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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The expectations of consumers are very high when it comes to getting information. Most of us can learn just about anything with a simple Google search. But when it comes to legal advice, consumers want more. When a consumer calls a law firm, they are not interested in going directly to voicemail and then waiting for a return call. They are expecting to speak to someone.

So, what do you do when having a dedicated receptionist on staff is no longer a viable option? We all know the cost of a full-time employee can be more than a firm should pay and backing up a full-time receptionist when they are away from their desk or on vacation can add up in both direct costs and the cost of having errors at the front desk. Having a non-receptionist fill-in for them can lead to poor quality and, often times, missed calls.

The live receptionist industry has ballooned into a multi-billion-dollar industry, which has led to many “not-so-good” entrants into the industry. Studies show that 80% of callers who reach a voice mail first when calling a law firm will not leave a message, resulting in lost revenue opportunities. So, finding a live receptionist provider that is best for your law firm is very important.

In this article we will focus on 5 keys to evaluate when selecting a live receptionist provider for your firm. In no specific order we will share insights on what to look for in the providers contract, the quality of service, their mobile app offering, price versus cost, and what a quality set-up should look like.

CONTRACT ISSUES

We will start with contract issues because it is easy to determine a provider’s contract terms.

If, after a cursory review, the terms are unacceptable, stop evaluating the company and find another provider. You should always have the flexibility to port your phone number away from the provider, even if you are in default of the agreement with the provider. Unless you get it in writing, the provider may refuse to release a phone number once they have it in their system. Once they port the number into their system, they own the rights to it. You spend too many resources to take a chance that the phone number that you market to potential clients will not always remain with your firm. Stay away from any provider that will not put this requirement in writing.

As with any fast-growing industry, there are many new providers to choose from. Having confidence that they will be able to set up your company at the beginning of a relationship is important, but make sure they are able and willing to assist with a smooth transition if/when you decide to change providers. Believe me, even great companies occasionally lose clients and you need to know, regardless of the reasons you are leaving, the provider will work effortlessly to make sure you experience a smooth transition. You do not want to have your phones down for an extended period of time because the provider you are leaving didn’t port your numbers correctly or they are not returning your calls due to not caring about a past client or because they went out of business.

It’s important to have something in writing that states you have a claim to your phone numbers should the provider go out of business. Most credible companies will even have references from past clients that exited for one reason or another. Also, be sure to confirm how long you will have access to save and export voice messages during your time as a client, as well as once you decide to change vendors. At a minimum providers should provide this access and assistance to export voice messages for 30 days after you cancel their agreement.

Verify how each provider invoices for services. Make sure they do not round minutes for receptionist time up. For example, if the receptionist was on the phone with a caller for 2:41 minutes, their billing should not round that up to 3 minutes. This may seem like a small cost, but for a busy firm, this can quickly add up to a material expense. Unless you are receiving a discount, go with a month-to-month program. This provides you will flexibility if you are not happy with the service or if the direction of your firm changes. It also, helps keep the provider accountable.

QUALITY OF SERVICE

The industry has been around long enough that the reputable companies have been able to expand their service offerings, as well as develop a quality team of receptionists.

The person answering your phone is representing you and your law firm. You don’t want someone that is unhappy at their job affecting how your callers are greeted. Yes, we all go through moments when we aren’t at the top of our game. But a great company will have systems and programs in place to help their employees be happy with their work. Every company’s marketing material will highlight how they will save you time, money, and possibly increase the amount of business you win each year. Make sure they are also promoting the well-being of their employees, especially those that will be talking with your clients.

Finding a provider that takes great care of their employees is usually a great way to make sure the services you receive from that company are the best. There are many articles on employee resources to get a glimpse at what is important to today’s workforce and having a competitive salary is just a starting point. Employees are looking for flexibility in their work schedules, affordable, yet comprehensive healthcare, and many other non-salary perks. It takes a special person to be a professional receptionist, so make sure the provider you sign on with understands how to motivate their team members.

