Your Customers Expect Personalization. Is This Holding You Back?

One key diagnostic can have a big impact on a customer’s perception of their service experience; in fact, this measure of performance can account for almost 1/3 of the overall experience. 

What is this measure? Scripting. 

In our benchmarking surveys, we ask: “Did you feel the representative attempted to answer your question using a script rather than listening to you and your questions directly?” 

When survey respondents who have had a recent service experience answer “yes” to this question, satisfaction with the experience plummets 287 index points on a 1,000-point scale. This drop occurs even with top performers.

Why does scripting have such a big impact on the call center experience?

To understand the impact, there are two parts to this diagnostic that must first be understood:

1. The perception of using a script in general
2. The perception of not listening and responding in a way that is not authentic or in the course of a natural conversation  

First, let’s explore scripting in general. Call center scripting was developed with the best intentions. Scripts can provide a standardized approach for agents and a level of consistency across common scenarios for a large and diverse agent workforce. Scripting can also be specifically crafted for a variety of call reasons. Some of these reasons, like regulatory compliance, data security/privacy disclaimers, verbal acknowledgement of contract terms/conditions and others, may actually require the use of a rigid script. In instances like these, one way to reduce the negative impact of perceived script-use it to actually communicate to the customer that you are required to read a statement and, ideally, provide a stated benefit to the customer of reading the script.

Scripting has a natural conflict with customer expectations. Customers want consistency in having their questions answered and their problems solved, as we previously discussed, but they also want to have an interaction that is personalized and tailored to their question, problem or issue. While it’s important to have interaction consistency across the service operation, you need to avoid blind uniformity. While processes and call flows can and should be followed, there must also be:

• Flexibility for the agent to provide interactions that are authentic and integrate both the agent’s and customer’s unique personality and style
• Freedom for the agent to be creative depending on the situation, problem or issue  

Now that we’ve explored scripting in general, let’s dive into the perception of not listening and responding in a way that is not authentic or in the course of a natural conversation.

When relying on rigid scripting, perceptions of courtesy and concern can take a hit. Customers may feel the service is impersonal or that interaction is forced. This can lead to a lack of rapport and, more importantly, a lack of trust in the agent to act in the customer’s unique best interest and provide a satisfactory resolution.

Scripts can also lead to the need for a caller to repeat information. This is often one of the telltale signs that an agent is using a script. We’ve all called a service provider, were greeted warmly, were asked to identify ourselves and stated our problem or issue, only then to be asked to repeat everything we already stated at the beginning of the call. Was it an issue with active listening and note taking? Was the agent forced to use a script? Regardless of the reason, the caller’s perception that they are not being listened to is the same.

Can you reduce the negative impact of scripting?

The good news is that there are strategies that allow for both consistency and interaction guidelines while still limiting the negative impact of scripting on the customer. Here are three practices you can start implementing now:

1. Provide Flexible Scripting: For new agents, provide key talking points, sample phrases and language. This will help them quickly get up to speed and have confidence in their call handling skills. As they gain experience, especially with more common call types, encourage them to use their own style, personality, and phrasing within general guidelines. These guidelines should be reinforced through quality assurance, and their customized approach to calls should be coached through positive reinforcement. For more difficult calls or uncommon call reasons, provide scripting with common phrasing that is necessary to understand the issue and resolve the problem/issue but allow for flexibility to customize the response to the specific caller.
2. Avoid or Acknowledge Repetition: Active listening and note taking is critical to avoid asking the customer to repeat information. Repetition has double the negative impact; it gives the impression that the agent is using a script AND not listening to them. If there is a need for the agent to have the customer repeat information, ensure that the agent acknowledges the reason to the caller. While the caller will know either way, acknowledging it can offset some of the negative impact of the caller thinking the agent just wasn’t listening.
3. Keep It Simple: You only get one chance to make a first impression. While that is true in the call center world, you only get one chance to make a last impression too. Keep your initial greetings simple and direct. Avoid longer greetings. The longer they are, the more scripted they are perceived. The same holds true for the call close. Our research shows that a simple call close, in an unscripted manner, that includes asking to help with other issues and genuinely thanking the customer for their business can significantly increase satisfaction.

While this list of practices might look easy, we know that managing the behavior and performance of human beings is anything but. Behaviors and skills must be taught and reinforced in a consistent and tightly coordinated manner through Training, Quality Assurance, Coaching, Reward/Recognition, and Incentive. With 1/3 of the overall customer service experience being impacted by scripting, however, this is an important diagnostic to focus on now.

If you need help understanding how your contact center operation measures up to customer expectations when it comes to key diagnostics like scripting, contact us today.

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