Telephone Answering for Solicitors: Why Every Call Matters

When somebody calls a solicitor, there is usually a reason they are making that call today.

They may be facing a relationship breakdown, dealing with a dispute, buying a home, trying to recover money, handling an employment issue or simply looking for advice about something they don't fully understand.

For the person making the call, it may be one of the most important things they deal with that day.

But for a busy law firm, that same call can arrive while a solicitor is with another client, attending court, working to a deadline or simply unable to get to the telephone.

So what happens to the caller?

That first telephone call can play a much bigger role in a client's impression of a law firm than businesses sometimes realise.

Why telephone answering matters for solicitors

Solicitors rarely have the luxury of sitting beside the telephone waiting for it to ring.

Fee earners need uninterrupted time to work on cases. They attend meetings, appointments and court. Reception teams may be dealing with several things at once, and smaller practices may not have a dedicated receptionist at all.

But callers don't necessarily know what's happening behind the scenes.

They simply know that they called.

If nobody answers, they then have a decision to make: leave a voicemail, try again later or contact another firm.

For an existing client, an unanswered call can be frustrating.

For a new enquiry, it could mean the firm never gets another opportunity to speak to that potential client.

The first call isn't always a straightforward enquiry

Telephone answering for solicitors isn't simply about saying:

"Good morning, how can I help?"

Legal enquiries can be complicated.

A caller may not know which area of law they need. They might give you a long explanation before getting to the reason for their call. They may be anxious, frustrated or upset.

Others simply need to know that someone has listened and that the right person will receive their message.

That's why professional call handling is particularly important for legal businesses.

The person answering needs to be able to listen, collect accurate information and communicate clearly without trying to provide legal advice themselves.

New enquiries need to be identified quickly

One of the most important distinctions when answering calls for a law firm is whether somebody is:

• an existing client

• a new enquiry

• another solicitor or professional

• calling about an existing matter

• trying to reach a particular member of the team

• making a general enquiry

A good telephone answering process can gather the information your firm needs so the appropriate person knows who called, why they called and what needs to happen next.

For a new enquiry, that might include the caller's contact details, the general nature of their enquiry and the best time to contact them.

Your solicitors can then concentrate on their work without losing sight of potential new instructions.

A receptionist doesn't need to give legal advice

This is an important distinction.

An outsourced receptionist isn't there to advise a caller about their legal position.

Their role is to provide a professional first point of contact and follow the call-handling instructions agreed with the firm.

That may mean taking a detailed message, gathering specific information or directing the enquiry according to the firm's procedures.

It allows the receptionist to be helpful without stepping outside the boundaries of their role.

What does an outsourced telephone answering service actually do?

When your firm uses a telephone answering service, calls can be diverted to an external team when you need additional support.

At That's My Call, we answer calls in your company name, so your caller receives a professional greeting appropriate to your business.

We then follow the call-handling instructions agreed with you.

That might involve taking the caller's name and contact details, identifying the reason for their call, recording a message and passing the information to the appropriate person.

Your team can continue working while your incoming calls are still being answered.

If you'd like to understand the process in more detail, our guide to how a telephone answering service works explains what happens from the moment a customer calls.

What if a law firm already has a receptionist?

Outsourced telephone answering doesn't have to replace your existing receptionist.

In fact, it can work particularly well alongside an in-house team.

Your receptionist might already be answering calls while also greeting visitors, dealing with post, managing appointments and carrying out administrative work.

There will inevitably be times when they can't answer another incoming call.

An external telephone answering team can provide overflow support, helping to catch calls that your internal team can't reach.

It can also provide cover during staff holidays, sickness, lunch breaks or particularly busy periods.

What about smaller law firms and sole practitioners?

For smaller firms, employing a full-time receptionist may not make financial sense.

But answering your own telephone can create a different problem.

Every incoming call interrupts whatever you're working on.

You might be drafting documents, speaking to another client or trying to concentrate on something that requires your full attention.