Where are the providers receptionists located and what are their working conditions? If your clients know you as a midwestern law firm, do you want a team of receptionists with a New York dialect answering your phones? For many law firms, this is not a concern, but it’s always a good practice to understand from what part of the country or world your receptionists will be answering your calls.

Finally, what type of ongoing training programs does the provider offer to their receptionists? Do they have development programs that train their receptionists to handle a frantic client or teach them to remain calm during a tense caller conversation? Your clients will often call an attorney when under stressful circumstances. You want the person representing your firm to understand this and speak with your callers appropriately.

MOBILE APPLICATION

Most of us are working remotely at least part of the time. It may be while traveling for business, pleasure, or you’ve made working from home part of your regular routine.

Generally, it’s a sound business practice not to give out your personal cell phone number, or home address for that matter. It’s even more important to make sure the attorneys and staff members working for you are not giving your clients their cell phone number. The alternative to paying for and carrying around two cell phones, is to take advantage of an app that emulates your desk phone. It has taken a few years, but the technology behind these apps has improved to the point that the desk phone app is an excellent solution for remote working.

The basic premise behind the desk phone app is that you are able to use your cell phone to make calls from and have the caller ID come up as if it were coming from your office phone. You are also able to check voicemails, initiate video calls, set your availability, change call handling instructions and instantly communicate with team members. Not all phone apps are easy to use however, so ask to test drive the app before making a long-term commitment. Of course, if you go with the month-to-month offering, you will have the opportunity to use the app without any long-term commitment.

HOW IT SHOULD WORK

The set-up of phones and live receptionist for any reputable provider will be seamless.

The biggest area of concern is making sure the provider communicates effectively with your existing provider and coordinates porting your phone numbers over. Depending on the carrier this process can take anywhere between a day to a week or more. However, as long as your existing provider agrees to forward your phone numbers to the new provider until the port goes through, you should be able to start with the new service immediately.

The next step is to set up your phone scripts detailing how you want the receptionist to answer your phones. Depending on the type of law you practice and the nature of the calls to your firm, you may elect a very simple answer script or a script that includes multiple forms you need completed based on the reason for the call. If you will have the receptionist answer frequently asked questions you will want to provide these to the provider so they can upload them up in their phone answering software. It’s a good practice to go through this process in detail during the initial set-up, then make a few test calls to make sure they are handling callers the way you want.

The final step in the process is to set up a phone directory for your firm. Even if your new provider will answer calls 24/7/365 it is a good practice to have a firm directory set up, 1) in case something happens and the receptionist service is unable to answer calls, you want to make sure it is easy for callers to leave you a message, 2) when someone in your firm is not available, the caller has the option of leaving a message with the receptionist or on voicemail, whichever they prefer, 3) having a firm directory puts technology to work for you by having voicemail boxes set up for various departments such as human resources, account payable, and accounts receivable. Not only is it easier to prioritize call backs or even have the receptionist return phone calls, it gives your firm credibility that comes with size, even if you are practicing on your own.

PRICE VERSUS COST

Cost benefit is an analysis of the pros and cons of a given situation or course of action to determine how the downsides compare to the upsides.

Chances are if you are reading this you have already given thought to the benefits of having a professional live receptionist provider handle your phone calls. Everyone will have slightly different reasons for using a live receptionist to answer calls, such as time saving features like filtering robocalls, coordinating new client in-take or appointment scheduling. For others the need to be flexible and combine their phone system with live receptionist and having a firm directory are important. Whatever your reasons, even with the incredible rate technology is advancing, the need for person-to-person conversation is not disappearing. In fact, having a live receptionist greet your callers helps you stand out from most other law firms.

Due to the explosive growth in the live receptionist industry, a competitive landscape has emerged. Because of this, the top tier live receptionist providers will have pricing structures that are very comparable. If you have found a provider that is promoting a much lower rate than the average, you need to question the quality of service they will be able to provide. All live receptionist providers have one primary cost driver and that is the compensation to the receptionists that will be representing your firm to your callers. This is an example where the price you pay for a service will be directly related to the quality you will receive. The best receptionists, those that will make your clients feel they are with the best law firm, are worth paying well, with all the benefits and perks necessary to help them enjoy a work/life balance.

