Transforming Communication: The Impact of Virtual Phone Numbers in Law Firm

A VoIP solution transforms client interactions, business communication systems, and customer support engagement, improves agent productivity, and streamlines workflows, ultimately enhancing law firm performance and productivity.

Legal businesses use VoIP technology to improve their communication systems with softphone features for external or internal purposes. It is more cost-effective and makes it easier to interact with clients efficiently, handling workflow and increasing efficiency.

Integrating VoIP technology into legal business operations will streamline communication, reduce costs, and improve the contact center experience, ultimately upgrading law firms’ overall communication system.

Let’s explore the impact of virtual phone numbers in law firms and how they benefit the legal industry or businesses. Find out what they are.

What is a Virtual phone number?

A virtual phone number (VoIP) is an online phone number that operates as a cloud communication system without needing a physical landline, SIM card, or traditional connection with physical locations or phone devices. 

In simple words, Virtual phone numbers let you use your internet connection to make and receive calls instead of using a traditional phone line. This facilitates virtual phone users with various call features, such as international calls, global calling, call forwarding, and call queuing.

VoIP technology allows anyone to start a conversation with anyone at any time and anywhere on the globe through any internet-connected or supporting device.

Several virtual service providers offer virtual phone numbers for multiple countries, allowing customers to establish virtual businesses and brand presences remotely.

Virtual phone number vs. Traditional phone number 

Virtual phone number	Traditional phone number
Operates over the internet	Requires physical landline and hardware
Cost-effective	High cost
Offers a wide range of features, including call recording, call forwarding, IVR, call routing, and more.	Basic calling features: Inbound and outbound calling
Facilitates global calling and reach	Limited international calling and reach
It can be used anywhere with internet access	Tied to one physical location
Quick and easy setup process, often done online	Longer setup time due to physical installations

Benefits of a VoIP phone system for law firm or legal operation

Implementing virtual phone numbers in legal business is an effective way to maintain seamless communication. It can help law firms connect with their audience, lawyers, employees, and clients remotely and engage with your clients seamlessly via virtual phone numbers. 

Today, most businesses are upgrading to virtual numbers from traditional phone lines because of their advanced features, which enhance business communication systems.

• Increased accessibility: Having virtual numbers for law firm businesses and services can make it easier for customers to reach your company without worrying about long-distance charges and locations.

• Cost saving and scalability: Unlike traditional telephone systems, virtual numbers are more cost-effective and eliminate the need for a physical office or phone line at a branch location, ultimately reducing branch costs. Virtual phone numbers can easily be added or removed as firm requirements.

• Improve operational efficiency: VoIP phone numbers offer numerous features, such as call routing and distribution, call tracking and analytics, and more. They allow you to track call volume and source to understand clients, identify peak call times, measure agent performance, and route customers’ calls quickly to qualified agents or departments for quick resolution.

• Flexibility: Virtual phone numbers are known for their flexibility, enabling you to expand your reach regardless of physical location or without needing to establish a physical office outside an international country or other geographical region. It can also easily forward calls to the other voip extension or lawyer number and connect clients to desired law agents or virtual receptionists with a single primary number.

A virtual phone number enables your business, sales agent, and customer service representative to connect with global audiences using any internet connection-capable device, such as computers, smartphones, PCs, and others. This makes it easier to handle customer and business communication efficiently.

Who can benefit from Cloud Telephony in law firms?

Cloud telephony or VoIP(Voice over Internet Protocol) systems offer a wide range of features that can enhance any business communication system, including legal business, as they have to deal with clients almost every time for support and legal guidance. 

Overall, law firms can benefit from the use of the cloud telephony system. Including:

Lawyers and legal staff: Lawyers and staff can integrate with emails, case management systems, and other collaboration tools to streamline communication, saving time and improving the efficiency of the workflow with unified communication. Also, legal staff and lawyers can have the flexibility of making and receiving calls from anywhere in the world with the help of an internet connection, which can benefit those who work remotely or need to travel frequently.

Clients or customers: Cloud communication can facilitate law firms’ omnichannel presence and unified communication system, helping clients and customers easily connect with the firm for legal support through different channels, such as chatbots, websites, IVR interactive voice response, social media, phone, emails, and more with prompt response.

Firm management: Modern cloud telephony can reduce costs associated with traditional phone lines and hardware compared to conventional phone systems. Voip communication offers pay-as-you-go models that minimize long-distance charges and significantly save long-distance communication costs compared to traditional phone lines.

Solo, small, and large law firms: Businesses of all sizes can embrace this communication system model, which offers a wide range of cloud communication features that can be customized according to business needs. It is much more cost-effective than traditional landline phones, as the associated hardware and maintenance costs can be eliminated easily.

