By
Attorney at Law Magazine
Even though there are many avenues for potential and current clients to reach you these days, the phone is still a popular method that can’t be ignored. If someone calls you and there’s no one to answer, it gives the impression that you don’t care, you’re already too busy, or perhaps your firm isn’t even in business anymore. However, if you run a solo or small legal practice, it’s likely not feasible for you to hire someone to answer your phones. Neither is it realistic for you to be available to answer them all the time either.
What’s the answer to this dilemma? For some, it’s hiring a virtual receptionist for your law firm. Also called legal answering services, these companies allow you to forgo bringing a full-time staff member on to sit at a desk and wait for the phone to ring. Instead, they handle your calls for you. In fact, more and more law firms and attorneys are turning to virtual receptionist companies as remote work has increased.
The benefits of a legal receptionist service include the following:
Let’s examine the top-ranked virtual receptionists for law firms in no particular order.
While all opinions remain our own, this content contains links to companies we may be compensated by.
Ruby is an excellent fit for the solo attorney who is constantly on the go or a big firm whose representatives are always at trial. Ruby’s services provide a personalized experience 24/7, whether by phone or their live chat solutions, creating opportunities to gain lasting clients. In addition, they offer a seamless process for both clients and attorneys from intake to resolution.
Ruby offers the following services and benefits:
Ruby also stands out with very friendly and well-trained staff answering their phone calls.
Lex Reception was explicitly designed with the legal industry in mind. Their only clients are law firms, and their staff is trained to offer hands-on services in addition to call answering and routing. They are known for their easy onboarding process and superior customer service. Suppose you are searching for a legal virtual receptionist service that not only offers a little more but truly understands the nature of your business and client needs. In that case, LEX Reception should get your attention.
Their services and benefits include:
Also specific to the legal industry, as its name implies, Answering Legal is touted as a kind of cross between Alert Communications and Ruby. Like Ruby, their primary focus remains on answering and routing calls as well as taking messages. However, they also operate like a high-volume call center, much like Alert Communications.
Its advanced call-forwarding logic is one feature that sets Answering Legal apart from the rest. This unique feature allows you to set it up a call to initially go directly to you. But, if you don’t pick up within the first few rings, the caller is redirected to your virtual receptionists at Answering Legal.
Services offered by Answering Legal include:
Although not as large as other companies like Ruby, Back Office Betties remains a popular service for all types of law firms. They provide friendly receptionists and a customized phone number that will transfer to a number of your choosing. Even though they lack a mobile app, in some ways, they go above and beyond what Ruby offers. For example, they offer payment processing and work order generation/estimates.
Back Office Betties also provides the following services:
Since its inception in 1965, Alert Communications has worked exclusively with the legal industry providing receptionist services to thousands of attorneys. Compared to other virtual receptionist services, Alert Communications takes a client intake call center approach. They are a go-to for high-volume law firms and are used to managing hundreds of calls each day. Since their sole focus is the legal niche, their receptionists receive training in legal terminology and other types of hands-on legal services. So, if you are searching for something a little more than simply a legal virtual receptionist, this might be the service for you. If you’d rather stick to the basics of answering phones, another company is probably a better fit for you.
Alert Communications offers the following services:
Nexa is known for its technology, software, and reliability, for which the company promises over 99.98 percent uptime. Although they are a general receptionist service, they train their staff by industry not only to take your phone calls but also to communicate via email, live chat, text messaging, and in other ways helping your clients feel comfortable no matter which channel of communication they prefer.
Nexa’s services include:
Legal virtual receptionist services have many benefits, including time-saving automations that can make your law firm run more smoothly. For some law firms or solo practitioners, using such a service might make the difference between continually adding new clients or closing their doors. It’s crucial to determine what type of services you need and can afford and then do your research before committing to one.
Attorney at Law Magazine is a national B2B trade publication for and about private practice attorneys. The magazine focuses on the industry, its events, happenings and the professionals and firms that drive its success. The editorial is a collaboration of interviews with professionals, industry expert penned columns and articles about advancing your legal practice through marketing, practice management and customer service.
