Quick Reference & Tips

Additional Staff Orientation Tips

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Total Customer Care

Lawyer Referral Service is a business. Customers are the lifeblood of every business. Outstanding businesses honor and value their customers.

Customers need to be cared for with dignity and respect, their concerns need to be heard and addressed, and they need to leave every contact with you feeling better for having dealt with you. That's good customer service.

In our Lawyer Referral Service, the customers are either the lay people who need help finding legal counsel or lawyers who have joined our legal panel. Obviously, these two groups will come to you with very different issues and concerns. The tools for working with them are the same.

Start off with your own attitude. Your job can be stressful, full of interruptions, constant telephone calls, and many other things. As everyone knows, for your own health and well being you should exercise, eat right, meditate/do relaxation exercises, get enough rest, and invest in extreme self care. But, the focus here is on your callers.

Every morning on the way to work, psych yourself up! Think about the importance of what you do. Think about how you are in the enviable position of serving people. Think about their distressful situations and concerns about what has happened to them (or what they have done).

To paraphrase Mark Twain: "most folks are just about as happy, or unhappy, as they make up their minds to be." The point is that you have choices about your behavior and how you will react to the stresses of the day. Chose to be ready, with a smile, to help every caller who has contact with you.

Another way to boost your attitude is to omit negative words from your vocabulary. Every day choose a word with a negative connotation that you use and rework it to a positive. For instance, use the word "try". "I'm going to try to do that."

Preparation and training are key to handling your daily telephone calls. The training may require self, rather than environmental improvement. How are your telephone manners - voice, tone, "appearance" - and manners - friendliness, courtesy, helpfulness? Is the phone answered before the third ring? Are callers told how long they may have to hold? Once a caller reaches you, can you assist them? Graciously? Do you actively listen and let them know you are doing so? How do you handle angry callers?

Here are some ROTs (rules of thumb):

Answer the telephone by the third ring.
Smile. Yes, smile! It shows in your voice.
If you must put a caller on hold, ask permission.
Once a caller is on hold, check back frequently. Our telephone system does have a 30 second reminder.
Give the caller an estimate of how long the wait will be.
Listen and do not interrupt.
Make sure the caller understands you.
Use proper English and good grammar. Do not "talk down" to any caller. In other words, be professional.
Do not rush a caller through a call.

What do you do when your caller is angry? Simple, find out what the problem is and handle it to his satisfaction. That answer sounds glib; it is not. It is the essence of good customer service.

First, listen to the complaint. Make sure you understand it, and tell the caller what you can do for him. If you can handle the problem, do so immediately. When you can not help with the specific issue, you should make him/her feel heard, understood and valued. Let him know that you care and show your empathy , all the while steering him to the appropriate person or agency. Remember, it is simple - not necessarily easy.

Watch Your Words! Watch what you say. Emotional trigger words and expressions can irritate your caller. To increase cooperation, use neutral language. Irritation words are "can't", "can't help you", "I don't", "you must", "you should", "you have to", "it's company policy". Consider these examples:

Emotional triggers Neutral alternatives

you must..> you should.. or you could try.. or might I suggest that you..

What do you want me to do? > Let's see what we can do..

It's company policy. > Normally, we have found that what works best is..

I can't do that. > Let me tell you what I can do for you..

I don't know. > Let's see what I can find out for you..

When you tell a caller you will handle a matter, do it. Once it is accomplished make sure that person knows what you did and how the issue is resolved. Follow through on your promises. This is crucial to building our business's credibility and reputation for reliability.

Listening Awareness Inventory

Allow the caller to finish what he/she is saying before you speak.

If the caller hesitates, encourage him/her.

Withhold judgment about the caller until he has finished.

Listen without judging the caller, even if he/she is rude.

Focus completely on the caller.

Question the caller to clarify the issues more fully.

Restate/rephrase what was said and ask if you got it right.

Allow the caller to complete his/her sentences.

Give the caller adequate time to explain himself/herself.

Ignore other work on your desk while taking a call (typing, etc..)

IMPORTANT LRIS INFORMATION

Promptness is extremely important.
Never give legal advice.
Never get personally involved (Do not give them your opinion).
Never say "recommend"; say "refer."
Put the caller on hold, take a deep breath, count to ten or ask someone, as needed.
Always be polite.
Use the "mute" button if you need to sneeze, cough, etc.

IMPORTANT PHONE INFORMATION

Be sure to answer the phone by or before the third ring.
Always use "Good morning" or "Good afternoon".
"Have you called our service before?"
"Can you hold please? I'll be with you in just a few moments."
Reassure people on hold when the phone rings you back. Let them know you're still there! Explain delays: "My computer is very slow at the moment. I'm terribly sorry."
Personal calls must be kept to a minimum.
The phones must be covered at all times. Make sure the supervisor or LRIS Director knows when you want to take a break! And DO take breaks.

