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For Immediate Release: October 16, 2005

Lawyers Again Lag Behind Their Industry Clients

Ed Poll, The Practical Guide to Profit™ for lawyers, has observed over 15 years of consulting with law firms, that many lawyers are so enamored with technology as a way to contain costs that they forget to consider their use of technology's impact on their clients.

In a recent study cited in the October 2005 issue of Inc. Magazine, 14 out of 15 voice mail systems "flunked," causing customers to be dissatisfied with their experience.

Poll noted that many small law firm and sole practitioners are using voice mail to save or cut costs. "They forget," Poll said, "that unhappy customers and prospects rarely complain. They just turn away and go to another lawyer."

Rather than follow the pattern experienced in industry, as reflected in the cited study, Poll suggests that the better way is to provide an initial response by a human being, giving the caller an option – either transferring into voice mail with the opportunity of an unlimited message or leaving their name and call back number with the operator. Poll continued, "This option approach empowers the caller, your client or prospect, and leaves them more satisfied dealing with this lawyer which then results in more revenue for the lawyer."

Poll added that "This approach follows the teaching of the telephone company after they unleashed voice mail technology onto the public and learned of the public's discontent. The telephone company began to teach us to ‘Reach out and touch someone.'"

Use of technology may be used as a cost savings device (bottom line) but cannot be implemented at the expense of the client/customer experience and its consequent negative impact on revenue (top line).

LawBiz® Management Co. consults with and coaches lawyers and law firms throughout the United States, Mexico and England.