Law Firm Phone Systems 101
Law firms have unique needs when it comes to phones, and are still one of the most phone dependent industries. Our goal is to demystify the process when evaluating and selecting a new phone system. We are going to focus entirely on cloud based systems, since the days of being able to buy a system up front and have it in your office are almost over.
KEY STEPS IN EVALUATING A NEW SYSTEM
Map out your current call flow using a whiteboard or (free) virtual diagramming software.
What is driving the replacement of the current system? Law firms typically do not utilize cutting edge features, so a new system may not be as transformational as sales makes it seem.
Negotiate hard, using other quotes if needed. Phones are a very competitive industry, and it is likely that the first price you get will not be the best. (Microsoft is the exception here, unless you have 300+ phones.)
Have a pilot program for a few users to test. Sometimes you may need to sign an agreement for this to happen, make sure it has an out if the pilot goes poorly.
Schedule your “porting” (i.e. transferring your phone numbers) to the new system. Give yourself at least 30 days overlap in case of issues. Porting is a paperwork heavy process and can sometimes take multiple tries to get right. You do not want to lose any phone numbers because you cancelled service too early.
“Once CGP setup the system on the back end, all that users had to do was to sign into the phones with their 365 credentials, and then the phone was active with their existing line. This was a game changer for onboarding and makes hot desking/hoteling options much more realistic for future growth. Bottom line: we’ve transitioned phone providers before and the process was a 1/10; this latest transition was a 10/10.”
Who to buy a new phone system from
There are many different models of selling phones systems that you will run into, and it is important to know them all. One key to keep in mind is that everyone involved is getting paid. That means that if you are not having to pay a third party for finding you service or implementation, then the phone provider is. There is no such thing as free service when it comes to phones.
A broker has access to many different providers, and is there to assist you with sales and selection. Brokers rarely provide any on-going support except to submit support requests on your behalf. A good broker will be able to get some discounts, but they are typically fixed. Most brokers have a handful of providers they commonly work with, so they’ll have familiarity with their processes, pricing, etc. The biggest pro of a broker is the wide amount of options they can get. The con is that they are primarily sales, and their number one goal is to get deals signed.
You can buy from most phone providers directly. The biggest disadvantage of this for most people is that it is you versus the sales person. You may not know what questions to ask, and your unfamiliarity with their system means you may miss important questions. However a good negotiator will get the best pricing this way, since there are no middlemen to pay, and the provider is looking at keeping you as a customer forever - if they can get you in the door.
A reseller or partner is authorized by the phone provider to represent them at a higher level versus just brokering. Often the partner will have an obligation on keeping a certain level of certification, providing front line support to customers, or having certain sales quotas. A good partner will provide the best support you can get, especially during deployment/migration. The downside of going through a partner is that you may be locked to them for support/renewals, even if the relationship goes poorly.
What is Clear Guidance? Here are CGP we are a broker service, which we use for some edge cases such as faxing. Primarily we are a reseller/partner for Teams and RingCentral, which the majority of our law firm clients are using.
What should i consider when evaluating systems?
First off, you need to evaluate your current call flow, and any options you’d like to add. We typically see the following as the most important features for a firm:
Legal assistant / secretary answer for attorneys
Live answer front desk and forwarding
Ability to park calls
Remote / mobile calling (i.e. ability to answer and make calls on a cell phone using your company number)
Stable and simple softphone (i.e. using the computer as your phone)
If your firm uses complex call flows (such as having a number ring to 3+ groups, especially simultaneously), that will eliminate several options for you. Every phone system evaluation should start with the features you absolutely need to make sure it can handle those correctly. Attorneys and staff will hate any system that cannot handle the basics, especially when it comes to softphones. Many vendors have subpar softphones, or ones that are feature limited (for example, one prominent phone provider’s softphone does not ring for any group extensions, only direct dial.)
When looking at contracts, stick to one or two years. Technology changes too quickly to sign a three year contract for anything, no matter how good the prices are. The cost of phones continues to go down the last several years, you will likely see a savings by renewing annually vs signing a three year contract.
What phone solutions does CGP recommend for law firms?
CGP has traditionally been a major RingCentral partner, specializing in stabilizing poorly implemented systems and migrating law firms to RC. However, as Microsoft Teams’ Voice has matured, CGP is deploying it for many firms. Teams has many limitations that make it a bad fit for other industries, but the legal industry’s emphasis on live answering usually means it is a great fit. With the proper project management, a Teams Voice deployment is the smoothest IT project you will go through. Finally, it helps that Teams is usually one of the cheapest options, and you can do zero obligation pilots with it - your firm will know how well it works before you commit to a full migration.
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