Just as seeing a payphone or an answering machine is a rarity
these days, so, too, should be seeing a phone plugged into an old
phone jack in a modern law office. If the constraints of an old
style phone are not obvious, the advantages of modern
well-configured voice-over-Internet-protocol (VOIP) systems should
be self-evident.
For starters, the main phone number for a law firm does not need to
have a concrete physical location. Because providers have redundant
backups, the phones will always be answered and will always greet
clients, regardless of power outages, floods or hurricanes. The
calls can then be routed literally anywhere: the home number of the
telecommuting associate, the mobile number of the partner in court
for the day, the voicemail of the assistant handling the medical
records or even to simultaneously ring all three numbers where the
solo practitioner may be found on a given day. The system can also
be programmed to recognize who is calling and to route that
person's call to a predetermined extension or, if necessary, to
advise that particularly problematic caller that no one is
available.
When a call is routed to a mobile or a home phone, an alert is
utilized to advise that an office call is coming through.
Thereafter, an automated screening process is used to identify the
caller, which enables the recipient to accept or reject the
call.
To the caller this is all transparent and the caller will never
know that the call is being answered anywhere other than the ABC
Law Firm headquarters. In the event the caller leaves a message,
there is no need to wait for someone to return to the office only
to hear, "You have 17 new messages," because the implication is
that 10 of them already hired other lawyers. Instead, the voice
message can be turned into a text message or an email, and sent to
as few or as many key people as the imagination (i.e., business
plan) desires: perhaps a virtual assistant in Canada screening new
client calls, or the associate who can speak Swahili to the
particular client, etc.
Returning calls is just as transparent: Regardless of where the
return call originates, even if it's on a cruise ship headed for
Bermuda, the person receiving the call would only see the main
number for ABC Law Firm, and no private or home number would ever
be revealed.
Fax machines are a thing of the past, as well. Most VOIP systems
will have integrated digital fax capabilities, meaning that one
would send a fax by simply sending an email with an imaged document
to a special address, and it would be delivered like an ordinary
fax on the other end. Similarly, faxes are received as attachments
to emails which could be routed to anyone on the team, or kept on a
centralized location for everyone at the office to access from
wherever they may be. No more paper jams or busy signals, or the
realization that the expected settlement agreement is collecting
dust in a fax machine in a closed office over a four-day
weekend.
Perhaps the most significant advantage is that virtually no special
hardware or expensive equipment is required. The systems integrate
into existing computer networks, mobile phones and, yes, even the
old style analog phones, but with the power to control and route
calls seamlessly. No more PBX boxes, or those messy bundles of
colored wires hanging from the basement ceiling. VOIP works over
network cables already in place wherever there is a desktop
computer, or as a part of the wireless network in the office.
If the law office needs to relocate, there would be no interruption
in the phone system, because it is not tied to a specific physical
location. There is no need to change phone numbers or worry about
down time. Setting up at the new office is as simple as plugging
things into the wall - as long as there's Internet, the phones are
up and running. But even in the event of an Internet outage, the
VOIP system remains unaffected to callers, as it will continue to
answer and forward calls as programmed.
On the administrative end, detailed reports can be generated
showing every call made or received through the system. This is
useful in a variety of contexts, from billing to responding to the
client who erroneously claims that his call was never
returned.
The cost is, perhaps unexpectedly, usually less than existing
monthly service from major providers, and scalability is a breeze.
Adding an extension requires a few keystrokes on a website instead
of costly and time-consuming appointments with the phone
company.
A law office considering a switch to VOIP should conduct due
diligence and compare options among various providers. For
starters, those averse to technological leaps can have their VOIP
systems configured exactly like their old phone systems, and then
slowly begin the process of implementing new features over time.
Once the freedom and flexibility of VOIP is fully realized, there
is no going back.
Dmitry Lev is the principal at the Lev Law Firm, based in
Watertown. His practice is focused in the areas of bankruptcy
litigation, personal injury and criminal defense. Lev has been
using VOIP in his office since 2008 and he is in his second year as
a member of the Law Practice Management Section
Council.