How can a law firm stop losing enquiries to missed calls?
Send every missed caller a short, neutral text that says you’ve seen the call and when someone will ring back, and log each one so it’s returned the same day. People with a pressing problem, like a buyer waiting or a dismissal, often ring several firms and go with the first one that calls back.
By Sammy Morgan, who runs M1 Studio in Chichester. Updated .
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- Industry
- Solicitors
- Problem
- Missed calls
- The fix
- Missed-Call Rescue, £800
- Do it yourself?
- Yes, the first steps below
Why it happens to solicitors.
- Clients prefer to phone
- Many people with a legal problem want to explain it to a person, not a form. Calls cluster around lunchtime and after work, when fee earners are busy or out.
- The problem feels urgent
- A completion date, a tribunal time limit or a family crisis makes people ring round. The firm that calls back first often gets the instruction.
- Reception can’t do much on the first call
- Before anyone discusses a matter, the firm usually needs the basics for a conflict check. A quick reply that collects those saves a second round of calls.
- Voicemail is a dead end
- Many callers won’t leave a message about something personal. You get a missed number and no idea whether it was a new instruction or a sales call.
What to do, in order.
Check what callers hear
Ring your main number at lunchtime from another phone. Note how long it rings and whether the voicemail says when you’ll call back.
Agree the wording with your team
A neutral text: the firm’s name, that you missed the call, and a time you’ll ring back. It should never discuss a matter or give advice.
Collect the basics for a conflict check
A link to a short form for the matter type and the other party’s name lets you check before calling back.
Set call-back windows
Decide who returns new-enquiry calls and when, such as by 2pm and by 5.30pm, and say so in the text.
Automate it
Missed-Call Rescue (£800) sends your text to every missed call, logs each enquiry and reminds your team to call back. Text and app fees are paid at cost or directly by you, and listed before you agree.
Where M1 can do it for you.
Fixed prices, or a fixed quote before any work starts. No VAT is charged. Any running costs are listed before you agree.
- Missed-Call Rescue £800
It texts every missed caller in your firm’s words and keeps new enquiries in one list, so nobody waits until tomorrow by accident.
Missed calls get a text back, automatically.
- Enquiry Quiz £1,800
A short form linked from the text that asks the matter type and the other party, ready for your conflict check.
A short quiz that gives visitors an answer, and gives you their details.
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Before you decide.
Something else? Ask Sammy on WhatsApp.
Is it appropriate for a law firm to send an automatic text?
Many firms are comfortable with a short, neutral message that confirms the call was missed and gives a call-back time. Your firm decides the wording and whether it fits your policies. M1 gives no regulatory advice.
Should we use an AI receptionist instead?
M1 doesn’t sell AI phone answering. For a law firm, a text back plus a short form keeps the first contact simple and lets a person make the call. The guide to AI receptionists covers the pros and cons.
What does a missed call cost a firm?
It depends on how many you miss and what a new matter is worth to you. Try the missed-call cost calculator with your own numbers.
Keep reading.
Know what to fix. Then decide.
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