Five Ways VoIP Phone Systems Can Improve Communication in the Legal Industry
Traditional phone lines using copper wires are being retired at the end of 2025. This means that businesses across the UK will need to adopt a VoIP phone system as an alternative before that date if they want to avoid a loss of service.
For law firms, this change might seem daunting given how heavily they can rely upon their phone systems to communicate with clients and colleagues. Fortunately, VoIP technology (Voice over Internet Protocol) which uses your internet connection to make and receive calls as opposed to traditional phone lines, is not only a viable alternative but is a solution that brings with it many additional benefits many law firms are already taking advantage of.
This blog post looks at five benefits VoIP phone systems provide law firms. Alternatively, if you’d like to understand more about VoIP and what it is, you may wish to check out our Guide to VoIP.
Cost Savings
Mobility & Flexibility
Software Integrations
Improved Call Quality & Reliability
Advanced Features
VoIP Phone Systems from Acronyms
Cost Savings.
One of the biggest benefits of VoIP is the cost savings that it offers.
Given it operates over an existing internet connection, there is no need for separate infrastructure that incurs an additional cost. This means it is often cheaper than your existing phone lines.
VoIP is installed directly on your PCs or laptops, which makes it quick and easy to set up and configure, but it can also be used on a traditional telephone handset or via a mobile app.
It is typically supplied and billed on a per-user, per-month basis. Therefore, you can also scale it up or down according to demand, meaning you only pay for what you use This means law firms can save money on phone bills and reinvest that money into other business areas.
We often see businesses ditch their physical handsets in favour of headsets that can be used via the VoIP software on a computer, further saving thousands of pounds that can be saved or invested elsewhere.
Mobility and Flexibility.
VoIP phone systems are also more flexible than traditional phone systems.
As VoIP relies on the internet, it can be used on almost any device that can connect to a reliable internet connection. This might be in your office, but could also be a mobile phone using mobile data.
This means that your solicitors can install your VoIP solution on their phones and be contactable via the business phone number wherever they may be. Your home working staff can also take calls and communicate easily with clients or the office, granting your firm improved communication both internally and externally.
This flexibility is especially important as the expectation to allow remote working continues to grow in the legal sector.
Software Integrations.
A well-configured VoIP solution will integrate with your existing systems, such as your CRM and case management system.
This means that your solicitors can click to call your clients straight away from the CRM, whilst the software automatically logs the call and stores recordings for future reference.
These integrations may only save your team minutes at a time, but multiply this across your workforce over many months, and the time savings can be quite substantial. All of this time can of course be put to better use, focusing on your clients or making improvements to your business.
You should also be able to integrate your VoIP phone system with Microsoft 365 which will sync your availability status and allow you to make calls straight from your emails.
These types of integrations bring an additional level of functionality to your phone system, allowing law firms to communicate quicker and more effectively with clients, not just saving time and money, but improving client experience too.
Improved Call Quality and Reliability.
On a more functional level, another advantage of VoIP is the improved call quality and reliability.
Traditional phone systems can sometimes suffer from poor call quality and at times dropped calls which inevitably contribute to a negative customer experience. These incidents are often far beyond your control too.
With VoIP calls utilising your internet connection, you can influence how reliable your phone system, is by ensuring you have a good connection such as a leased line. As well as being inherently more reliable due to the underlying technology, VoIP phone systems can include additional layers of redundancy, further mitigating the risk of downtime.
For example, should a connection fail, a VoIP phone system can automatically route calls to an operational connection, ensuring your law firm is always contactable.
The improved call quality and reliability of VoIP phone systems should improve client communication, allow you to provide a better level of service and help your law firm avoid frustrating downtime.
Advanced Features.
In addition to the benefits highlighted above, VoIP phone systems offer legal companies greater functionality through advanced features, not easily available to traditional alternatives.
Features like call-forwarding, auto-attendant, voicemail-to-email, and call screening, all of which can help your firm handle calls more efficiently are all standard features of many VoIP phone systems and are available without additional charges or costs.
Additionally, VoIP telephony can offer video conferencing functionality allowing your team to collaborate on work from different locations, with multiple parties, wherever they may be.
For example, we’ve installed what we call a Microsoft Teams Room for legal client KBG Chambers that provides them with a dedicated space in which they conduct court proceedings with multiple parties, combining the use of audio and video technology to make meetings more effective.
You can read more about this in detail here.
VoIP Phone Systems from Acronyms.
Whilst the move away from traditional phone lines to VoIP technology may seem daunting for law firms, it offers a range of benefits that can help law firms communicate more efficiently and cost-effectively.
From cost savings and mobility to integrations with existing systems, VoIP offers a range of benefits that can help law firms stay competitive and stay ahead of the curve in terms of their communication capabilities.
To find out how we can assist your law firm with a VoIP phone system you can book a free, no-obligation consultation with one of the team here.
Alternatively, here are a number of resources you might find useful:
Our VoIP Phone Services
Acronyms’ Work in the Legal Industry