Personalizing the experience
Create the feeling of empathy
Empathy connects us as humans, makes us interested in how others are feeling, and is the essential building block of conversation that flows freely and naturally. It is “the ability to identify with or understand another’s situations or feelings,” as defined by The Free Dictionary. In a world with technology ever-present in all that we do from cell phones to televisions in gas pumps, the need for empathy is more essential than ever.
What role does empathy play in call center scripts? It’s the pinnacle focus; reinforcing the need to relate and interact with others.
Benefits of Scripting
Scripts are a necessity. They provide security for the company, training, and confidence for agents. Here are a few of the many benefits that scripts provide:
- Control over how a business is portrayed to clients
- Helping with call efficiency
- Legal protection for a company
- Scripts also provide a training tool for new agents
Scripted vs Robotic
There is, however, a fine line between “scripted” and “robotic” conversations. People often contact a call center once they have exhausted other information sources — online or otherwise. Clients are looking for a conversation, a fast answer to their question, and validation for their concern.
Achieving Balance
An effective script must be a balance between essential information and providing a person who is relatable and able to talk off-script. This ensures that the client feels less like “another number,” and more like an individual with a legitimate concern. This helps secure important client qualities such as loyalty, satisfaction, and overall business continuity.
Creating Conversational Scripts
Start with these essential steps to create conversational scripts and a more personalized customer experience.
Collaborate with your experts
Begin by having customer service experts collaborate to create the scripts — they have essential background knowledge of common customer concerns that benefit the wording of each script.
Spoken English
Remember that the script should be written as spoken English rather than written English. There are major differences that your customers will immediately be able to detect.
Multiple Scripts
Have more than one script, depending on the expertise and comfort level of the agent. Make the more advanced scripts available as your agents become more familiar with the program processes.
Skimability
Ensure the scripts are easy to skim — this can include color-coding, flow charts, bolding, or other formatting techniques.
Information is key
Give your agents enough information and training to feel comfortable going off-script while still representing the company accurately.
Testing and more testing
Lastly, test your scripts for effectiveness and update as necessary.
Find additional tips from Call Centre Helper about creating effective and conversational scripts for agents.
Overall, scripts are a necessity, providing security for the company and confidence for agents. However, humanizing the customer service experience is a necessity for successful businesses.