Answering service cost

Want to know how much an answering service costs? We’ll break down everything you need to know below.

Why do the best answering services charge by the minute?

Most answering services charge either by the minute or by the call. You should beware answering services that charge by the minute, however. An answering service charges to answer all of your calls, yes, but shorter calls far outnumber the longer ones.

Answering services that charge by the minute, on the other hand, ensure that you’re always getting what you paid for. Short calls like clients looking for updates don’t cost you very much, and longer calls like new client intakes will help you recoup your answering service cost quickly.

Why do the best answering services charge by the minute?

What do you get from your answering service?

Capture more leads

Answering every call means you won’t ever miss a new business opportunity.

Keep clients happy

Your clients will love being able to speak to a live receptionist whenever they call.

More time to work

You won’t be interrupted by incoming calls, freeing you to focus on your legal practice.

The real cost of an answering service

Of course, answering service costs vary by the service. Some have different packages with different features available at different price points. Others, like Answering Legal, charge a single, all-inclusive fee for a certain number of minutes, and only answer for lawyers.

An answering service might seem costly, but you have to keep in mind the adjusted price of your service. There are some things, like the satisfaction of your clients, that you can’t put a monetary value on. Other things, like answering every call and securing more leads, do come with a dollar value attached. Using those numbers to adjust your answering service’s cost, you’ll find you make more money than you spend.

Adjusting an answering service’s cost

24/7 coverage

Never missing a call means you’ll more than double your lead capture rate.

Legal intake

Firms that use technology in their intake process see 52 percent more revenue.

Integrations

Integrating with your CRM will save you time so you can focus on billable tasks.

Hear from lawyers just like you

Thousands of lawyers like you trust Answering Legal to handle their phones. These are their stories.

“I have a lot of Spanish-speaking clients, and it’s such a joy to have them have the ability to call my firm and somebody on the other line is speaking their native language.”

- Martin Quintana, Founder and Managing Partner, Quintana Law Group

“Answering Legal is so flexible, you’re able to customize it entirely to fit your firm’s needs, your firm’s hours, and your firm's boundaries that you want to set with clients.”

- Bianca Santorini, Principal Attorney, The Santorini Law Firm PLLC

“I love the fact that, 24/7, 365, even on Christmas, someone is answering our phones and that is Answering Legal.”

- Kamiel Harrison, Esq., The Harrison Firm

“Answering Legal allows me to have a personal life… and it also helps me be a better attorney. It saves time and helps you grow your practice without you even realizing it.”

- Laura Pfeifer, Esq., Founding Partner, Battiloro Law Group

“People from Answering Legal are trained to ask particular questions, to relay messages back and forth, and to send me a summary of those phone calls.”

- Lonny Fish, Owner, Liberty Law Team

“Answering Legal has allowed my firm to get hired on numerous clients that we never would have without them.”

- Margo L. Gaines, Esq., Founder, Gaines & Musico, LLP

“When we’re not there—after hours, evenings, nights, weekends—they’ll answer the call like somebody at Gainsberg Law, ready and willing to answer the phone call.”

- Neal Gainsberg, Owner & Principal, Gainsberg Law, P.C.

“One of the things that Answering Legal allows me to do is quickly get back to new clients… I’ve been hired because I was the only lawyer who called the person back.”

- Neal Davis, Neal Davis Law Firm

“Answering Legal has allowed us to scale up and have the equivalent of what would probably be ten staff members answering phones.”

- Kaitlin Nares, CEO & Co-owner, Hagen Nares PLLC

“Answering Legal’s got my back. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, my phones are answered and my clients’ concerns are addressed.”

- Anthony M. Grandinette, Esq., Founder, The Law Office of Anthony M. Grandinette

“Whenever my staff and I are in consultations with a client, nobody has to walk out of the consults. The office doesn’t miss any calls anymore.”

- Allison Gordon, Gordon Law Firm

“I started out with Answering Legal, and now my practice has grown tenfold.”

- Brian D. Perskin, Esq., Managing Partner, Brian D. Perskin & Associates P.C.

“In this business, whoever answers first usually gets the business, and Answering Legal has really improved my ability to do that.”

- MAJ (R) Christopher Curley Esq., The Law Office of Christopher Curley

“Answering Legal has allowed us to streamline our communication process so that the caller is matched with the party they’re seeking to reach.”

- Justin Reiff, Director of Administration, The Reiff Law Firm

“We transitioned to Answering Legal to get a live operator and started closing with a far higher percentage of our incoming leads.”

- Paul M. Marriett, Law Office of Paul M. Marriett

“I have a lot of Spanish-speaking clients, and it’s such a joy to have them have the ability to call my firm and somebody on the other line is speaking their native language.”

- Martin Quintana, Founder and Managing Partner, Quintana Law Group

“Answering Legal is so flexible, you’re able to customize it entirely to fit your firm’s needs, your firm’s hours, and your firm's boundaries that you want to set with clients.”

- Bianca Santorini, Principal Attorney, The Santorini Law Firm PLLC

“I love the fact that, 24/7, 365, even on Christmas, someone is answering our phones and that is Answering Legal.”

