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Using Answering Legal alongside your in-house staff is a smart way to ensure 24/7 coverage, improve intake efficiency, and give your team more bandwidth. Here's how to do it effectively:

1. Set Up Rollover Call Forwarding

Configure your phones so Answering Legal picks up only when:

• Your staff is on another call
• No one answers after a set number of rings
• It’s after-hours, weekends, or holidays

This way, your in-house team gets first shot at calls—but no lead ever goes to voicemail if they’re unavailable.

2. Define Clear Call Routing Rules

Decide together:

• Which calls should be routed to staff directly (e.g., existing clients, court updates)
• Which calls Answering Legal should handle (e.g., new leads, after-hours inquiries)
• When calls should be transferred live vs. messaged

You can customize protocols so Answering Legal works like a seamless extension of your front desk.

3. Share Your Intake Script and FAQs

Give both Answering Legal and your in-house team a shared, standardized intake form. This ensures consistency in how leads are qualified and logged. Include common client questions and approved responses to keep messaging aligned.

4. Use the App for Real-Time Coordination

Enable the Answering Legal mobile app or dashboard for your staff. They’ll get call summaries instantly, so they can:

• See which leads came in
• Review intake details
• Follow up quickly, even while away from the desk

5. Assign Message Routing by Role

Direct different call types to specific team members:

• Intake calls to your intake coordinator
• Urgent legal issues to attorneys
• Admin-related inquiries to your office manager

Answering Legal supports custom message routing to streamline this.

6. Schedule Staff + Service Handoff

If your office closes at 5 PM, set call forwarding to kick in at 5:01 PM. Do the same during lunch hours or when staff is in meetings. This keeps your coverage airtight without overlap or confusion.

7. Hold Monthly Review Meetings

Bring your in-house team and your Answering Legal success manager together monthly to:

• Review call quality and lead performance
• Update intake questions
• Refine call-handling rules