Three Reasons Law Firms Need To Be Using A Bilingual Answering Service

No matter where your law firm is based, you need to be able to reach Spanish-speaking clients. Recent census data estimates that over 41 million people above the age of five speak Spanish at home. That’s 41 million people who, when faced with legal issues, will go to firms that speak their language. In order to convert those leads, tap into that population, and take on clients you never could otherwise, your firm needs a bilingual answering service like Answering Legal.

A bilingual answering service is a 24/7 law office administration tool that will give your firm an edge in your market, wherever you are. The ability to meet the fast-growing Spanish-speaking market’s needs will bring in new clients in areas you never thought you’d be able to reach. Here are three reasons why your firm needs to be using a bilingual answering service:

1. Making Clients Comfortable Will Improve Your Conversion Rate

Let’s be honest: most people don’t call lawyers when things are at their best. Personal injury, criminal, divorce; very few legal disciplines specialize in “the best of times”. And in the worst of times, clients are stressed out, scared, and nervous. Those obstacles are even more daunting for someone for whom English is a second language. A bilingual answering service is a tool for law firms that want to get clients who conquered those first obstacles but may not be able to surmount a language barrier.

When clients call your firm, they are looking for help. Most will move on if they get your voicemail — which Answering Legal can help with! But Spanish-speaking clients may move on if they can’t speak to someone who speaks Spanish. Your firm needs to be able to answer their call in their language in order to make them confident in your ability to answer their burning legal questions. Any firm that invests in a bilingual answering service will have a leg up against their competition, snagging leads other firms may not be able to get.

2. You Can Increase Your Market Share

Even outside immigration law, a bilingual answering service is an investment that will pay off. The native-Spanish-speaking market is one that is constantly and quickly growing - remember those 41 million native Spanish speakers? - and a significant portion of that market is going to reach out to and choose a law firm that answers them in the language they speak at home.

A bilingual answering service like Answering Legal is necessary to secure your place in that market and increase your market share in your area, no matter your legal discipline or your location. After all, the nightmares of personal injury and bankruptcy can happen to anyone, no matter what language they speak.

3. Add Bilingual Support to Your Stellar Reception Team

A bilingual answering service need not be a replacement; it can also support your existing reception staff. Say you already have great receptionists. You found the best people for the job, and they’re doing even better than you expected. But they don’t speak Spanish. Your firm needs a bilingual answering service like Answering Legal, which would allow your receptionists to forward the calls in Spanish to someone who speaks the language.

The virtual receptionist would then greet the client and make them feel comfortable, making it that much more likely you’ll secure that lead. Answering Legal’s bilingual answering service can even perform services such as legal intake and live call transferring. And if you already have in-house bilingual receptionists, a bilingual answering service will support them, answering the phones if the lines are busy.

Final Thoughts

You’d never have to miss a lead no matter what language they speak with a 24/7 bilingual answering service. Day or night, English or Spanish speaking, everyone who calls your firm can get a friendly, professional welcome into your client list.

Answering Legal’s bilingual answering service will expand your market share and secure leads in ways your law firm will not be able to otherwise. The thing people look for when they call your firm is to know that you can help them, and nothing says that your firm is ready to help better than speaking the client’s preferred language.

Want to start converting Spanish-speaking callers into Spanish-speaking clients? Click here to get your firm some bilingual support today by signing up for our free trial, or call 631-686-9700. For a limited time, we’re offering law firms that try out our service their first 400 minutes free.