Telephone calls made to the Central Number (020 3319 3700) are currently handled by an award-winning telecoms company called Moneypenny (www.moneypenny.co.uk). Our receptionist is able to forward calls to relevant lawyers or Central Office in an efficient and seamless manner.
Calls to the Central Number are answered in the name of 'Keystone Law' by our dedicated receptionist between 8 am and 8 pm (outside these hours callers are asked to leave a message which is emailed to you). If our dedicated receptionist is busy, then calls will be answered by one of their colleagues. Over time you will therefore get to know the voices and characteristics of these people.
The receptionist will take the caller's name and organisation before trying your landline or other nominated telephone number. When you answer your phone, they will announce the caller. You can then simply ask them to put the call through or ask them to take a message which they will then email to you. For all intents and purposes, callers will experience a similar service to calling a conventional law firm.
Callers to the Central Number are comprised of lawyers acting for other parties, existing clients, potential clients, sales people, scammers and time-wasters. Most sales people and time-wasters will be filtered out or dealt with by Central Office, so you should hopefully not experience them too often. If any do slip through the net, then advise our receptionist who will field their further calls.
The Moneypenny system is bespoke. You can issue our receptionist with any instructions you wish as to the handling of your calls. The default is that you accept callers at your discretion and subject to your availability. Anything you do not like the sound of, you can ask the receptionist to take a message which they will then email to you.
Alternatively, you can issue our receptionist with standing instructions that no calls at all should be put through. Callers will then be told that you are in a meeting' or out of the office' or whatever standing instruction you prefer.
When you go away on holiday or are out of the office, our receptionist can (if you wish) inform the caller of this fact and offer to put the call through to Central Office or any colleague who may be covering for you in your absence. Whatever you choose, you are likely to get the best from the service if you issue instructions that work for you and you keep our receptionist updated as your instructions change.
You should note the points set out below regarding our receptionist service:
To contact our receptionist, either email them at keystone@moneypenny.co.uk or call (freephone) on 0800 021 7569.
Moneypenny has also produced an app for iPhone and Android devices that keeps records of all calls and messages and generally serves as your direct link to the switchboard. Search for "Moneypenny App" in your app store and download it. When you log in, you will need your username (your Keystone email address) and your password. If you've forgotten your password, then you can reset it online.
The Moneypenny App has a nice feature it calls automatic status update'. If you enable this (and thus share your movements with Moneypenny), then you can use your GPS location to tell Moneypenny how to deal with your call based on your location. For example, you can set the status "at my desk" to have your calls transferred to your desk phone when you are physically in your office. You can set the status "at home" to have a message taken when you are physically at home.