Vol. 32, No. 6, 4. Cures for the Eight Common Small Law Firm Ailments.

• Author: By Steve Adams

Wyoming Bar Journal

2009.

Vol. 32, No. 6, 4.

Cures for the Eight Common Small Law Firm Ailments

Wyoming LawyerIssue: December, 2009Cures for the Eight Common Small Law Firm AilmentsBy Steve Adams Ask most people what they like about working with small law firms and you'll hear answers such as "their personal approach" or "I'm not just a customer number to them" or "I get to work with the heavy hitters instead of some trainee just out of school."

Yes, those are the things they say when things are going well. But should the perceived service level drop, those same enthusiastic supporters begin to question their decision about working with a small firm. In particular, things they used to find charming - such as a live person taking messages instead of a system putting a call through to voice mail - suddenly become indications that maybe they need to look into finding a somewhat larger, "more professional" firm.

The good news is these small law agency quirks don't have to be fatal. In fact, many can be fixed with the application of simple technology that provides big business tools while allowing firms to stay true to their small business core. The following eight cures to the common small law firm ailments will help ensure your company doesn't fall into the "too small" trap:

1. Don't have one phone line for all your business communications.

   Nothing says "too small" like a phone number that returns a busy signal, or a phone that rings and rings until the caller finally gives up. In today's business world, when someone actually places a call (instead of sending an e-mail) they expect it to be answered. Or, at the very least, routed to an auto-attendant or voice mailbox. While a standard public branch exchange (PBX) phone system might be too costly to install and require too much specialized knowledge to maintain, virtual PBX services can provide the same professional "face" without the equipment investment or the maintenance. These services automatically route calls to extensions you set up, and provide voice mail services so callers can leave a message. Callers will never get a busy signal or be stuck in a ringing loop, giving them the confidence that you have the staff to service their business.

2. Don't keep using a portal e-mail account for your business.

   An e-mail address that reads @gmail.com, @aol.com, @yahoo.com...