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

For all cases:

"Where are you calling from?"
"How did you hear about our service?"
"Have you used our service before?"
"What is the situation?" or "What kind of legal problem do you have?"
"Are you calling for yourself or on behalf of someone else?"
"What would you like an attorney to do for you?"
"Have you seen an attorney yet?"
"Would you like to make an appointment with an attorney?"

~*~

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

HOW DOES YOUR SERVICE WORK?

"I can refer you to an attorney who can handle your kind of situation. The referral is made based on geographical area and area of specialization, on an impartial rotation basis. The first half-hour of consultation will cost no more than $35.00. You should discuss what the additional fees will be and how you will be billed at that first meeting. Call the attorney's office and say that you were referred by Attorney Search Network. Briefly explain your situation and see if the attorney will be able to set up an initial consultation. Would you like me to refer you to an attorney?"

"We'll give you the name of an attorney over the phone. We also mail you and the attorney a copy of this information, but you don't have to wait for that. Just call the attorney's office, say that we sent you, and make an appointment for a consultation. The attorney will give you the first half hour in the office or over the phone for no more than $35.00. After that you may discuss the fees for further services, if necessary, during the consultation."

$35.00 JUST TO CALL THEM?

"That fee will cover the initial consultation for up to half-hour only. It does not include the preparation of any legal documents, review of any papers, or any legal work. You may ask the attorney about the fee for other services during your consultation. Call and tell the attorney that you were referred by the our service. Tell them what kind of a problem you have and ask to arrange an initial consultation. This could be on the telephone or at the attorney's office. The attorney will charge you $35.00 for half an hour of his or her time and advise about your situation and your options.

WHAT ARE THE ATTORNEY'S QUALIFICATIONS? I WANT THE BEST ATTORNEY.

This attorney is a member of the California Bar Association in good standing. He/she is a member of our panel and has informed us of his or her areas of experience. Discuss your situation with the attorney-- decide if you feel confident of his or her ability to work for you. Remember, we do not "recommend," we "refer". You can call the regulatory agency-- the Board of Bar Overseers-- to verify that the attorney is a member of the bar in good standing. You can ask the attorney about his or her education and experience with cases similar to yours.

HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?

There is no charge to you from our service for making this referral. An initial half-hour consultation with the attorney will cost no more than $35.00. You should discuss future fees and billing with the attorney at that time. It's a good idea to get a written fee agreement with an attorney.

I CAN'T PAY FOR AN ATTORNEY.

"Any attorney I refer you to will charge a fee. But, some attorneys are available at a reduced legal fee (Modest Means)." or refer to ALS or other agency.

WHAT SHOULD I DO? / CAN THEY DO THAT?

I cannot advise you. You should discuss your situation with an attorney. An initial consultation will cost no more than $35.00 for half an hour. It's worth the investment."

WHY DO YOU TAKE MY NAME AND ADDRESS?

"I need to take down your name and address in order to make a referral. We need the information for only our internal records and for the attorney's records."

Unless the person is homeless, we should have an address in order to make a referral.

THAT LAWYER'S BUSY-- I NEED ONE NOW.

To be fair to the attorneys who are members of our panel, we have to allow 24 hours for an attorney to respond to your phone call. Call the attorney's office and leave a message. After 24 hours, please call us back and we will refer you to another attorney. Certain circumstances call for an attorney immediately. If you are unsure if you should go ahead with another referral, don't hesitate to ask the LRIS Director.

I WANT A LEFT-HANDED FEMALE SOUTHERN ITALIAN ATTORNEY.

We cannot discriminate on the basis of ethnic background. I will refer you to an attorney near where you live or work who has experience handling your kind of situation.

MY SPOUSE ABUSES ME. I WANT A WOMAN ATTORNEY FOR MY DIVORCE.

Our policy is to make gender-specific referrals in family law cases ONLY. Also, refer them to a pro bono organization for abused spouses.

MY FORMER EMPLOYER IS BUGGING MY APARTMENT / THE FILLINGS IN MY TEETH ARE RINGING.

Someone who sounds certifiable actually may have a legal problem. Ask simple, direct questions to find out if the caller really needs an attorney. Tell a very difficult caller that no attorney on our panel will be able to help them, but that they can find an attorney using the yellow pages. If any caller is too difficult to deal with, you can put them on hold and consult the supervisor or LRIS Director, or refer them to another LRIS in the state.