To complete an analysis on the value of having a live receptionist answer your calls, first you need to select a lifetime value for each client. To give an example, let’s consider a firm that specializes in estate planning and the average lifetime value of each estate planning client is $6,000. If you are going to be paying your live receptionist provider $500 each month, you will need to feel comfortable that the provider will help you win one client each year to justify their cost. That should not be a stretch since it is estimated that calls to businesses are expected to exceed 180 billion annually by 2025 and 80% of callers who first reach a voice mail will not leave a message.

SUMMARY

Consumers have come to expect instant access to information and results, especially when they have legal matters to discuss. If they have a bad first experience there is a very good chance you will not have a second opportunity to win their business so making that first impression of your firm a positive one is extremely important to growing your law practice. Finding the right live receptionist provider for your law firm can have a direct impact on your annual revenues.

The first step in evaluating a live receptionist provider is a cursory review of their agreement. If they are not willing to add language that states they will port your numbers if you leave, even if you are in default, there is no reason to consider the provider any further. Your firm’s phone numbers are too important to not have this requirement in writing. Every live receptionist provider’s largest expense is the cost of the person answering your phones. Look past the marketing materials that state how great they will be for your firm and make sure the provider is taking great care of their people. It is the employees that will determine the quality of service your callers will receive. If you come across a provider who’s charging substantially less than the average provider you are finding in the market, dig deep into understanding how they are taking care of their people before moving forward. This industry is a great example where the cost you pay is very likely to be reflected in the quality of service you receive.

The industry has advanced quickly over the past few years and all providers should include a phone app that will emulate your office phone and allow you to make calls from your cell phone without giving out your cell phone. Take advantage of the phone app and all the features available with it.

The onboarding process will be relatively easy with the top-tier providers. You need to make sure the exit process will be just as easy. At some time in the future, you will make a change and you need to know that the provider you are working with will assist in making you exit as smooth as possible. If it is going to take some time to get your numbers ported, make sure they are willing and able to transfer your numbers while you wait for the port to go through.

Finally, if you are practicing law, you are not in the business of managing a phone system and staffing that system with one or more receptionists. An industry of professional receptionists has emerged, who provide excellent customer service at a fraction of the cost of having your own phone system and receptionist. There are several excellent choices to choose from. Be sure to review the terms & conditions carefully and be sure you always have control of your phone numbers.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In creating the business model for Amata Law Office Suites, we started by looking at the three most common challenges encountered by solo and partner practice law firms; cash flow management, time management and hiring the right employees. Then we customized our service offerings to make sure we were helping to address these challenges. Along the way we have also been able to assist with other challenges such as marketing, saving for retirement, legal research tools and software solutions through our vendor research program and partnerships that allow Amata clients to enjoy the purchasing power that comes from 100’s of law firms.

Amata Law Office Suites has taken services from four distinct industries and created a unique offering that is customized to the unique needs of law firms. The primary service offerings include attorney support services, office space-as-a-service, virtual office programs and live receptionist service. These services are offered individually and bundled with appropriate discounts available.

Many law firms join Amata using one service and, over time, add other services as they need them. For example, a law firm may start with Amata by occupying a few offices. Since they have full-time staff, they do not use Amata’s paralegal services until a staff member takes time off or leaves the firm, at which time the attorney already has a relationship with an Amata paralegal, with a level of trust already established, and the firm begins using Amata’s paralegals on an as-needed basis, with the benefit of reducing their fixed payroll costs and only paying for services they can generally bill back to their clients.

In the following pages we will breakdown each of the services offered by Amata, how law firms incorporate Amata’s staff into their law practice and some of the benefits that are derived from leveraging outside resources.

ATTORNEY SUPPORT SERVICES

Amata has created back-office operations similar to those at AM100 law firms, for solo and partner practice law firms.

Our experienced paralegals, administrative assistants, and virtual assistants act as an extension of your law firm. Since our team members are full-time Amata employees, you consistently work with the same team member, just like you would if they were on your payroll. Our paralegals have areas they specialize in so from time to time you a specialist may assist in your work, but you will always have the same team lead and the process will remain the same.

