Why Your Immigration Law Firm Needs an Answering Service

Immigration is a controversial topic for many today. However, it has historically been and will remain in the future a prime driver of US population growth. We are a nation of immigrants and the appeal of the American dream coupled with rising instability around the world encourages people from all walks of life to venture to our shores.

Unfortunately, immigration is not easy. Immigration law is second only to tax law in terms of its complexity. Most immigrants, whether coming to take advantage of employment opportunities or seeking asylum, will need legal guidance throughout the process if they are ever to legally enter the country. That’s where immigration law firms enter the picture.

Immigration law firms can work with all types of migrants, including those seeking short-term stays for education and employment, and those seeking to begin new lives as American citizens. 

The state of immigration today

In 2022, the most recent year for which statistics are available, the US immigration situation looked like this, according to the Migration Policy Institute:

• Almost 46.2 million immigrants lived in the US.

• Immigrants comprised 13.9% of the US population, down from the 1890 high of 14.8%, but up from 2019’s low of 13.7%.

• The population of foreign-born individuals in the US grew by 2% between 2021 and 2022.

• 10.7 million US residents were born in Mexico, which is the largest percentage of immigrants in the country by far.

• India and China take the number two and three spots.

• Other countries from which a significant number of immigrants arrive include:some text
  • Philippines
  • Vietnam
  • Cuba
  • El Salvador
  • Korea
  • Guatemala
• The shift toward Latin America and Asia is a marked difference from the 80s, 90s, and early 00s when Europe was the primary source of immigrants.

The challenges facing today’s immigration law firms

The flow of immigration and asylum seekers continues to accelerate. This includes individuals from Mexico and Latin American countries, as well as those from Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. 

Migrants come for many reasons – some are sponsored by employers, others by educational facilities. Some come to reinvent their lives far away from oppressive government regimes. An immigration law firm must be able to work with these individuals and guide them through one of the most challenging experiences any human being could face. 

That imperative presents a broad range of challenges that immigration law firms must overcome. A legal answering service can be invaluable in helping your firm succeed. 

The need for bilingual answering

Immigration law firms must regularly answer calls from individuals who speak little or no English. Bilingual answering services ensure that these callers feel respected and seen. Given that the vast majority of immigration seekers speak Spanish, Spanish-speaking virtual receptionists can smooth the process, improve accuracy, ensure that all parties are on the same page, and more. 

Why does this matter? A surprising number of immigration law firms put very little thought into their answering system (or lack thereof). When your phone calls and emails are answered only by English speakers with little or no knowledge of Spanish, it can lead to quite a few problems, including:

• A lack of understanding of the process involved

• Missed appointments

• Missed payments

• Miscommunication about the documents required for various purposes

• Wasted time and effort

• Dissatisfied clients

• Damage to your law firm’s brand

With 24/7 bilingual answering, your firm avoids these problems, which is good news for your team, as well as for clients. When both team members and clients are on a level playing field and everyone understands what’s required, when it’s required, and how the process works, your office efficiency climbs, productivity increases, client satisfaction skyrockets, and profitability increases.

Virtual receptionists can do more than just answer the phone, however. The right legal answering service can offer 24/7 bilingual answering, as well as Spanish call-backs to web leads, Spanish-language appointment setting, and more. Even real-time translation for live chat and SMS text messaging is available. 

Making more informed decisions

Immigration law firms represent a wide range of client needs, from securing work visas to advocating for citizenship, and everything in between. Because of that broad caseload, your team members need to have access to accurate information about each client from the very beginning of the relationship. A legal answering service ensures that this is the case.

From the very first touchpoint, whether that’s a phone call, web form, email, or text message, experienced virtual receptionists begin collecting critical information. Call intelligence and metadata are added directly to your CRM, creating a robust picture of each client’s needs, situation, position in the immigration process, and more. 

That data is available to your team members, ensuring that they can build the strongest case possible, offer accurate guidance, and help each client navigate the incredibly complicated laws and guidelines relevant to immigration. With better-informed decisions come better case outcomes, fewer unexpected issues, smoother processes, and happier clients. It also means that your team can spend less time on each case without sacrificing client service, allowing them to handle more clients within a shorter time.

Empower your immigration law firm

Immigration law is incredibly complex and the demand for experienced attorneys and legal teams is only going to grow. It’s time to empower your immigration law firm by partnering with an experienced legal answering service.

At Smith.ai, we employ professionally trained, bilingual virtual receptionists. Our experts can offer 24/7 call answering, appointment booking, call intelligence and metadata capture, call recording and transcription, Spanish call backs, and other crucial services that help you deliver better client outcomes.

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

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