Answering the phone

 Here's a thing I do that clients seem to like: I answer the phone.

I answer the phone. I take calls. And I listen to the client. I answer their questions, even though a lot of time my answer isn't exactly what the client wanted to hear. And clients love it.

I do this primarily out of basic human decency. Don't you hate it when you can't get a responsive human being on the phone to answer your questions? I was recently trying to make contact with the supervisor at a jail, and it took me two weeks to get them to respond to me. My client is locked up; I'm trying to get a hold of him/her; and the responsible person at the jail took two weeks to respond to me (ok, that person did send me a bunch of emails that were completely unhelpful). Sounds almost like a civil rights law suit...but I digress.

People who call me constantly are thanking me for just answering the phone and talking to them. They are literally grateful that someone answered the phone.

This would seem crazy if it weren't for the fact that we all know how hard it can be to get someone who can answer your question to take your call.

But that's what I do. I answer calls and talk to people, and they really appreciate it.

Sure, sometimes I end up on an overly-long call, and that may not be the most efficient use of time for my business. But, in addition to running a business, I also like making a positive impact on people through my law practice.

And so I answer the phone. It's really not that hard.