Call Me? Why Law Firms Need to Pick up the Phone

When it comes to winning new clients, the art of conversation isn’t dead, but it’s definitely a lot quieter than it used to be, says Andy Cullwick, Director of Marketing at First4Lawyers. Here he shares his insights from First4Lawyers’ latest research into what makes the perfect customer journey.

Mystery shopping is always a worthwhile exercise for finding out how well companies interact with potential clients.

Regardless of how positively you present yourself in advertising or on social media, the first impression you make when consumers get in contact with you is crucial.

We recently tested the waters with 100 law firms and, while the findings were largely encouraging, it seems that many are still falling at the first hurdle by failing to pick up the phone.

Our researchers spoke to 100 practices dealing with wills and personal injury work, via both website enquiry and by phone. The majority were put through to a fee earner who was able to answer their questions straightaway, but as many as one in five mystery shoppers did not receive a callback and, of those who did, some waited up to two working days. Follow-up calls, which are widely recognised as an effective way to help secure new business, were also few and far between.

It is inexplicable that, having marketed their goods or services so successfully that prospective clients have made contact, firms would then let them slip through their fingers in this way. Countless studies have shown that for today’s consumer, time is money and if they don’t get an almost immediate response, they are likely to look elsewhere.  

Channel-hopping

Once upon a time, the phone call was the preferred means of communication but – driven by technology and the demands of customers who expect to be able to contact someone 24/7 – there are now a multitude of different channels to choose from. Not only that, but customers also quite often flit between them, sending messages via email, instant messenger and social media for example.

It can be hard to monitor all of these and respond swiftly, particularly for smaller companies or when it involves different teams who may not necessarily work closely together such as sales and social. It is also easy to assume that these are the channels of choice for all consumers, which is not necessarily always the case. Contacting a company by phone is often an arduous process involving being held in a queue for what can feel like hours on end, but a prompt response or an effective callback system is a different matter entirely.

The personal touch

The foundations of any long-lasting client relationship are built on good customer service, and for many of the  law firms we spoke to for our white paper – ‘From first impressions to follow-up calls: Creating a customer journey’ – there’s no substitute for the human touch.  

Technology has improved systems and processes (or perhaps not for those firms not responding to enquiries!) but soft skills such as the ability to listen and show empathy are still important, particularly in the legal industry where clients have typically experienced some kind of trauma. Clients who are emotionally attached and invested in the brand are also likely to be more forgiving should mistakes arise.

Consumers’ needs change and firms that want to keep up with the times and maximise revenue should be using all their routes to market and ensuring they respond to enquiries from prospective clients on whichever platform they choose, including the good old-fashioned phone.