Ruby Receptionists Review: The Biggest Name in Call Centers

A good receptionist can be the cornerstone of any law firm’s practice.  They are the face of your firm; they are the first impression clients get when they walk into your office.  But your receptionist can only do so much, and he/she’s often torn between helping clients physically and helping them on the phone.  Physical clients should take priority, which is why you need a backup: a virtual receptionist to catch all the calls after a few rings.

From my research, Ruby Receptionists is the most widely used virtual receptionist/call center service.  While not exclusive to attorneys, the company markets heavily toward the legal profession; they integrate with Clio and Lexicata among other attorney products.  In this review, we’ll take a look at Ruby Receptionist’s major selling points, and why they seem to be on top of the answering service/virtual receptionist market.

Nice and Professional

Imagine the ideal law firm receptionist.  She (most law firms have female receptionists, and Ruby is nearly all women, including the founder and CEO) would be attentive, pleasant to deal with, and have incredible patience for upset clients.  Fortunately, Ruby prides itself in being exactly that, as all the companies and law firms who use Ruby continually rave about the pleasant and professional demeanor of the receptionists.

This niceness is worked into the company’s culture.  The employees have even have nice-off competitions.

Customized Scripts

You can forward your office’s number directly to Ruby Receptionist’s headquarters, or (if your phone system allows) it can transfer the call automatically after a few rings.  When clients call, the call center technicians at Ruby will answer using whatever scripts you provide for them.

Additionally, you can ask Ruby to make outgoing calls for you.  They can schedule appointments, confirm events with opposing counsel (depositions, etc.), or deliver information to your clients.

While most call centers allow for script customization, Ruby’s outgoing call services make the company act more like a virtual assistant than simply a call center.  And since you’re paying by the amount of time on calls (as opposed to paying for each call), every minute Ruby spends is a minute you’re saving from the mindless tasks taking up your day.  Your time (and your paralegals’ time) is too valuable to spend it on monotonous tasks that non-legal professionals can do for you.

You can also change your instructions to Ruby on a whim.  If you’re traveling out of town for a conference, you can send a quick message to the company for special instructions while you’re gone.

Ruby Receptionists can work in English or Spanish for the same price.

Availability

Ruby Receptionist are not a 24-hour call center; they are available from 8am – 9pm ET, and weekends from 9am – 9pm.  Most client calls happen within this time frame, but if you subscribe to a lead generator service like Avvo or  Martindale when a new potential client could call at any hour, Ruby’s limited schedule might concern you.  However, for your average firm that doesn’t want to be available 24/7, Ruby’s hours will do just fine.

Tracking Your Calls

Ruby’s online dashboard keeps track of how many minutes you’re using, which numbers have been transferred to the service, and how long each call was.  They will also store all of your voicemails as .wav files that you can listen to online (or on your phone).  They will also email you the audio files to your email.

Price and Discount

The Ruby quality comes with a three-tiered price system: you can get 100 minutes per month for $269 ($2.69 per minute), 200 minutes for $509 ($2.55 per minute), or 500 minutes per month for $1069 ($2.14 per minute).  This is a rather steep price, but they are the best quality receptionists out there.

For Small Firm Legal Marketing readers, Ruby Receptionists is offering $75 off of your first month if you sign up using this link.

If you’re on the fence, Ruby will give you a free 14-day trial to see how you like it.  After the trial period, there is a one-time set up fee of $95.  There are no long-term contracts, and you can cancel anytime with 30 days notice.

My Recommendation

Ruby is perfect for the small firm that can’t support a full-time receptionist and doesn’t need its attorneys to be bogged down with answering the calls.  With the best qualities of a virtual assistant and a receptionist, Ruby can accomplish your administrative tasks.  This gives the small firm attorney more time to focus on real legal work.

If you’re a high-volume firm, Ruby Receptionists will be prohibitively expensive.  The receptionists will spend too much time transferring the hundreds of phone calls you receive every day.  But if you’re a small firm with only a few client matters, Ruby is a good fit.

Have you tried Ruby Receptionists?  Is it worth the price?  Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section below.