Find the best VoIP service provider for your Law Business

There are numerous VoIP phone number providers available on the market. You can choose the most suitable for your law firm, depending on your business needs. Here are the top 6 virtual numbers providers offering a wide range of features and their initial pricing:

Providers	Pricing	Features	Customer support	Supported platforms
Dialaxy	Starts at $20 /month	100+ innovative features, call routing, text-to-speech, call recording, call queuing, call filters, integration, SMS, and more.	24/7 customer support (chatbot, call support, expert consultation, online ticket, email support)	iOS, web-based, desktop, android
CloudTalk	Starts at $25 /month	AI – Automation Tools, Global coverage, Omnichannel support, Call Monitoring, Call Analytics, and more.	24/7 customer support (chatbot, call support, online ticket)	Web-based, iOS, Android, Desktop
AVOXI	Starts at $19.99 /month	Auto attendant, call recording, voicemail transcription, and others.	24/7 customer support (chatbot, call support, online ticket)	Web-based, iOS, Android, Desktop
Callhippo	Start at $16 /month	Multi-level IVR, call forwarding, call monitoring, power dialer, and more.	24/7 customer support (chatbot, call support, expert consultation)	Android, iOS, web-based, desktop
8X8	Starts at $15 user/month	Call recording, call analytics, auto-attendant, voicemail, call transfer, call forwarding, etc.	24/7 customer support (chatbot, call support, online ticket)	Web-based, iOS, Android, Desktop
RingCentral	Start at $20 /month	IVR, automatic call recording, SMS, voicemail-to-email, call forwarding, extension, unified inbox, and more.	24/7 customer support (chatbot, call support, expert consultation)	Web-based, iOS, Android, Desktop

Give a free trial a chance and figure out the best or most practical-suited law firm virtual number provider. Remember, besides the above list, there are many virtual phone number service providers; you can research and find the most suitable provider.

FAQs

What are the cons of using virtual numbers for law firms?

Some of the cons of using virtual phone numbers in the law business are:

• Dependences on the Internet: Virtual numbers operate through the Internet, so call quality and services solely rely on the Internet service. Make sure to have a reliable and good internet service provider.

• Client perception: Since most of the law sector has traditional phone lines for the service, having virtual numbers for the law firms can be outside the client’s view. They can feel less established and conventional than the traditional phone number or legal software. 

However, an effective communication system and custom voicemail greetings can facilitate positively both parties.

What are the VoIP features that can be useful for the law sector?

For law firms, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology provides several benefits:

• Call Forwarding and Routing: Route or forward calls to specific lawyers based on phone line extension, practice area, availability, or urgency, ensuring clients connect with the most qualified person promptly.

• Call Recording: Record consultations or enhancing client calls with consent for training purposes, reference, or dispute resolution.

• Voicemail to Text: Transcribe voicemails into text for quicker review and improved accessibility, especially when on the go.

• Voicemail greeting: Provide the custom predefined greeting audio message to the customer or some law firm-related information for customer benefit.

What are the top 4 Impact of Virtual Phone Numbers in Law Firms?

Virtual phone numbers offer law firms numerous advantages:

• Geographic Flexibility: Law firms can establish local phone numbers in different regions, enabling them to reach and serve clients across various jurisdictions without physical presence.

• Enhanced Professionalism: Virtual phone numbers allow law firms to maintain a professional image by providing a dedicated business line, regardless of the physical location.

• Scalability and Mobility: Virtual phone numbers support the scalability needs of law firms, enabling easy expansion or downsizing of phone lines as per business requirements. Additionally, they facilitate mobile communication, allowing lawyers to stay connected while on the go.

• Improved Client Communication: With features like call forwarding, auto-attendants, and voicemail transcription, virtual phone numbers ensure seamless client communication, leading to better client satisfaction and retention.

How Much Does it Cost to Buy a Virtual Number from Dialaxy?

Dialaxy provides affordable pricing and plans for your business communication solution. Here is the pricing plan for the Virtual number:

Basic	Plus	Pro (Popular)	Enterprise
$20 /month ($5 per additional user)	$40 /month ($5 per additional user)	$60 /month ($5 per additional user)	Contact for pricing (For bulk usage)
7-day free trial	7-day free trial	7-day free trial	Contact sales
1 number	2  numbers	3 numbers	Unlimited numbers
1 user	3 users	5 users	Unlimited users

How can the legal sector benefit from using Cloud communication technology?

Cloud communication technology offers numerous advantages for the legal sector. Some of them are listed below:

• Increased Mobility and Flexibility
• Enhanced Scalability
• Cost Savings
• Improved Client Service
• Disaster Recovery