Do calls from prospective clients go to the top of the pile of messages or the bottom?

For some practices, the answer to this question is the difference between growth and decline.

I’ve visited many practices where no one in particular is assigned to dealing with calls from people seeking representation.

The calls come in to the voicemail or the receptionist, a note is made, and the message is passed along. The note is usually routed to the attorney mentioned by the prospective client. In many firms, it’s the attorney whose name is on the door that gets mentioned.

Those messages pile up. They aren’t pressing. Existing clients are calling about the latest upset, altercation, or issue, and their calls get top priority. The potential client often waits for a callback for a while (maybe just an hour or two) before calling the next attorney on her list.

If you’re treating potential clients as an afterthought, then you shouldn’t be surprised if your practice isn’t growing.

If you’re so busy right now that you don’t want new clients, then stop reading right now. Otherwise, continue.

You need to designate someone to return these calls. In fact, ideally, the person shouldn’t be returning the calls; he or she should be taking the calls as they come in. Calling back should only happen when your person is busy on the line with someone else setting an appointment.

You should give the intake person the authority and training required to screen callers, select clients, schedule consults, and follow up after the meeting. The intake person needs to take on the role of advocate for the potential client so that potential clients are heard in the same way existing clients are heard.

This intake role shouldn’t be secondary to other responsibilities. Don’t, for instance, assign a busy paralegal the task of taking these calls. Inevitably, the paralegal tasks will get done first. Your intake person needs to take on other tasks only when there is absolutely nothing that can be done to further the intake process. Ideally, any additional work assigned to your intake person will come without a deadline and can be done whenever or even never done at all.

The intake person is the one person in your firm who touches every dollar that comes into your firm. Make this position a high priority, and you’ll grow. Treat this role as secondary, and you won’t.