Prior to any work being performed our team members will review the scope of work with you and establish cost expectations. Billing rates for our team members varies based on type of work and the team members experience. Alternative fee and project-based fee arrangements are also available for certain projects. General paralegal fees can range from $65 to $180 per hour and all work is billed in 15-minute increments.

For clients that are using office space, one of our virtual programs or live receptionist services, these rates are automatically discounted by 30% savings.

DAILY RUNS TO COURTS, CLERKS AND SHERIFFS OFFICES

Amata’s paralegal team makes daily runs to the Daley Center, Recorder’s Office, Secretary of State Office, and the Dirksen Federal Building. With an extended line of credit provided to all Amata clients, Amata will pay associated costs for documents and filings, pick up certificates, search the court docket, deliver courtesy copies or handle any other requests to assist with your day-to-day operations and free up time for attorneys and staff at your firm.

PARALEGAL SUPPORT

At Amata paralegals are billed based on years of experience and expertise in specific subject matters. Our senior paralegals have more than 20 years’ experience and have reached a high level of competence and understanding in several areas of law.

In most cases, a senior paralegal will review or oversee the work of paralegals and paralegal assistants on their team. Many of our paralegals join Amata after spending many years accumulating experience at various law firms. They enjoy the work and appreciate the opportunity Amata offers for advancement and to work in a variety of legal disciplines and with multiple attorneys. In some instances, Amata comes across a promising paralegal candidate with 3 or fewer years of paralegal experience and they join the Amata team as a paralegal assistant. These are highly competent individuals that are able to work directly with senior members of our team to assist attorneys and gain the experience to advance in their career with Amata. Many of the law firms we support prefer to work with the same paralegal team throughout the year. In some instances when the law firm is new to Amata or only uses services occasionally, we match up the work with the best suited team member, with an emphasis on getting you the best quality work at the lowest possible cost.

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTS

Amata has been providing administrative assistant services to law firms since 2002. Our administrative assistants work on-site at each Amata office and are available to assist clients with various tasks including e-filing, scheduling messengers, handling express mailing, binding projects, entering billing and posting on social media. Over the past 20 years the work that Amata’s administrative assistants have taken on has increased to accommodate the needs of the attorneys at Amata.

Since administrative assistants are always working on-site it is very easy for attorneys to get to know them and build a high level of confidence in working with them. The administrative assistants at Amata can handle client call backs, scheduling appointments, ordering lunch or running personal errands for attorneys.

VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS

A Virtual Assistant can be an invaluable gatekeeper for your law firm, saving you time and reducing the anxiety and stress of running a law practice. Like a good attorney, every virtual assistant has strengths and types of work they really enjoy. A great virtual assistant will be able to sort out problems and pull things together for you to review. They will not be experts at everything, but they will be able to source the best resources for the work you need completed. At Amata we use a team approach to supporting our clients. You always have the same point of contact you are comfortable with, but when that person is on vacation you have someone available to assist you that is familiar with you and your firm. You also benefit from Amata’s vast resources and industry partners.

OFFICE SPACE-AS-A-SERVICE

Amata Law Office Suites has created flexible office space with the needs of solo and partner practice law firms in mind.

Unlike a traditional office lease, when a firm licenses multiple offices they can sign up with the option of canceling an office if a team member leaves the firm and the office is no longer necessary. This allows law firms to match their expenses to their revenues, creating a more profitable and predictable cash-flow model. The office space-as-a-service model is very similar to the way law firms are licensing the software’s their firms are using. They pay a monthly licensing fee for each user and when an attorney leaves the firm, they are able to cancel the license fee for the office and services the attorney was using.

The Amata office model allows law firms to enjoy the same, or better, office accommodations they would have with a traditional lease. The common areas of the office are designed to leave a lasting impression on your clients, with elegant designs, well-appointed furniture, and custom artwork. Individual offices provide confidential and secure space to work, take phone calls and meet with clients. For your support staff, workstations are strategically placed to make sure you have instant access to your team, with an abundance of file storage to make retrieving documents easy.

