Why Your Disability Law Firm Needs an Answering Service

Disabilities can occur at any point in an individual’s life. They might be born with one, or perhaps their disability is the result of an accident later in life. Regardless, disabled individuals deserve the support and help of their communities. That support usually comes in the form of disability payments through Social Security Disability (SSD) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). 

The challenge, of course, is proving that a disability qualifies an individual for such support. The Social Security Administration (SSA) requires individuals to complete a rigorous application and approval process that often denies those who are struggling with the very disabilities the Administration was founded to support. 

A disability law firm fights for the rights of these individuals, advocating on their behalf, working with them to complete their applications, assembling medical evidence that supports their qualification for the program, and then handling the appeals process if the SSA denies the claim.

Of course, it’s not just about disability payments. Disability discrimination still occurs, and victims deserve experienced representation in a court of law. 

It's a great deal of work and disability law firm teams spend an immense amount of time either working one-on-one with clients, sorting through piles of work history, medical information, and reports, or advocating for the client in court. When you add answering telephone calls, replying to emails, booking appointments, and moving potential new clients through the funnel, it becomes too much. This is where a legal answering service can help.

How a legal answering service benefits a disability law firm

Managing a growing disability law firm and working with clients can be time-consuming for your entire team. Having a trusted legal answering service to help will augment your abilities, improve your brand, and help ensure that your team has the time necessary to focus on client representation and advocacy, rather than handling office-related tasks. 

Handling phone calls 24/7

Individuals dealing with disabilities are often frustrated, pressed for time, and under a great deal of pressure. They could be facing mounting bills and medical costs, or faced with yet another month of trying to make ends meet without enough money. They reach out to disability attorneys in an attempt to solve those problems expediently. 

Unfortunately, they rarely get an answer. Your team is understandably tied up with other important responsibilities related to representing clients, working with them to create accurate applications, pulling together work histories and medical reports that support their disability claims, and working through the appeals process. 

Where does that leave potential new clients who are searching for experienced legal help? If your team cannot answer their phone call or reply to their email, chances are good that they’ll go away with their needs unmet. Most will contact another attorney because no one wants to play phone tag with a law firm that hasn’t proven it can help them. 

A legal answering service ensures that you never miss another important phone call (and they’re all important). Virtual receptionists can ensure that your phones are answered 24 hours per day, seven days a week. That provides your team with immense flexibility and the freedom to handle other responsibilities without having to worry about who’s handling the phones that day. 

Beyond phone communication

How often do you need to send email follow-ups to clients? What about SMS text messages? Clients can communicate in a wide range of ways today, and more people than ever before are choosing to skip the phone altogether. The issue is that you must ensure someone’s able to reply to emails, text messages, website queries, and everything else. 

A legal answering service can answer more than just phone calls. An experienced virtual receptionist can reply to web queries, handle email communications, and even follow up where necessary by text message. This ensures that your current and prospective clients enjoy seamless communication with that much-needed human touch, while you and your team can focus on time-sensitive matters.

Say goodbye to spam and sales calls

Chances are good that you and your team members are leery of answering the office phone in the first place. After all, there’s a significant chance that the person on the other end of the line isn’t a current or potential client, but a salesperson or even a spammer. Spam and sales calls make up a significant percentage of the average business’s daily call log, and law firms are no exception to that rule.

Virtual receptionists act as a buffer between your team and salespeople and spammers. With the right legal answering service, you’ll benefit from automatic blocking for over 20 million known robocallers and spammers, while virtual receptionists will blacklist any new ones that make it through to your phone system.

With no spam or sales calls to worry about, you can answer calls confident in the knowledge that the person on the other end has passed the screening process. Virtual receptionists can also offer warm phone transfers, ensuring that those calls you do choose to answer are primed to convert into new clients.

Give your disability law firm the edge it needs

What do most disability law firms need in order to grow? A steady flow of new clients and the time to focus on each case, providing those clients with the representation and solutions they deserve. A legal answering service ensures that your law firm has the edge it needs. 

At Smith.ai, our experienced virtual receptionists can offer the range of services you and your team need. That includes 24/7 answering, spam and sales call blocking, lead screening and intake, warm phone transfers, email and SMS follow-up, appointment booking, and more. 

To learn more, schedule a consultation or reach out to hello@smith.ai.

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