here are black holes all over the place when it comes to our Intake. But in order to fill them, we need to find them. One of the biggest black holes that I’ve uncovered for personal injury law firms throughout the country is how new calls are handled. Unless you’re listening to the calls, you have no idea how much you’re leaving on the table.
I remember sitting in your seat as well and considering whether it was worth my time, as an attorney, to listen to my staff’s calls. I sit here, hundreds of calls later, with the following conclusion: It was worth every second!
There is no greater reality as to how good your staff is on the phone and how well they handle claimants than listening to them. And I don’t mean standing over them and hearing what they say in our presence.
We all know that our presence will only cause them to act differently. Rather, I mean recording their conversations and listening to them (Note: Be sure this is admissible in your State). But it doesn’t stop there. Unfortunately, most of us (including myself) need to make mistakes in order to realize the correct path, regardless of how many times we’re told of the potential outcome.
And the same goes for our intake staff. They need to hear themselves on the phone and be embarrassed by their performance in order to actually learn from it. And, learn they will. Once your staff realizes that they’re being monitored, accountability begins to set in… which means better results!
Note that hearing your staff on the phones is addictive. Why? Because there are probably issues with an overwhelming majority of the calls. And the more issues there are, the closer you get to maximizing your revenue.
Don’t get intimidated…Get Motivated!
n attorney and intake expert, Gary Falkowitz is the former Managing Attorney at Parker Waichman LLP. Today he is the Managing Partner at the FalkowitzLaw Firm in New York, and Founding Attorney at Maximum Intake Consulting, Inc. He can be reached at (844) 629-4682 in New York.