- Kamiel Harrison, Esq., The Harrison Firm

“Answering Legal allows me to have a personal life… and it also helps me be a better attorney. It saves time and helps you grow your practice without you even realizing it.”

- Laura Pfeifer, Esq., Founding Partner, Battiloro Law Group

“People from Answering Legal are trained to ask particular questions, to relay messages back and forth, and to send me a summary of those phone calls.”

- Lonny Fish, Owner, Liberty Law Team

“Answering Legal has allowed my firm to get hired on numerous clients that we never would have without them.”

- Margo L. Gaines, Esq., Founder, Gaines & Musico, LLP

“When we’re not there—after hours, evenings, nights, weekends—they’ll answer the call like somebody at Gainsberg Law, ready and willing to answer the phone call.”

- Neal Gainsberg, Owner & Principal, Gainsberg Law, P.C.

“One of the things that Answering Legal allows me to do is quickly get back to new clients… I’ve been hired because I was the only lawyer who called the person back.”

- Neal Davis, Neal Davis Law Firm

“Answering Legal has allowed us to scale up and have the equivalent of what would probably be ten staff members answering phones.”

- Kaitlin Nares, CEO & Co-owner, Hagen Nares PLLC

“Answering Legal’s got my back. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, my phones are answered and my clients’ concerns are addressed.”

- Anthony M. Grandinette, Esq., Founder, The Law Office of Anthony M. Grandinette

“Whenever my staff and I are in consultations with a client, nobody has to walk out of the consults. The office doesn’t miss any calls anymore.”

- Allison Gordon, Gordon Law Firm

“I started out with Answering Legal, and now my practice has grown tenfold.”

- Brian D. Perskin, Esq., Managing Partner, Brian D. Perskin & Associates P.C.

“In this business, whoever answers first usually gets the business, and Answering Legal has really improved my ability to do that.”

- MAJ (R) Christopher Curley Esq., The Law Office of Christopher Curley

“Answering Legal has allowed us to streamline our communication process so that the caller is matched with the party they’re seeking to reach.”

- Justin Reiff, Director of Administration, The Reiff Law Firm

“We transitioned to Answering Legal to get a live operator and started closing with a far higher percentage of our incoming leads.”

- Paul M. Marriett, Law Office of Paul M. Marriett

“I have a lot of Spanish-speaking clients, and it’s such a joy to have them have the ability to call my firm and somebody on the other line is speaking their native language.”

- Martin Quintana, Founder and Managing Partner, Quintana Law Group

“Answering Legal is so flexible, you’re able to customize it entirely to fit your firm’s needs, your firm’s hours, and your firm's boundaries that you want to set with clients.”

- Bianca Santorini, Principal Attorney, The Santorini Law Firm PLLC

“I love the fact that, 24/7, 365, even on Christmas, someone is answering our phones and that is Answering Legal.”

- Kamiel Harrison, Esq., The Harrison Firm

“Answering Legal allows me to have a personal life… and it also helps me be a better attorney. It saves time and helps you grow your practice without you even realizing it.”

- Laura Pfeifer, Esq., Founding Partner, Battiloro Law Group

“People from Answering Legal are trained to ask particular questions, to relay messages back and forth, and to send me a summary of those phone calls.”

- Lonny Fish, Owner, Liberty Law Team

“Answering Legal has allowed my firm to get hired on numerous clients that we never would have without them.”

- Margo L. Gaines, Esq., Founder, Gaines & Musico, LLP

“When we’re not there—after hours, evenings, nights, weekends—they’ll answer the call like somebody at Gainsberg Law, ready and willing to answer the phone call.”

- Neal Gainsberg, Owner & Principal, Gainsberg Law, P.C.

“One of the things that Answering Legal allows me to do is quickly get back to new clients… I’ve been hired because I was the only lawyer who called the person back.”

- Neal Davis, Neal Davis Law Firm

“Answering Legal has allowed us to scale up and have the equivalent of what would probably be ten staff members answering phones.”

- Kaitlin Nares, CEO & Co-owner, Hagen Nares PLLC

“Answering Legal’s got my back. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, my phones are answered and my clients’ concerns are addressed.”

- Anthony M. Grandinette, Esq., Founder, The Law Office of Anthony M. Grandinette

“Whenever my staff and I are in consultations with a client, nobody has to walk out of the consults. The office doesn’t miss any calls anymore.”

- Allison Gordon, Gordon Law Firm

“I started out with Answering Legal, and now my practice has grown tenfold.”

- Brian D. Perskin, Esq., Managing Partner, Brian D. Perskin & Associates P.C.

“In this business, whoever answers first usually gets the business, and Answering Legal has really improved my ability to do that.”

- MAJ (R) Christopher Curley Esq., The Law Office of Christopher Curley

“Answering Legal has allowed us to streamline our communication process so that the caller is matched with the party they’re seeking to reach.”

- Justin Reiff, Director of Administration, The Reiff Law Firm

“We transitioned to Answering Legal to get a live operator and started closing with a far higher percentage of our incoming leads.”

- Paul M. Marriett, Law Office of Paul M. Marriett

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We’re a flat-rate service, so all of our features are included in every pricing package. We’ll build a custom minutes package based on your needs.

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