Web Worker Daily Answers
So, you’ve seen my inquiry “How Available Should Attorneys Be“. I’ve now stumbled upon an answer (perhaps the answer) at Web Worker Daily, which provides:
…there can come a point where you have too many points of contact.When you have…
…a cell phone, land line, Skype number, and backup VOIP line for people to talk to you
…and a number of email addresses where people can leave you more detailed messages
…and several IM clients
…plus Twitter
…augmented by online project and team management sites
…and various videoconferencing platforms…
suddenly you’ve transitioned from accessible coworker to frustrating obstacle course.
If your customers and colleagues are spending several hours downloading clients, setting up accounts on various systems, and otherwise initiating specialized ways of reaching you, your technology has become more of a problem than a solution.
So far as I can tell, this is fairly universal advice (perhaps aimed at folks like me; confession — in addition to my “Contact Dan” page, my Skype availability is on my private family blog); so “Thanks” to the folks at Web Worker Daily.
July 18th, 2007 at
Dan:
All these fancy gadgets are nice, but I agree with the idea of simplicity. I give my clients one phone number (the office) and one email address. Thats it.
Then I tell them that when I’m out of the office, I have my calls forwarded to my cell so they can still get in touch with me any time of day, wherever I may be, with that one phone number. I stress this does not mean I will answer every call because I may be meeting with another client or in court, but I will always call or email back within 24 hours and try to do so within 2 hours.
In my opinion it is a customer service issue. Our job as attorneys is to make the client’s life easier, not more complex, and this applies to communications just as it does legal issues.
Maybe its just me, but there is nothing that wastes my time like calling through someone’s list of 4 or 5 different contact numbers only to end up leaving a message in the end. Why not just do that the first time?
December 19th, 2008 at
Seldom I write comments but resource really cool