The intake department is the “entrance” to your law firm. If you didn’t have a door to your office, no one could get in, and that’s what intake is for you. It’s not just important and vital, a law firm literally can’t be successful without it. The intake department also presents unique and ever-changing challenges in order to operate at peak efficiency and consistently sign on new cases, all without losing a potential client on a call within the first 30 seconds.
Any law firm serious about upping their intake game should consider a MasterMind program like the one Brain Trust Legal runs. The inside information and resources from other firms across the country provide a nearly endless avenue for growth and improvement across your entire firm, especially your intake department. Keep reading to see just a few of the many insights you can get from the BTL MasterMind program.
You may want to brace yourself for this answer, because the truth is that it’s probably a lot. You may know about some of the calls that you miss if you don’t have 24/7 coverage of your number so calls will be answered on nights, weekends, and holidays. But did you know that you’re missing even having Google recommend you if your Google Business Profile says you are only open certain hours?
There are also the dropped calls from potential clients who call your office only to get an automated voice machine asking them a series of questions; they wanted to talk to a person, not a machine, so they just hung up and called someone else. Not to mention the people who went into the waiting queue when they called during a busy time, and they decided to hang up rather than keep waiting.
The bad news is that you could be losing potentially hundreds of valid and valuable calls every month from holes like this in your intake system. However, the good news is that most of these things can be fixed. You can get 24/7 coverage to prevent missing calls on off-hours, and you can change your Google listing to show your office open 24 hours so Google will recommend your business around the clock.
You can also lose the automated voice system and have the calls go straight to live people in your office or in your intake department. Finally, you can set up a system that tracks any caller who hung up after being on hold for more than fifteen seconds, and your system will automatically queue them up to be called back as soon as there is an intake team member available. There are many ways to miss calls, but there are just as many ways to fix those issues.
First: every part of the intake call is important. Each question and statement should serve a purpose, or it shouldn’t be part of the call, which means they’re all important. However, there is one element of an intake call that isn’t easily scripted or explained, but it is 100% vital, clients immediately know when it is missing, and it can cost you potential clients more than almost anything else.
It is, simply put, compassion. Showing empathy on a phone call with a potential client is an absolute must for any intake department. When a potential client reaches out to a law firm, they are not asking solely for legal information; they also need moral support, guidance, and a human interaction that lets them know things are going to be okay. They have potentially been through a physical ordeal recently with an accident or other troubling situation, and in addition to that, there may be life stressors and financial considerations that are creating anxiety. A great intake member will take those few extra seconds to express their concern and check in about their mental state in the midst of gathering the needed information. By ensuring that this is part of your intake process, your firm will see your closing percentage rise.
Yes, 100%. That’s an easy answer to give, but there is important context to back it up. Firstly, there are many potential clients who want information but simply aren’t ready to make a decision, and nothing you say to them on the phone will convince them that they should sign up right then. Those clients are not lost to you, they are simply taking time and making considerations. By following up with well-timed and thoughtful emails, texts, and phone calls, you’re showing those potential clients that you’re thorough and willing to go the extra mile.
Another reason it’s important to follow up is because people get distracted: by life, by hectic schedules, by the overwhelming number of things that need to be done in relation to their potential case. A reminder is often a welcome thing, not a bother. And if a potential client didn’t sign with you because they wanted to speak with other attorneys, you still have a chance to sign them; but only if you keep following up to show them you’re determined and passionate. Many very successful law firms secure between 5-10% of their cases by simply following up.
Without a doubt, the most effective way to make sure your call quality, speed, and efficiency remains high in your intake department is to test it yourself internally. Making unscheduled and unannounced calls into your own intake department accomplishes a few important things.
First, it allows you to have first-hand experience with your team members, hearing their voices and reactions in real time, which will give you an insight into their skills and their need for improvement in a way that nothing else can. Secondly, by making sure your intake department knows that these calls happen but not telling them when they will take place, that adds an extra level of vigilance on their part to make sure every call is the best it can be. If they never know when the boss might be calling, they’re always going to be careful to do their best.
Law firm intake departments have changed almost entirely from what they looked like even 25 years ago, due primarily to technology and the changing way in which humans interact and communicate with each other. As every new technological advancement leads to another change, intake shifts to incorporate them, from cell phones to testing to social media and beyond.
Keeping up with the changes is key for a law firm’s success, and that’s why the Brain Trust MasterMind program is a perfect place for your law firm. With monthly meetings and twice-yearly in-person events, there are many opportunities for your firm to learn and discuss intake innovations and technological advancements with other successful law firms across the country. To learn more about the BTL MasterMind program, you can call (855)743-1636 nationwide to speak with a BTL team member to see how you can join up and watch your intake department’s exponential growth.
