It’s not uncommon for businesses to create a phone call script for their customer service agents to follow. There are many different opinions on call scripting, and it tends to be a divisive topic. Even large and successful companies have been known to use call scripting, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s the best strategy for your customer service.
Many business owners believe that call scripting will create a standardized customer service that will allow them to easily measure their agents’ performance and increase customer satisfaction. And while scripts can be helpful as a training tool for new employees, they can quickly become a disadvantage.
As a general rule, you want your customer service to provide customized attention to each caller. Different customers may have entirely different needs, and your customer service should acknowledge those differences in order to create satisfaction and loyalty.
Here are some of the reasons why you should avoid customer service call scripting:
Reason #1. They impede personal connections between your business and calling customers.
Like we said earlier, adapting your customer service to fit the needs of each caller can help you improve your service. This will make customers feel valued, taken into account, and it can eventually help develop a personal connection between your customers and your business.
But call scripting has the opposite effect. It leads to automated, robotic interactions that often feel impersonal and cold. Call scripting tends to be quite obvious, and many companies use it despite its flaws.
Customers are already familiar with this type of customer service, and they will quickly realize that they all receive the exact same treatment. In a market that is quickly becoming saturated and full of competition, unhappy customers could consider taking their business elsewhere, thus decreasing your customer retention.
When you remove the opportunity to create personal connections, you are making it more difficult for your customers to develop a sense of loyalty and belonging towards your business. When a customer feels connected to your company, they are much more likely to continue doing business with you and recommend your services to other people.
Reason #2. They can’t substitute great customer service.
When a customer takes the time to call your business, they expect to receive good quality service from an actual human being who takes the time to answer their questions. Good customer service can be the difference between a happy, returning customer and dissatisfied clients who choose to spend their money elsewhere.
A script may seem practical at first, but it doesn’t ensure that operators will be better equipped to deal with customers’ questions and issues. Short, scripted, automatic responses will never be able to replace hearing an actual human being on the other side of the phone who is eager to provide great service and help solve doubts.
Mediocre customer service can hinder your business’ growth and reduce profits. Call scripting also makes it less likely for your operators to seek out creative solutions and improve their methods.
Reason #3. There’s no need for a script when you have professional, friendly operators.
Many business turn to call scripting because they believe it will ensure that all customers receive great attention. But a good customer service agent doesn’t need a script to provide high-quality attention to each caller. Adequate training and experience are all that is needed to ensure good customer service.
When you have true professionals handling your phone calls, they will be able to interact with callers naturally, coming up with creative solutions to make sure that your customers are satisfied and happy. They won’t need a script to know exactly how to treat customers and make them feel valued and cared for.
Poorly-trained agents, on the other hand, will provide mediocre service whether they have a script on hand or not. And not only that, but having to follow a script can also make it difficult for new agents to gain significant experience and learn how to perform better and create meaningful interactions with each customer.
In theory, call scripting doesn’t sound too bad. You may think it will allow you to create consistent branding for your company, consistent customer service, and that it will make it easier for you to measure each agent’s performance.
But in reality, call scripting often results in robotic interactions that don’t lead to a human connection between your business and each caller. This can result in decreased customer retention and poor customer satisfaction.
Instead, focus on providing customized attention and warm, professional customer service to increase your customer retention and your business’ reputation.
