Do you expect your agents to solve all customer queries quickly or be confused when it is an issue that they’re not used to?
There are some queries that agents might not be familiar with as they occur rarely. Irrespective of their frequency, agents are expected to resolve every query in a swift manner.
This is where a call script comes into play. Agents can handle all kinds of queries without being confused when it is something that they aren’t familiar with.
Having a call script at hand allow agents to resolve customer queries sooner, therefore keeping customers happy. Optimized call scripts help in improving agent performance.
With frequent changes in customer needs, call centers should be able to adapt to them. How do you evaluate call scripts and align them with these evolving needs?
Before we look at how to evaluate your contact center’s existing call script, let’s understand something simpler– the importance of call scripts.
Why Are Call Scripts Important In A Contact Center?
A call script is a framework that helps agents to handle customers in an efficient and streamlined manner.
A Forrester report said that different documents are needed in each phase of a buyer’s journey.
It is evident that call scripts can help improve agent performance in an indirect manner.
But what are some tangible outcomes of using call scripts?
- Enhance Agent Training
Allowing new agents to drive their own approach in their training phase is a huge recipe for disaster. Imagine confused agents trying to handle an agent without a planned approach.
These agents can ramp up faster if provided with a tried and tested call script. These scripts help them be prepared for any kind of customer questions.
A global benchmark study found that a huge cause of agents leaving their job is that they didn’t like the job and the intense pressure. Using call scripts eases the pressure on agents as they have a standard to fall back on.
- Reduce the Frequency of Compliance Violations
A contact center that has focused on creating a call script keeping everything in mind, boosts its own performance in the long term. Such scripts also reduce the possibility of any compliance violation.
When agents follow these scripts, they stick to a tried and tested approach. This ensures that agents focus on following them to help customers and resolve queries swiftly.
In cases where customers irk agents, they might go off-script. Such possibilities can result in agents unknowingly violating the compliance rules.
In contact centers where the call script is extensively used, following the script becomes as natural as breathing, where no compliance violations occur.
Since we’ve seen the importance of call scripts in contact centers, let us look at how to evaluate call scripts.
How Do You Evaluate A Call Script?
Just like any other statistic in a contact center, even the call script needs to change and not remain stagnant. Especially in today’s world, where customer behavior changes frequently.
A periodic call script evaluation and review loop allow contact centers to adapt and evolve to serve the ever-changing needs of customers. If a script is not changed and stagnantly used for long periods of time, it will impact your contact center’s overall performance.
The requirements of needing to review a script aside, how do you actually evaluate a call script?
1. Gauging Customer Reactions
The main focal point of any script is about serving your customer better. One of the best ways to evaluate your script is to analyze and compare it with customer reaction.
Auditors should listen to calls and analyze customer behavior. Analyzing these nuances with comparison to the current call script can show what areas need to be changed.
2. Incorporating Agent Feedback
Veteran agents in a contact center have a flow of their own. Putting the days of following scripts in the past, experience is their biggest teacher.
These agents have perfected their own approach through years of first-hand experience. Auditors should have conversations with these agents and understand what needs to change in the existing call scripts.
Auditors can come up with brilliant execution plans after picking the brains of these veterans. This allows all agents in the contact center to up their game.
3. Scoring Your Calls
When auditors review calls using the current script, they score each call using predefined parameters. By comparing calls with low scores and figuring out which portions of the script aren’t performing well, changes can be made.
Every decision related to a call script should be backed by relevant data. Analyzing these different parameters and their effect on customer satisfaction helps in taken data-driven decisions.
Auditors in a contact center can help in the process of evaluating and reviewing a call script. In today’s fast-paced technology-driven world, there is software that helps auditors do this in a swift and efficient manner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is a call script important in a contact center?
Ans: A call script helps in training new agents faster. It also reduces the possibility of compliance violations as agents would be sticking to a methodical script.
What are the different ways of evaluating a call script?
Ans: Auditors can compare different parameters like customer reactions and call scores to identify weaknesses in a call script. Auditors can also borrow tricks of the trade from experienced agents to improve existing scripts.
Can businesses use data science and AI to prepare call scripts?
Ans: Businesses are also incorporating data science and AI to segment prospects, tailor messages, and deliver propositions addressing the specific pain points and needs of the buyers. They can use data to get complete info on the historical and real-time data of the customer to alter their pitch accordingly. There are data science consulting experts helping call centers in leveraging the power of data to improve their bottom line.