The cost of the office includes having a receptionist greet your clients, potentially eliminating a full-time position from your payroll. Other amenities that are included at no additional charge are a fully stocked café/lounge to relax and network with other attorneys, phone service, copy, fax, print, and mail equipment, conference rooms and our signature cognac room to end the day sharing stories with other attorneys. Understand the importance of ABA Model Rule 1.6, confidentiality of information, Amata provides every law firm with high-speed internet with secure virtual local area network (VLAN) set up for your firm. This ensures that each Amata client operates on a secure network away from other Amata clients.

To maintain a safe and healthy work environment, touchless sensors have been installed on the doors at all entryways and bathrooms, sneeze guards are set up around workstations and sanitation stations are located throughout all facilities. When it comes to the maintenance of your office, Amata acts as your office manager, removing the need for you to waste valuable time and money taking care of an office.

VIRTUAL OFFICE PROGRAMS

Amata’s virtual office programs are customized to suit the needs of law firms. We model our offices off some of the most successful law firms in the country, providing free beverage services, secure high-speed internet, IT support, mail scanning and bank deposit services.

Your virtual office should be set up to help you grow your law firm. Many of our clients start out with a virtual mail only program and expand the program as their firms grow and their needs change.

Amata acts as a business resource for your law firm. As an Amata client you have access to our always expanding network of attorneys, Amata’s third-party research on marketing programs, practice management software, court reporters, accountants that specialize in working with attorneys and many more. Amata virtual clients are able to take advantage of these free services as well as a long list of program features:

• Monthly line of credit for payment of clerk fees and other costs
• Mail scanning and forwarding
• Bank deposit services
• Access to meeting rooms
• Day offices

• Lobby directory listing
• Secure internet
• Large video screens for presentations
• Rooms for video and in-person depositions
• Meeting catering

CONFERENCE ROOMS AND DAY OFFICES

As an Amata virtual office client, full-access to all our office locations is a standard part of our program. Day offices can be reserved and used as your requirements dictate. When you are expecting clients, we make sure they have easy access into the office, greet them when they arrive and help get them set up to meet with you. Prior to your meeting we take care of beverage services, catering when requested and making sure technology tools are working prior to your meeting.

All of our conference rooms are equipped with industry leading technology for video presentations, video depositions and collaboration meetings. You and your guests will have easy access to high-speed wi-fi and conference phones. Through our online web portal, you are able to reserve conference rooms and day offices, connect with other attorneys in Amata’s network and access your account to view conference room credits and retrieve invoice back up for work Amata’s paralegals have done, detailed by matter number.

LIVE RECEPTIONIST SERVICES

The Amata team has been answering phones for law firms for 20+ years and for good reason.

According to a Gallup poll, customers who are engaged during an initial call represent a 23% premium in terms of profitability, revenue and relationship growth over those that go directly to voicemail. Clients call attorneys when they are in need and in today’s culture, they expect an immediate response or they go somewhere else. Having a professional receptionist service answering your calls has a direct effect on profitability.

Besides profitability, there are many other benefits that come with using a professional live answering service. Probably the most valuable benefit being the time you are able to save by not answering robocalls or screening potential new clients. At Amata, other time saving benefits include outbound call assistance, caller notifications and appointment scheduling. These are important services that allow lawyers to better manage their time.

There are many great advantages to be gained by using a live receptionist service and cost savings can be one if the biggest. However, not all live receptionist services are the same and, in many cases, the lower cost providers are worth steering away from.

You can learn more about what to look for in a quality provider in The 5 Keys to Selecting a Live Receptionist Provider. When you consider that payroll is generally a law firms largest expense it makes sense to closely manage payroll expenses to effectively control cash-flow. The cost to maintain full-time salary for a receptionist can be more than 10x the cost to retain a professional live receptionist service. Since the biggest expense for a live receptionist service should be their employees, who answer your calls, it makes sense to avoid those service providers that are cheaper than the average, as this will have a direct effect on the quality service you receive.

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The words in a document are the only things that matter when it comes to formatting.  If the document is visually appealing you will capture the reader, and this affects the way the reader digests the information.  It is crucial when working on Legal documents that they are well formatted.

