Are call center scripts effective, or do they just create more customer strife?

To script or not to script? It really depends.

I agree that new agents can benefit from sample scripts early on in their career. I also think that well designed scripts can be become great training aids, for new products or new selling strategies that develop from an agent's ingenuity.

I also think that the "strict script" approach is awful, though sometimes necessary in certain industries such as financial services, where the burden of proof is necessary to demonstrate that no customer was given innaccurate or misleading information in line with legal guidelines.

I spent years in sales, I was never scripted and did very well out of it, but... I developed many scripts for less succesful colleagues, and they worked well enough for people to develop a technique and after a while they would outgrow the script and make the technique their own (which is the ideal).

I think one of the good reasons for scripting is for agents who are a bit afraid of directness (because of their nervousness regarding rejection when the client says no at the end of the call) and it can help instill a level of directness that may have been missing before.

But in the long run, nothing beats an experience agent who can think on their feet and control the direction of a call.

I personally hate talking to people who are working from a script and are either not well enough trained, or afraid of being reprimanded, to deviate from the script. You ask a question that isn't on the script, and the rest of the conversation has little value.

I wanted our agents to have a list of information they MUST get from the customer (agents were incented on compliance) and be well enough trained to go where the customer wanted to go. We also provided an alternative; whenever the phone agent felt the conversation was beyond what the agent was qualified to handle, we had a second line agent with much more experience available for transfer.

This question has to be answered within the context of cost to serve (CTS) of the customer. Why do call centers use scripts. There are 2 elementary reasons for this
1. Compliance not to be missed - Certain parameters such as reading the entire sale back to the customer etc cannot be missed as this might cause misselling
2. Cost of the call - An open call can be prohibitive when firms want to reduce cost to serve of the customer. In such cases, scripts become essential

Scripts need to be followed typically in Outbound scenarios - telesales, collections, telemarketing etc. The reason being that since call is initiated by the call center, there is an understated obligation to close it as quickly and as effectively as possible

Ideally, a hybrid approach is required to get the best benefits wherein scripts are indicators and the associates have the empowerment to move across from scripted to free flow. However care should be taken to ensure that freeflow is limited and is used only to build a business rapport with the customer
cheers

I am responsible for a software product that relies heavily on scripting. We provide a service for several clients, though, so although the data is constant, the scripting is fully customizable by client. Which brings me to my first point... we should be able to customize the scripting based on those environmental elements... like address specific situations. Secondly, these systems are designed to ensure that the business's objectives are met; tools like scripting ensure that the correct questions are asked, in the correct manner to ensure optimal service with minimal risk. Third, while scripting is bible for the novice CSR, our more experienced people use it more as a guide, and are able to converse casually with callers. I don't see how any call center can function without it.

From a person who developed scripts for Customer Retention and Cross Sell/Up Sell - yes scripts work. I can discuss stats and such but the reality is they work.

Addressing the concern of sounding scripted I agree scripts can be robotic. I am a firm believer in 'conversational' scripting. Better yet - I love having flexible and creative CSRs using their own knowledge and resources to help the customer.

Scripts can be good for new hires to help them as they struggle to learn the system, vernacular, processes, etc. Scripts give them something at least to jump from.

Bottom line - hire the right people if you can start fresh, but if you are converting the type of calls then scripts at least give an outline to help the CSR and make the customer feel important.

I've been in the contact/callcenter environment for 2 years now. Though I am by no means an expert I have followed scripts and developed them for both myself and my piers. To mimic what Rick said, I feel it is always a good idea to have a strict script to follow, especially for new reps in your call-center. This is important so that each individual can learn the most important aspects of the process, all of which should be included in your script. After all, there are very specific things that need to be said during a call. A good rep will develop a way to improvise on the phone and let their personality come out during the phone call. This makes the call more engaging and will likely bring out a more positive reaction from the person on the other end of the phone.

I believe, a coversation with underqualified person following script is very anoying for the customer. I ocassionally suffer such calls. If you really want to get valuable information from the customer, only a person who really knows "what's going on" can obtain it. Qualified person can skip many questions which from the context of a particular conversation become redundant. But the most important, the can "drill down" where they feel something is wrong.

On a very rare occassion, I have had the satisfying expereince of dealing with a call center whose script was VERY effective. It was a well designed game of '20 questions' - except they had the deliberate, proper questions which properly defined my problem and got me directly to the answers I needed.

Obviously, this took a lot of thought from some people who were extremely knowledgeable about their products and services. They learned how to ask a question that got them the right answer to define the problem.

I never felt like I had to choose the correct, predescribed choice. You felt they were really listening to your problem, not for the 'correct' answer...

Unfortunately, they were acquired by a conglomerate and that operation was consoldiated to make it more 'efficient'... Oh well...

Hi Team,

The script is a great idea as long as we are reading terms and conditions. Sales or customer service can never be scripted, its skill and people develop this over a period of time. Refresher training and on job training play a very important role is moving people up the learning curve. A whole lot of feedback is needed from a quality team in order to channel the growth and the improvement.

Thanks,

raj.george@yahoo.co.uk

Scripts can be helpful in training new hires, but aren't helpful in driving high customer satisfaction or sales where being responsive to the customer is important.

I've found that mini scripts can be helpful. For example a sentence or two with strong benefits to describe the difference between two products. Or a choice of several scripted ways to ask qualifying questions. In our training classes, we often have small groups work together to create a "script" for a particular segment of the call. These get posted in class. Then everyone gets an opportunity to review them and create their own "script." As long as it follows the skills we're teaching, they're good to go.

This method gives agents something to say that is correct, but is in their own words. They'll be more likely to use this--and will sound more natural, too--than a script handed to them by someone up above.