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What Is Overflow Call Handling at Answering Legal?

What Is Overflow Call Handling at Answering Legal?

Published: 07.17.25

Overflow call handling means Answering Legal answers calls only when your in-house team can’t—providing a seamless backup that ensures no call goes unanswered. It’s ideal for law firms with a receptionist or staff who sometimes miss calls due to volume, breaks, or off-hours.

How It Works

  • You set your phone system or carrier to roll over unanswered calls to Answering Legal after a specific number of rings (typically 3–5).
  • If your staff answers in time, we never receive the call.
  • If no one answers, the call is automatically forwarded to us and answered live by a trained legal intake receptionist.

Why Use Overflow Forwarding?

  • Support your in-house receptionist without hiring extra staff.
  • Capture every lead during peak hours or staff absences.
  • Avoid voicemail—which most new clients skip.
  • Deliver a consistent experience, even when your team is busy.

Set-Up Options

  • Most mobile carriers and VoIP systems (e.g., RingCentral, Nextiva) support ring delay-based forwarding.
  • You choose the number of rings before rollover occurs.
  • Our team can assist you or your IT provider with setup.

Best Practices

  • Set voicemail to trigger after rollover forwarding, not before.
  • Inform your staff when overflow is active.
  • Combine with 24/7 answering for full coverage outside business hours.

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