A telephone answering service can give smaller practices the benefit of a professional first point of contact without needing somebody sitting in their office waiting for the telephone to ring.

It can also help create a more established impression when a prospective client first contacts the firm.

What happens when callers are upset or anxious?

This is another reason the human element can matter.

Some calls to solicitors happen at extremely difficult points in people's lives.

A person contacting a family solicitor, for example, may be going through a separation or dispute involving their children.

Someone dealing with probate may recently have lost somebody close to them.

Other callers may simply be worried because they don't understand what is happening or what they should do next.

The receptionist isn't there to solve the legal problem, but they can listen, remain calm, take accurate information and reassure the caller that their message will be passed on appropriately.

Sometimes that first human interaction matters.

Experience of the legal sector can help

At That's My Call, we understand that answering calls for a solicitor can be different from answering calls for many other types of businesses.

Our co-owner Becky has worked within a solicitor's office for many years and is also a qualified Paralegal in Civil Litigation and Debt Recovery.

That experience provides an understanding of the terminology, the importance of accurate messages and the boundaries between handling an enquiry professionally and giving legal advice.

Our role is never to provide legal advice on behalf of a client.

It is to make sure the caller receives a professional response and that your team receives the information they need to decide what happens next.

See our dedicated page for telephone answering for solicitors

Confidentiality and professional call handling

Confidentiality is naturally an important consideration for law firms considering outsourcing any element of their client communication.

Before using a telephone answering provider, firms should understand how caller information will be collected, recorded and passed to them.

Clear call-handling instructions are particularly important.

Your answering provider should know what information you want collected, where messages should be sent and what should happen with different types of enquiries.

The aim isn't to make decisions on behalf of your firm.

It's to create a reliable process so calls are handled consistently and information reaches the right person.

Could telephone answering help with busy periods?

You don't necessarily need somebody answering every call every day.

Some firms use external telephone answering because they are permanently busy.

Others may only need support during:

• staff holidays

• sickness

• recruitment gaps

• lunch periods

• particularly busy days

• periods of rapid growth

• temporary staff shortages

Telephone answering can therefore be used as a permanent part of your client-service process or simply as additional support when your internal team needs it.

Short-Term Telephone Answering

What about calls outside normal office hours?

This depends on how and when your clients contact you.

For some law firms, daytime telephone answering is all they need.

Others may receive valuable new enquiries in the evening or outside traditional office hours.

That's where options such as AI or hybrid telephone answering can provide additional coverage.

At That's My Call, our hybrid service combines human telephone answering during our office hours with AI answering outside those hours.

That means firms that want extended availability don't necessarily have to choose between human receptionists and AI technology.

How do you choose a telephone answering service for a law firm?

Price matters, but it shouldn't be the only consideration.

Think about what experience you want somebody to have when they contact your firm for the first time.

Ask potential providers:

• Will you answer using our firm's name?

• Can we give you individual call-handling instructions?

• How will messages be sent to us?

• Can different types of enquiries be handled differently?

• What happens if our requirements change?

• How is caller information handled?

• Can the service grow with us?

• Who will actually be answering our calls?

Most importantly, consider whether you'd be comfortable with that provider being the first conversation a potential client has with your firm.

Your telephone is part of your client experience

A telephone answering service won't replace the legal expertise within your firm.

That's not its job.

What it can do is make sure more of the people trying to reach that expertise actually get through to somebody.

For existing clients, that can mean knowing their call has been acknowledged and their message passed on.

For your team, it can mean fewer interruptions and more time to concentrate on client work.

And for a new enquiry, a professionally answered telephone call could be the beginning of a new client relationship.

At That's My Call, we've been helping UK businesses answer their customer calls professionally since 2015. We answer in your company name and tailor our call handling around the requirements of your business.

If you'd like to discuss telephone answering for your law firm, get in touch with That's My Call and we can talk through the type of calls you receive and the level of support that would work for you.