For many people, the contact page is the first real step toward hiring a firm. It is also one of the few pages where a small change can lose or keep an inquiry.
This article is about what the page needs to do. It promises no result, and it uses one published figure about what people expect.
The problem
A contact page often fails in quiet ways. The form asks for too much, the phone number cannot be tapped on a phone, or nobody can tell what happens after the message is sent.
The person rarely complains. A person who is unsure may simply try another firm.
What is known
One published survey asked consumers what they expect. It reflects what people said, not what they did, and it is older than other studies we cite. It points in the same direction as the response-time studies: people expect an answer soon.
We found no study that measures which changes to a contact page bring in more clients, so we give no figure for that.
Clio, Legal Trends Report, 2019 (https://www.clio.com/about/press/clios-legal-trends-report-reveals-law-firms-struggle-to-respond-to-client-inquiries/): in a survey of 2,000 U.S. consumers, 79% expected a response within 24 hours.
What to do
Write the page in plain language, as you would speak to someone who has never hired a lawyer. Then check it against this list.
- Say in one line who the firm helps and what kinds of matters it takes
- Offer the ways people actually reach out: a short form, a phone number that can be tapped and an email address
- Ask only for what the team needs to decide the next step
- Say what happens after the person writes and when they will hear back, but only if the firm can keep that promise
- Show the office address and hours if people visit in person
- Ask your attorney how to word the notice about confidential information and about whether a message creates a client relationship
An illustrative example
Illustrative example, not a client case. A firm that takes personal injury and family matters could write: "Tell us briefly what happened and the best way to reach you. A person at the firm will read your message and reply by email."
The wording is a sample. Each firm should write only what is true for it.
What to look for when you implement it
- The form works on a phone, with large fields and a clear button
- Every submission reaches a named person, and a reminder fires if nobody answers
- The person receives an acknowledgement that says what happens next
- The submission lands in the case record or the inquiry list, not only in an inbox
- Spam filtering does not hide real inquiries: check the spam folder often in the first weeks
- Someone tests the page from a phone each month and sends a test inquiry
Sources
Clio, Legal Trends Report, 2019
Press release published October 21, 2019, reporting a survey of consumers.