Effective Scripting for Call Centers

One of the first person-to-person connections a customer makes with an organization is often through a phone call. Whether the caller’s intent is to schedule an appointment, ask a question, or another reason, the way an agent handles that call plays a large role in customer service and satisfaction. Every phone call is an opportunity for the agent to uphold an organization’s values and provide excellent service.

5 Reasons Organizations Implement Call Center Scripting

Reduces errors.

Scripting removes the guesswork by providing agents with the right answers to caller questions. Scripting ensures that the right data is collected from the caller, the most updated information is given to the caller, and the correct action is taken at the end of the call.

For example, one customer located in the Midwest has a call center that uses scripting to manage 850,000 calls per year. The call center supports multiple departments that have departments within departments – so their scripting needs can be quite complex. However, their staff who may have limited or no IS experience, can easily build customized scripts for any type of call for any department in as little as 20 minutes.

Increases productivity.

Call centers typically receive hundreds if not thousands of calls every day. Instead of putting the caller on hold and searching for answers, agents whose call centers use scripting have the information they need in just a couple of clicks. This way, calls can be processed in a matter of seconds.

Scripts help ensure the call center agent gets the right data from the caller, reducing the need to make a return call to request more information or to make a correction in the information provided.

Decreases training time.

Agent can be trained more quickly when scripts are involved. When the decision making is already programmed into the script, new agents can be trained to handle any kind of call in less time. After programming, the system easily guides agents through each call, and provides them with a custom script with the exact information they need, at the time they need it.

Promotes consistency.

When the call center agent is the front line of an organization’s customer service, what they say matters because they could be creating the customer’s first impression of the organization. Scripting can use the kind of language that adheres to the organization’s policy. For example, an organization can include an empathy statement the agent reads before ending or transferring a call.

Scripts also keep the agents from violating any regulations because they know the next thing to say. And it ensures that the agent is always keeping the customer’s needs first.

Increases customer and agent satisfaction.

Efficient and accurate call handling makes everyone happier. Callers no longer need to wait on hold for agents to track down answers to their questions. The agent instills confidence in callers through a series of logical questions to provide clear, succinct answers. Customers can trust that their details are being recorded correctly when the agent is able to read the information back to them without errors.

Because scripting helps reduce call times and the need to put callers on hold, agents are more likely to meet their goals for number of calls answered per day, length of call, length of hold times, and other metrics deemed significant by their organization. Teams who meet and even exceed their goals report greater job satisfaction and reduced stress. Scripting also simplifies the agent’s job, however complicated it may be.

Summary

Call centers that implement scripting will benefit from reduced errors, increased productivity, decreased training time, consistency, and improved customer and employee satisfaction.

When it’s time to choose a scripting program for your call center, look for software that is easy to edit, integrates with your other systems for further efficiency and accuracy gains, and is supported by top-rated customer service around the clock.

Amtelco’s scripting solution offers:

• Intuitive drag-and-drop interface to build custom scripts
• Third-party Integrations to further improve data accuracy and efficiency
• Color coded calls to identify call types
• Automatic navigation
• Time of day/Day of week messaging
• Intuitive drag-and-drop interface to build custom scripts
• Third-party Integrations to further improve data accuracy and efficiency
• Color coded calls to identify call types
• Automatic navigation
• Time of day/Day of week messaging