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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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