Challenge: A gentleman called me from the South who was starting up his own law practice with his wife. He had left a bigger firm and his SEO specialist had told him to get a virtual number which he could advertise on his website. The idea was to save money so that he and his wife could use their personal cell phones for their business without having to pay for a land line and equipment. They also needed to save the extra expense of a receptionist by using a automated attendant instead. We needed to set up a virtual call forwarding service for this client so that they didn’t miss any more calls.
Solution: I set up a local number for the couple so they could advertise it on their web site. When people call them, they hear the Auto Attendant Phone System’s greeting. ‘Thank you for calling the Smith law firm, please choose from the following, for John press 1, for Mary, press 2.’ Once a person chooses the extension for either John or Mary, they are transferred to the appropriate cell phone. The law firm is prompted that a call is coming in from their phone system and can tell instantly if the call coming in is for their business or personal. If they cannot answer their cell phone, the callers can leave a message in their professionally recorded voice mailbox, which is delivered via .wav file to the intended person’s email. They simply check their email on their phones, so they never miss an important call.
Results: John and Mary are very pleased with their Auto-Attendant’s virtual call forwarding service. They advertise the number on their website and gradually, they are receiving more and more traffic to the number. They receive monthly call reports so they can track the amount of calls their new number receives. They also like the fact that they did not have to hire a receptionist and they can receive their phone calls anywhere, as they are not tied to their office. They had no idea that something so simple and inexpensive could help run their business. Thanks in part to AccessDirect, the couple’s new law firm is practically an instant success!
