Why Your Copyright Law Firm Needs an Answering Service

Companies and individuals must act to protect their creations. In the world of intellectual property, that means copyrighting assets and then pursuing legal action when someone infringes on those rights. Copyright law firms are busier than ever today, which, while good for the bottom line, is bad for building a thriving business. 

It makes it more than a little difficult to communicate with potential clients and build relationships. A legal answering service can simplify things, allowing your team to focus on current cases and ensuring that every call and email is answered promptly and professionally.

The state of US copyright law today

Each year, more copyright infringement occurs than the previous year. While many of these instances are international, many happen right here in the US. According to the US States and Sentencing Commission:

• 80% of copyright cases occurring in 2021 (the most recent year for which statistics are available) were perpetrated by US citizens.

• New York courts saw the most copyright cases, followed by Washington DC, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, and Florida.

• Almost 30% of cases involved financial losses to the copyright holder of $1.5 million or more.

• The median amount for all losses was $229.302.

• 60% of offenders were sentenced to prison, and the average sentence was 10 months.

• Sentences were usually increased for “the manufacture, importation, or uploading of infringing items or for trafficking in circumvention devices,” as well as selling “counterfeit drugs”, and “the display, performance, publication, reproduction, or distribution of a work being prepared for commercial distribution”.

The challenge of running a successful copyright law firm

Copyright law is unique in many ways. One of those is that attorneys and members of the legal team are often called away from the office. Conducting interviews, reviewing materials, producing documents, and analyzing technical material often takes place at remote locations. 

It’s difficult to answer calls and reply to emails when you’re not in the office, and forwarding office calls to your cell phone is usually a bad idea. It can affect your attention and focus on the task at hand, leading to needless errors and problems. 

A legal answering service could be exactly what you need to ensure that you never miss these communications but can focus on serving client needs.

Streamlining copyright law firm operations with an answering service

Copyright lawyers must perform a daily balancing act. On the one side, they must serve their clients’ needs, whether that means reviewing materials sent electronically or traveling to another location for an in-person meeting. On the other, they must handle inbound communications to transform leads into clients. Without an ongoing stream of new leads, the attorney’s business will suffer. A legal answering service helps you balance these two often-opposed requirements.

Taming the unpredictable

Copyright lawyers would happily handle all their own phone calls, emails, and other lead-related communications. The challenge is that they’re so unpredictable. It’s impossible to do two things at once, and prudence says that focusing on delivering outstanding service to the client at hand is the best solution.

A legal answering service can help tame the unpredictable nature of lead-facing communications. With the right service, you can take advantage of 24/7 answering so that you never miss another phone call. What would your client intake process look like if you never had to return another voicemail and every call was answered when it came through? 

Building an accurate picture of lead challenges

Every potential client comes to you to solve a problem they’re experiencing. Building an accurate picture of what that problem is helps ensure that you can create an effective action plan. Whether someone’s using their logo without permission, is pawning off a copy of the latest novel as their own, or is mass-producing pirated copies of copyrighted works, your strategy must be tailored to the client’s needs, related laws, the nature of the infraction, and more.

A legal answering service helps you build the accurate picture required to deliver tailored services. Virtual receptionists do more than just take down a caller’s name and contact information. They can gather a wide range of information and then enter it into your CRM. That ensures you have a full picture of the lead’s needs already built before you even speak with them.

Eliminating spam and sales calls

According to Time magazine, around 33 million robocalls are made each day in the United States alone. A major percentage of those calls go to businesses, like your copyright law firm. Fielding spam and sales calls is a huge waste of time for your team.

The right answering service can block over 20 million known spammers and put a stop to those robocalls. For instance, Smith.ai uses technology to automatically block millions of spammers and our virtual receptionists ensure that any that haven’t been listed and get through are blocked and added to the list. The result? You get peace of mind and the assurance that every call that reaches a team member is a genuine lead ready to convert into a client.

Take the next step toward building a successful copyright law firm

A legal answering service can provide you with the buffer you need. With Smith.ai’s virtual receptionists, you can focus on protecting your clients’ rights while never missing a phone call or email. From lead screening and intake to warm phone transfers, call recording, call intelligence to appointment booking, we’re here to ensure your team can do what they do best.

To learn more, schedule a consultation or reach out to hello@smith.ai.

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