The P.U.F strategy... "pick up the phone"

The latest Today's Conveyancer podcast looks at research conducted by telephone answering service Moneypenny into call handling by UK law firms, both from an incoming and outgoing point of view. Joining host David Opie is Bernadette  (Bernie) Bennett,  Head of Sector - Legal at Moneypenny to discuss the "Customer Communications Global Trends Report".According to the research, telephone continues to be the number one way consumers contact law firms with 35% of respondents indicating they will make first contact by phone, followed by 25% using email. The research shows that typically clients will call, rather than email, when their enquiry is urgent (42%) or complicated (33%). And to exacerbate the challenge, the research identified that cold calls are up 23% over the last 12 months, and there has been 9% increase in out of hours calls year on year - meaning conveyancers have a longer to do list before they even start the day.Despite these numbers, call handling by law firms is very hit and miss as Bernie discusses the challenges that face firms on daily basis. For many firms fee earners remain as a first point of contact for enquiries which can, says Bernie, result in interrupted productivity. How many conveyancers have told us that they spend much of their working time on the phone and answering emails.Research conducted by Law Firm Marketing Club suggests that it is "50:50" whether call handling will leave clients "impressed or wanting;" firms might consider, suggests Bernie, implementing a strategy around how they answer the phone:"It's critical, incoming calls don't disturb fee earners and callers receive the best experience. Bad calls result in leads being lost and reputations being damaged." The research suggests that 36% of recipients of bad call handling will take their business elsewhere; 34% will make a complaint; and 25% will leave a negative reviewIn a  thought provoking discussion Bernie shares some thoughts on how firms can implement a more effective call handling strategy and what tools are available to streamline productivity. The Today's Conveyancer podcast can be found on your preferred podcast provider and also at www.todaysconveyancer.co.uk. Subscribe and listen in for all the latest conveyancing industry news and views. Thank you to our podcast sponsors LEAP Legal Software and InfoTrack