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Law Firms’ Live Chat use is on the up – here’s why

More firms are picking-up live chat on their websites, and reaping the benefits. Here we explore why.

A website needs live chat like a shop needs an assistant.

It just does.

Without it, visitors will browse – aimlessly, depending on the ‘shop’ layout – and if they can’t find what they want, they’ll leave. Without ever having made an enquiry.

No good shopkeeper would ever let a customer walk out without acknowledging their presence.

Their manners wouldn’t allow it. At the very least they’ll ask ‘how can I help?’.

Those same standards should apply to law firms’ websites.

The data backs this up in greatly increasing numbers too.

In 2020, 30% of people now expect a website to have a live chat facility.

This is only going to increase in the upcoming months and years.

Law firms are realising this in their droves and many are getting ahead of the curve by adding – what is essentially – a reception desk to their websites.

Moneypenny’s Legal Live Chat team saw a 40% increase in chat volume from January 2020 to 2021.

Please note – here, we’re referring to managed live chat with a human agent, not an automated bot.

So, the demand is there. But why is live chat so popular with people?

We can distil this down into three broad reasons:

Accessibility. Privacy. Availability.

Accessibility

Less intimidating than a phone call. Friendlier than an email or web form.

Because a conversation happens in real-time, the user’s customer experience is actually tangible.

It’s an instant and convenient way to answer a person’s questions and take their details.

It also offers a means of communication for those with disabilities such as the hard of hearing.

Privacy

You’d be surprised at the level of detail people share over live chat.

It’s a quieter and much more private means for a person to communicate with a law firm, and for that reason, gives people confidence to take their first step in seeking legal help.

If someone is seeking advice on a sensitive matter, and cannot find a place to make a call alone, live chat gives them the option of a typed conversation.

People really do make enquiries of a sensitive nature over a live chat conversation; divorce, probate, and other family matters feature highly.

Availability

46% of chats to our law firm clients happen during evenings or at weekends.

We call these the ‘sofa and search’ hours when people sit down in the evening and get their personal administrative jobs done.

Of course, a law firm’s office is usually closed at this time, but legal needs don’t stop when solicitors do.

Live chat gives people the option to discuss their needs with a real person 24 hours a day if necessary.

And people do take advantage of this, Moneypenny’s Legal Live Chat team is busy around the clock.

It also means people can talk for a longer period of time compared with a phone call which must be wrapped up relatively quickly.

A person can continue a chat whilst they are working, for instance.

Gareth Horner, Managing Partner at Parker Bullen Solicitors:

Live Chat has been a massive success for our firm. We’re converting more clients from our website than ever before and we only need to win one new client a month in order to pay for the cost of the service!

 

If you’re interested in Live Chat for your firm’s website, you’re welcome to take a FREE trial. Just contact one of our team on 0333 202 1005. 

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