I’ve discussed about the importance of interjecting the human element when interacting with customers on the phone. We went into depth, how it helps the agents and listened to the customer’s perspective as well.
With this in mind, why do companies still insist? Mind you, this is prevalent among outsourced centers. Their clients will insist that this should be followed strictly. You will get a lot of reasons but it boils down to trust and pace.
Let’s face it, the industry is fast paced and you can’t even try to slow it down. Customer demands are increasing and there is a constant need to provide ample workforce. The learning curve of an agent is beginning to be fictional. They are expected to learn fast and deliver. Everyone knows that you can’t engage in meaningful conversations to sound natural, if one can’t even remember the next step to finishing the transaction. It takes time.
Trust is the biggest one. It makes sense to outsource and we all know that it’s mainly tied to financial gains. But, the people who do the leg work isn’t entirely convinced that we can do the job. I can’t blame them. They have to deal with a different culture and you expect communication gaps during the process.
The result? Scripts. It’s easy and simple. This is the only way they ensure compliance is met and the service is standard and consistent. It may not be the best solution but it works.
I’m interested in hearing from some of the readers. Have you found yourself in the ideal world, where scripts are a thing of the past? I have and I hope you have too, for the sake of our customers.
I have to disagree with the conclusion in this section of your post: "This is the only way they ensure compliance is met and the service is standard and consistent. It may not be the best solution but it works."
Does the solution really work? I think not. Scripts are fine, as long as the callers don't know that the agent is following them. As soon as a script becomes obvious to a caller, then that "solution" has absolutely failed to work.
Posted by: Call Center Information Site | September 22, 2006 9:37 PM | Permalink to Comment