clients, we’d like to help.

Here are some realistic, attainable goals revolving around the legal intake processes that could make a huge impact on the amount of leads you capture. Even more, partnering with legal intake professionals can help you accomplish these goals, without the hassle or expense of hiring on more employees to get the job done. It’s time to capture more leads in 2019!

Goal #1: Answer the Phone in Under Three Rings

As a busy lawyer, you know the struggle of responding to potential new clients on days when the workload just keeps piling up. Often in growing firms, callers are continually sent to voicemail. This is a huge no-no, but it seems unavoidable at times.

However, it is undeniable the difference answering the phone promptly (in under three rings, or in fewer than 15 seconds) can make for your firm. Conversion rates are higher when calls are answered immediately, since the likelihood of your leads going elsewhere to find answers skyrockets when you don’t pick up the phone.

This warning does not exclude calls coming in during after-hours, weekends, and holidays. Which is just another reason why hiring professionals to answer your phones is a great first step towards a better, more profitable intake system in 2019.

Goal #2: Respond to Web Leads Immediately

When your potential clients are perusing the internet, they might choose to avoid making a phone call. This is very common among millennials.

Instead, they might fill out your online form, communicate with you via your chat system, or send an email. These leads must be responded to via the same channel and/or a live outbound call ASAP (generally 3-5 minutes) to ensure the lead does not move on to the next law firm website and fill out their online form. If this is the case (which it often is thanks to the easy use of the internet to gain instant gratification), it will come down to which law firm responds the quickest and stops the shopping process.

Once you make contact with the lead, answer their questions, and begin to create a relationship with them, they are much less likely to continue their Google search and reach out to another firm. They will be satisfied and feel comfortable in your law firm’s hands.

Legal intake professionals can help you achieve this goal with instant response to web leads via live calling combined with automated text and emails.

Goal #3: Gather the Right Information with Client Intake Forms

While quick response to calls and web leads is important, none of it matters if you fail to gather all of the accurate and pertinent information on the very first call.

Client intake forms help guide whoever is responding to inquiries. Intake forms are meant to make sure all of the right data is recorded, such as name, email, phone number, the reason for the call, and so on.

Every firm is different in their intake requirements, which is why hiring a professional service with completely customizable intake forms is a must if you plan to outsource. Additionally, it’s important that the service can integrate with whatever CRM or case management system your firm uses, so all of the information can be pushed seamlessly into your systems and later be accessed by everyone at your firm.

Goal #4: Make a Good Impression

In addition to recording correct information, once you have a potential client on the phone, you want to make a good impression. This is where training comes into play. The dedicated person answering your calls and responding to web leads should be thoroughly and continually trained in empathy, psychology, and legal terminology.

If you don’t have the time or resources to hire and train a receptionist or intake team, legal intake professionals can make a good impression for you and act as an extension of your firm, making your leads feel safe and comfortable on your behalf. Your current and potential clients won’t know the difference.

Good first impressions are the first steps to cultivating trust and lasting relationships. Aim not just to gain more leads in the New Year, but to nurture them, as well. You will see your conversion rates increase immensely and maybe even gain some referrals and recommendations to friends and family.

Alert Can Support You in Reaching All of Your Intake Goals

Make 2019 your most profitable year yet with an impressive intake system in place to capture and convert more leads than ever before. Alert Communications has a team of legal intake professionals ready to help you achieve all of your intake goals and save you the hassle and expense of hiring on more employees to get the job done.