Telephone skills – Focus on the caller’s needs

April 18, 2025|Accountants, Kim's Blog, Lawyers, Marketing, Relationship Management, Selling|

Lawyers and tax advisers attended the recent MBL workshop on “Pick up the Phone – Client service and sales opportunities for professionals”. This article forms part of the learning resources for the session. Future workshops are listed at Kim Tasso – MBL Seminars. Telephone skills – Focus on the caller’s needs.

Changing client attitudes towards telephone communication?

Research provides conflicting views of client attitudes. This makes it harder to understand how client preferences on communication are changing. For example, in 2019 a case generation company found that 83% of current and future consumers prefer to deal with law firms online believing it is the best way of keeping costs down. 55% of those surveyed wanted face-to-face contact with lawyers and just 29% wanted to communicate over the telephone.

A March 2020 article in AccountingWeb reported “The data shows that even in an online world, we still seek the reassurance of human interaction. Trust is critical in this sector and the phone is one of the easiest ways for customers to seek answers, clarify information and build rapport”.

In September 2023, mystery shopper research reported that as many as one in five people phoning law firms never receive a call back.

A December 2024 Legal Trends Report revealed that while 45% of clients still prefer traditional phone communication, digital options are gaining popularity, with 43% preferring website communication and 42% open to chatbots.

Fee-earner attitudes to telephone communication: Anxiety

A 2019 research study of office workers found that 62% of office-based employees have reasons for experiencing call-related anxiety. These included: 33% concerns about not knowing how to deal with a query, 15% fears of freezing and 9% fearing the other person would think negatively of them. The same research reported that 76% millennials experience anxiety-induced thoughts when they hear the phone ring, compared to their baby boomer colleagues (40%). So there is a generational issue.

Lawyers, accountants and tax advisers – especially those at the start of their careers – often report some phone fear. These fears often revolve around being asked a question that they don’t know how to answer and can, in extreme situations, lead to the adviser “freezing”.

An article in The Lawyer in August 2023 quoted one partner: “A big problem we have with our current trainees and NQs [newly qualified] is getting them to pick up the phone. They don’t have the confidence to hold a conversation and I think that comes from hybrid-working and not overhearing how senior colleagues speak to their clients on the phone”.

While it focuses on digital communication (as opposed to telephone communication), Book review: Digital Body Language – How to build trust by Erica Dhawan offers some interesting insights into how generation, gender and cultural differences impact work place communication.

Focus on how the caller might be feeling

Training and experience will help young professionals feel more confident about managing telephone calls. But it also helps if they focus on what the caller is feeling – rather than their own feelings.

The Spotlight effect – Wikipedia means people tend to believe they are being noticed more than they really are. This increases the anxiety of the person taking the call. So switch your focus to what appears to be going on with the caller. Being client-focussed is increasingly reported amongst professional services firm aims.

Callers (both consumers and businesspeople) may feel vulnerable and perhaps intimidated calling a legal, accountancy or tax professional. They may not know what to expect from a call. They may worry that they will be unable to answer questions. So they may be more concerned with what they are saying than what they hear from the person answering the call!

They may also be experiencing a range of emotions such as anxiety, stress, embarrassment, fear or even sadness. Naturally this will depend on the reason they are calling. They may be overwhelmed. And their emotions may make it difficult for them to communicate effectively.

The caller needs information, help and reassurance. They need to connect with the person answering the call. And perhaps support in choosing the right professional adviser.

Consider the aims of a telephone call

As a fee-earner, a telephone enquiry offers a unique opportunity to engage with a person, learn about their needs, develop empathy and rapport, convey the benefits of working with their firm and, ultimately, to win a client.

Fee-earners need to adopt a positive mind set about taking calls – to consider the possibility of helping a caller/client rather than failing to answer their questions. And the potential for a good outcome rather than a bad one.

Firms need to provide the relevant data, policies, systems, guidelines and training so that fee-earners know what is expected of them and they don’t feel pressurised to complete calls in unrealistic time frames. Some firms provide conflicting advice to their fee-earners – e.g. invest in developing strong relationships with callers but minimise the time spent on calls!

Delegates understood that their aims for telephone calls were varied and included: Engaging, listening, reassuring, screening, managing expectations, conveying the firm’s brand, explaining processes and securing commitment from the right sorts of clients.

Display good telephone behaviour

We explored the wide range of good behaviours that were required during telephone calls. For example:

Maintain a calm, professional and reassuring manner
Pay attention
Speak at the right pitch and pace
Express empathy, energy and enthusiasm
Listen attentively
Demonstrate interest in and respect for the caller
Ask relevant questions
Assess caller’s needs
Provide clear and concise answers
Screen or qualify the caller
Manage expectations
Obtain the required information
Use stories to promote understanding
Convey the firm’s brand and values
Admit if you don’t know the answer (and offer to check and call back)
Explain processes
Agree the next steps
Confirm the caller’s needs are met
Thank the client for calling

We talked about particularly challenging behaviours. For example, when callers take a lot of time describing a lot of details, exhibit overwhelming emotions or become impatient or rude. And we discussed appropriate ways to manage these situations, focus the caller’s attention and limit the time spent talking.

Changing client attitudes towards telephone communication?