A key component to editing and formatting your document is to know your audience. Whether it be for your professor, boss, colleague, or an Attorney, having a correctly formatted document will capture your thoughts as well as stand out.

How do you format a document in Word?

• Select the text you want to format. To select a single word, double-click it. To select a line of text, click to the left of it.
• Select an option to change the font, font size, font color, or make the text bold, italic, or underline.

As a rule, the top margin should be two inches and the bottom margin should be one inch. Most legal documents use 1.5 or double-spacing.

The standard font size for Legal documents is 12-point font. This font is large enough for the reader to be able to read and small enough to include all of the information to fit on a single page.

When working on Legal documents for any professional, it is important that the information be displayed neatly and comprehensible. The recipient should be able to review the document that the Administrative Assistant or Paralegal completed and understand the information presented without any confusion.  If the Admin or Paralegal is using the same format, this also makes it easy for the recipient to compare current and previous documents by reference as well as help the Firm/Company save time and energy from explaining the format method.

Microsoft Word is a very popular, highly competent pro text editor and many professionals fail to use all of the components that it offers.  As you can imagine, this can lead to more mistakes being made as it isn’t being used to its full potential.

A style in Microsoft Word is a set of formatting rules that apply to texts, tables and lists.  When using styles this can manipulate the document.  There are multiple styles to choose from and you will want to select and use the same style for an entire document without exception.

To select the specific style, you will need to locate the “home” tab and right click any style in the styles gallery and select “modify”.   This will allow you to make any formatting changes that you might want, such as font size, color, alignment, spacing or indentation.  Choose a style whether the style change pertains to the current document and or all future documents.

The Legal Support team at Amata Law Office Suites can assist with formatting Legal documents for Attorneys as well as for any professional.  To have a document prepared and formatted, please send an email to [email protected].  Everything we write is tailored in a proficient, comprehensive, and informative way.

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Depositions are a useful discovery tool to glean valuable information from witnesses and  parties, but can be likened to pulling teeth at times. They are often hours long, sometimes spanning the entire day, but preparation is key to streamlining the process and avoiding unforeseen roadblocks.

Everyone is pretty sick and tired at this point of hearing about these “unprecedented times”, but it is worth mentioning that virtual options are here to stay for the near future. In regards to ethics, it is best practice to have Zoom deposition options and capabilities.

According to the New York Bar Association, a recent court case, Rodriguez v Montefiore Med. Ctr. 2020 NY Slip Op 20349, upheld that:   “Ultimately, a party’s apprehension concerning innovative discovery techniques must, subject to the various protections afforded by the law, yield to the realities of coronavirus-era litigation, lest resolution of litigants’ rights and obligations be unnecessarily and unjustly delayed.” In sum, this holding is aligned with the duty to not obstruct the discovery process in unduly burdensome ways.

Depositions are stressful enough, lawyers shouldn’t have to think about microstressors like setting up a Zoom meeting and password in order to depose virtually. This is often tasked to paralegals, who can take care of generating the meeting code and pin, as well as instructing attorneys on how to “share the screen” if need be and work the controls on Zoom.

Paralegals can also coordinate with court reporters and expert witnesses via Zoom or in person so that all the attorney has to do is focus on preparing to depose. Of course, the paralegal can help with preparation in other, more involved ways as well. Printing and organizing key documents to use as reference in depositions is a common practice. Paralegals can help by taking care of this, once the attorney decides what needs to be included after e-discovery is completed and responses to interoggatories are returned. Produced documents can be sorted and tabbed in a way that is the easiest to turn to and reference for the lawyer and the person being deposed, as well as opposing counsel. Tables of contents can be generated to ensure that the documents are organized in a way that flows with the deposition outline utilized by the attorney because nothing can throw someone off like having to rummage through papers in order to find their place!

Administrative assistants and paralegals often work together the day of the deposition in order to make sure everything is running smoothly. This often involves some last minute touches like ordering lunches for a long deposition and making sure coffee is on hand. If any items need to be printed or technological difficulties arise they are there to assist.

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