Discover the 3X3 Method to Convert More Phone Intakes into Retained Clients
When someone calls your law firm, emails you, or fills out your contact form, what happens next? Do you follow up? How often do those leads turn into retained clients?
Sure, your administrative assistant or paralegal will respond to the message, but that one phone call or email isn’t always enough to bring a new client on board. Unless they’re desperate for help, there’s a good chance you’ll never hear from them again.
Someone reaching out to your firm is a HUGE opportunity…yet so many lawyers waste these opportunities on a daily basis. If you want to make the most of your inbound leads, then you need to stop treating them like an afterthought and train an intake specialist to take calls and convert leads into clients.
A Lot Can Happen Between a Call and a Case
When someone calls or emails your office, they’re showing a LOT of interest in your services. Getting someone’s attention is a huge first step, and it makes earning their business a lot easier. With that said, there’s a lot that can happen between call and case that could lose you the client.
Without follow-up, a lead is likely to disappear for any number of reasons. Maybe they decided to go with another firm. Maybe they did some online research and feel like they no longer need a lawyer. Or, maybe they just forgot that they contacted you at all!
Staying top of mind with leads and creating a good impression through stellar customer service is important. That’s why it’s time to take lead follow-up off your current staff’s plate and hire someone solely for intake.
Do You Really NEED A Legal Intake Specialist?
Think about all the work your staff does on a daily basis. Your paralegals are busy with casework. Your administrative assistant is juggling lots of different tasks to keep your firm running. They don’t have time to take on the extra responsibility of closing more leads!
Hiring a legal intake specialist is essential if you want to close more inbound leads and grow your firm. Their main responsibilities will be answering the phone, following up with leads, and helping people through the intake process to help you get more cases. Until you have an intake specialist on staff, you won’t be able to use this strategy to make the most of your leads.
The 3X3 Method
Most law firms follow up with inbound leads by calling them and leaving a voicemail if necessary. It’s a reasonable strategy, but it’s not enough on its own.
Every month, there are 4 BILLION robocalls. If you only follow up with people by calling them, your intake specialist is going to listen to a LOT of voicemail messages. People just don’t pick up the phone!
Not every lead is going to turn into a new case. But if you use the 3X3 Method, you can ensure that each lead has every opportunity to work with your firm if they’re a good fit. It’s an incredible follow-up method for lawyers that can boost growth.
Basically, it works by having your staff contact people three different times in three different ways. Here’s what your legal intake specialist needs to do with each new lead that comes in.
Start with a Text
Your first message to a lead should be a text. It should start with a quick introduction that includes your name and asks if there’s a good time to call them. Why? Because depending on the recipient’s phone, it will recognize your name and label your texts and calls as “Maybe: Your Name.”
This text will help ensure that a lead will pick up the phone when you call to follow up. If they DO give you a time, make sure you follow up at that time! Once they open the message, their phone should suggest a contact name that will come up when you contact them in the future.
Then Give Them a Call
About 15 minutes after your intake specialist sends the introductory text message, they should call if they don’t get a response to the text. Now, many people still won’t pick up the phone at this stage. However, seeing that you’re not a spam caller (thanks to the text you already sent!) could make a difference and convince someone to at least talk with your staff.
If they don’t pick up? Have your intake specialist leave a voicemail and let them know that you got their original message and would love to set up a time to talk.
Finally, Send an Email
If the lead doesn’t pick up their phone when your intake specialist calls, it’s time to send an email. The email should explain that you’re following up and ask when would be a good time to call. Keep it simple!
Repeat This Process
Now that you’ve contacted a lead in three different ways, you need to repeat the process two more times so that you’ve contacted them three times. For the next two days, contact the lead through text message, phone, and email. If they respond or pick up the phone, your intake specialist can help them take the next step in the intake process and work toward getting them signed on for your firm’s services.
Tips for Better 3X3 Success
People can be tough to reach, even if they were the ones who initiated the contact. They’re busy, and they don’t want to waste their time on spam. To improve your intake specialist’s response rate with the 3X3 Method, train them in these techniques.
Try the “Double Dial”
Lots of people will see their phone ring and hit “reject” instead of picking it up. When that happens, your intake specialist can use the “double dial” technique. Basically, it means that when the call goes to voicemail, you just hang up and call back right away.
This technique makes it much more likely that people will pick up because it adds urgency to the call. Plus, robo-callers don’t do this!
Consider Reaching Out 4X… or Even 5X…
If three times sounds like a lot of follow-ups, it actually isn’t. It’s really the bare minimum of what you should be doing to follow up with each lead. People are busy, and they won’t jump through hoops to work with you. It’s on you to put in the effort and close the deal.
Following up three times is great, but why not keep going? Try reaching out four or even five times with each communication method. Give inbound leads every opportunity to say yes before you give up and move on. After all, they reached out for a reason!
Call at Different Times of the Day
It might be convenient for your staff to call each lead at the same time every day, but that’s not a great way to make sure you’re reaching people when they have time to talk. If you don’t get a response one day, try texting and calling at a different time the next day. Each time you reach out, you should choose a different time of day to ensure you’re reaching leads when they’re available.
Leave a Compelling Voicemail
If you’re following up with a lead and you already know something about their case, you can use that information to your advantage by leaving a compelling voicemail that will make them want to call you back. It’s scientifically proven that if you say in your voicemail: “I’ve got an idea that I’d love to get your opinion on,” people will be much more likely to call you back. Use the information you have to get your lead’s interest and provide value that will make them want to hire your firm.
Training an Intake Specialist is Worth the Investment
An intake specialist will be an asset to your team and can help you grow your business. Having someone dedicated to answering the phone, following up with leads, and helping new clients with the intake process will help improve your image among potential clients and result in more cases.
Obviously, any new hire is an investment. However, your legal intake specialist doesn’t even have to work in the office. You can hire a remote intake specialist and have them work from home. That gives you a bigger pool of candidates to choose from, and it will be easier to hire for this kind of work.
Once you’ve trained someone in your intake process, you’ll be able to put it on autopilot and the other members of your staff will be able to focus on their other tasks. Your firm will start to get more cases, which will allow you to focus on the future of your business instead of on day-to-day operations.
Not sure how to start creating your intake system and hiring someone to run it? If you need help with your phone intake, we can help you find a remote intake specialist. Contact the SMB Team today for a consultation.
