The Importance of Call Scripts

As soon as your employee answers the phone your customer's experience with your business has begun. Setting the tone with a helpful, professional call can mean the difference in gaining a lifelong customer or sending them running to the competition. A powerful customer service call script that trained employees follow can increase sales and improve customer loyalty.



And as all small business owners know, good customer service is key to a successful business. But just how big of a role it plays may surprise you. According to the Customer Experience Impact (CEI) Report by RightNow (acquired by Oracle in March 2012), 86% of consumers will pay more for a better customer experience and 89% of consumers began doing business with a competitor following a poor customer experience.

You may be wondering what exactly goes into a great call script, but the good news is, you and your staff already have the answers. The most effective scripts prepare your team for the calls and questions they most often encounter. So, before writing the script, talk with your team to find out what types of calls are frequently coming in. Ask employees what common objections they hear when trying to close sales or up sell a customer. Use this information to create the framework for the script.

Before you even begin to review the content of the script - set the tone. Make sure employees responsible for answering the phone do so in a professional and friendly manner. The customer service representative should identify both themselves and your business during the greeting.

A good script is flexible. No two calls or customers are the same. The body of your call script should remain dynamic as customers' responses will be somewhat variable. Write the script so your customer service representatives can uncover sales potential and can get the necessary information without sounding impersonal.

A good script also reminds the listener of how your business was able to help them during the call. Close your customer service script with a summary of what was discussed and any follow-up that is needed. Have your staff formally close the phone call by asking if the customer has any additional needs and thanking them for calling.

Train everyone that answers the phone in your organization to use the new script. This will provide consistency no matter which team member your customer speaks with. Then, practice! Test the script by role-playing with employees.

If you make changes to your product or service line-up, be sure to change your script as well. Update your script when you are offering a special sale to include details of the discount and be sure to inform customer service representatives of marketing and advertising your company is doing in case customers reference an ad or article they have seen. And, as with all your business materials review it periodically to make sure it is up to date and still offering your customers the services and information they need.

A powerful customer service script implemented correctly will give you happy customers and increased revenue potential. Take the time to write one for your employees today so you can be sure your customers' experience with your company is a consistently positive one.