With the Wisconsin Law Journal set to host our Unsung Heroes event next Friday, it is a nice acknowledgement to non-attorneys in the legal profession, especially at a time when many firms are doing more with less.

In talking with lawyers during the recession, it’s no secret that clients are asking, and in some cases demanding, a higher level of customer service.

And before any documents are filed, or conferences are scheduled, a simple phone call can get a client off on the right or wrong foot with a firm.

As someone who regularly rings or visits reception desks at firms around the state, it’s worth noting that the vast majority of people sitting behind them are welcoming and helpful – even after I introduce myself.

After mentally cataloging my most recent 25 calls to firms large and small, in all but two cases was the person on the other end of the line cordial and patient, regardless of the reason for my call.

Everyone has a bad day at work, and in the course of answering perhaps hundreds of calls a day, especially at a large firm, it’s understandable that finding a reply to a reporter’s question at 4:50 p.m. on a Friday may test anyone’s sanity.

But when a client or potential client calls, attorneys and administrators alike have said each individual needs to feel like they are the most important person to a firm at that moment in time.

It appears that is going to be the case more often than not when someone picks up the phone to call an attorney in Wisconsin.