We Take Calls

[HEADLINE]

 

“The company we used were expensive and didn’t understand our needs”

 

We Take Calls Swooped In!

 

[SUB HEADLINE]

How We Take Calls became the perfect partner for Cole and Associates — saving time, improving service, and becoming part of their team.

 

Introduction

 

Cole and Associates, a respected Brighton-based law firm, needed a call management solution that could keep up with their busy office, without compromising client care. Here’s how We Take Calls stepped in to transform their call handling and more.

 

I would like to guide you through how our amazing team at We Take Calls solved their problems. And how we are continuing to change the way we work, to support them through their changes.

 

We’ll look at the problem, what we did, and the benefits Cole and Associates have experienced.

 

Meet Cole & Associates

 

A highly respected law firm with an excellent reputation. Cole and Associates provide legal assistance over 9 areas of law. Including litigation, property and conveyancing, Wills and probate, family law and much more.

 

The firm was established over 100 years ago and prides itself on the high level of repeat business from impressed clients. Their office in Brighton hosts 130 employees who look after their clients locally, nationally and internationally.

 

You only have to look at their testimonials to see how happy their clients are with their services. All 5 star, with nothing but great things to say.

 

The Problem…

 

Like many companies, Cole and Associates found that they needed help managing their incoming phone calls.

 

They have a receptionist who was certainly kept busy. Dealing with post, arranging conferences, copying, typing and other admin duties. As well as being responsible for answering the phone, taking messages and transferring calls.

 

Calls going unanswered and client’s needs not being met was a real risk. Help was needed!

 

They enlisted the help of a large call management company that operates nationally. While this did give some support, they felt that the company didn’t meet or understand their needs.

 

Client Services Manager, Laura, explains that the services of the company they were using was “limited and restrictive”.

 

Their service was limited to only answering the phone, and some of their systems were not as useful as they could be.

 

The company had over 250 call handlers and managed calls for large household names. For these large companies, they would allocate a dedicated team of call handlers. They couldn’t allocate a team to a smaller company like Cole and Associates. Calls would therefore be answered by any one of the 250 team. It was possible that calls would never be handled by the same person more than once.

 

This resulted in Cole and Associates' calls being taken by call handlers who didn’t know them as a company, didn’t know their procedures and never got to know their clients. They simply had a script to follow and struggled if an enquiry didn’t fit their script.

 

As a consequence, the call handling wasn’t very efficient and took longer than needed. Clients were kept on the phone for longer than necessary and there was a financial implication.

 

Because they were paying per minute for the call, the longer the call handler took, the higher the cost of that call to Cole and Associates. In order to keep calls shorter, they asked the company not to announce calls when transferring them.

 

But this caused new problems. When a member of staff’s phone rang, they didn’t speak to the call handler first to be told who was calling and why. They’d answer the phone and immediately be speaking to the caller. Putting the member of staff on the back foot and the caller having to repeat who they are and the reason for their call.

 

Overall, Laura says the company didn’t understand their needs and the service was working out expensive. An alternative was needed.

 

                         “Employing staff is so expensive,

                and wouldn’t have fully solved our problem”

 

They considered recruiting a 2nd receptionist. However, taking on another employee comes at a high cost. From recruitment and training to National Insurance and Pension contributions. Plus, should one of the receptionists be on holiday or off sick, they’d be back to square one. For financial and practical reasons, hiring another member of staff just didn’t make sense.

 

So, they started to look at alternative call management services. They met with some local and national companies, including We Take Calls.

 

          “After meeting We Take Calls, it was a no-brainer”

 

What We Did…

 

When we met with Laura, our priority was to listen to and fully understand their business. She explained their need for help and the shortfalls of the previous company. We were quickly able to address her concerns and provide solutions.

 

We have covered incoming calls for their main office number for over a year now. Acting as an ‘overflow’ for their reception. Calls to this number are mostly new business, so our caring and professional way of receiving calls is crucial for that first contact.

 

Our intimate team of 10 call handlers means everyone knows Cole and Associates as a company. We all understand the services they provide and how each call should be handled. There are no scripts here. Because we understand the business, we can use initiative and common sense when handling calls – just like their own receptionist would.

 

Over time, we’ve gotten to know their staff too, so working with them feels natural and personal.

 

Calls are now handled efficiently, reducing the call handling time and therefore reducing the cost of each call for Cole and Associates. So much so that they can now have us announcing the calls, just like they always wanted. A better service without extra cost!

 

This is great for their clients too. They are getting through to the right person quickly and seamlessly without having to repeat themselves. The customer experience is as good as if we were sat in Cole and Associates’ reception.

 

Existing clients often don’t have the direct dial number for the person handling their case, so they call the main number for help. We love this because it means we get to know their clients, and they get to know us. The next time they call, they feel valued that we remember them.

 

Our modern software allows us to store all of Cole and Associates’ contact numbers. When we need to transfer a call, the relevant number is already programmed in and just the touch of a button away. Again, keeping our call handling efficient and cost effective.

 

We’re not a ‘call centre’ for Cole and Associates, we’re an extension of their business. We treat their clients as if they were our clients.

 

Laura comments “We Take Calls feels like part of our team and our customers feel like they’re talking to our office. They have great listening skills and are focused”.

 

The firm has been really happy that as well as answering their calls, if we can’t get hold of the right person, we will take a detailed message and email them, asking them to contact the client directly. We never ask a client to call back later.

 

                    “They’re adaptable and keen to do more.

                 Accommodating our needs as they change”

 

As well as managing Cole and Associates’ calls, we are always willing to go the extra mile and expand our services to accommodate their needs.

 

They were getting a lot of calls from clients wanting to speak to their solicitor to confirm bank details to pay invoices. This was taking up the solicitor's valuable time and distracting them from their work. We agreed a solution whereby We Take Calls would have a record of relevant bank details. So, when one of these enquiries comes in, we can deal with it. The call never touches Cole and Associates.

 

Looking ahead, in 2026 the firm will be upgrading some of their systems. They would like us to populate forms for enquiries and quotes. We will of course be happy to help them with this. It will mean less admin for their staff. We will be able to take all the details and send it through, ready for them to contact their client and reducing duplication.

 

Key Takeaways…

 

• Smoother call transfers with shorter client wait times.

• Better first impressions for existing and new business enquiries.

• Flexible cost-effective support without hiring extra staff.

• Support with admin tasks, providing more than just call management.

• A streamlined, complete-package service.

• Saving Cole and Associates time and money and making their processes more effective.

 

 

Here’s what Cole and Associates had to say about working with us…

 

“They’re really personable and professional. You don’t feel like you’re dealing with a call centre because they work with us so well that they feel like part of our team. I’ve visited their office and everyone is so friendly.

 

Paying for calls per minute means it’s flexible for covering meetings and staff shortages.

 

Communication is faultless. We have monthly online meetings where they check in and make sure we’re happy. Then we meet face to face quarterly which is a really nice, personal touch!

 

If we need to update them with something, we can email the whole We Take Calls team. That’s really important to us because we know everyone has been informed.

 

If you’re looking for a call management company, plus more, I’d say meet with them and hear what they have to offer. I’m so glad we did.”

 

Contact Us Now

​

We’re ready and waiting to help more businesses like Cole and Associates. Contact us now to have a chat about what support you need and how we can help.

​

* Cole and Associates is a pseudonym. The law firm this case study is focused on were happy to take part in the process but requested to be anonymised.