Moneypenny, the UK’s leading provider of live chat services to the legal sector, is alerting firms to a spike in activity in the week following Christmas.
The outsourced communications expert saw a 1,124% increase in live chat messages handled on behalf of its legal clients in the week after Christmas in 2018, compared to the preceeding week. Statistics suggest that consumers won’t wait until solicitors return to work in January to discuss legal matters, which demonstrates the need for firms to act now to avoid a potential loss of business over the festive period.
Ella Nelson, business development manager at Moneypenny, said: “Traditionally, we see a spike in calls the in first week of January, particularly the first working day back. Nowadays though, more and more people are contacting law firms using live chat – including many messages on Christmas Day.
“Spending time in close quarters with family over the festive break can put life into perspective for people and in today’s 24/7/365 society, many can’t wait until the new year to call a solicitor and instead opt for a immediate way to discuss proceedings. I’d urge any firm that doesn’t currently have a live chat service to consider the possible loss of revenue and frustration it could cause among potential clients.”
Moneypenny recently created a dedicated legal live chat team to handle growing demand for in the sector. Over the last 12 months, the provider has experienced a 115% increase in the number of UK law firms investing in live chat – an increase that comes as firms see the benefit of handling customer enquiries in real-time and using their websites to generate and convert leads.
Ella continued: “The festive period is a time to be enjoyed, both in and out of work, but it’s vital that law firms don’t let this cost them. Client demand is changing and firms must be available outside of office hours and every day of the week – including over Christmas.
“By investing in technology such as call answering and live chat, firms can rest assured that every lead will be captured while they’re getting into the Christmas spirit. What’s more, they’re protecting brand reputation and getting a headstart on building a healthy pipeline for 2020.”
Established in 2000, Moneypenny is the world’s market leader for telephone answering, live chat, outsourced switchboard and customer contact solutions. In total, over 13,000 businesses across the UK benefit from Moneypenny’s mix of extraordinary people and ground-breaking technology.
For more information about Moneypenny’s work within the property sector, visit https://www.moneypenny.com/uk/legal-answering-services/