Call centre scripts. Some people love them for making service smoother and more consistent. Some hate them for being too restrictive or sounding robotic.
No matter your feelings on call centre scripts, using them comes with undeniable positives. Brand tone of voice comes through no matter which agent is speaking. Messages/scripted lines are carefully curated to have the best effect possible. They ensure a high standard for sales and service communication.
Call centre scripts have another benefit too. One less-often cited, yet extremely important: the legal angle.
A quick recap on call centre scripts
Call centre scripts are prewritten lines given to agents to recite to customers. They tend to cover regular service requirements of customer conversations. For example, greetings, questions, or sales pitches.
Scripts can be used in most contact channels, but typically serve real-time support channels. For instance, phone calls and live chat.
The benefits of scripts include:
- • They provide an easy way to start a conversation or answer common questions – preserving the mental energy of agents.
- • They make sure regular communication is standard, well put together, and in line with the brand tone of voice.
- • In the case of sales, scripts promote the correct use of all sales tactics.
- • They help to ensure important information gets shared every time — in the way that it needs to be shared, without room for misinterpretation.
However, there are downsides to call centre scripts as well:
- • Strict adherence can remove the human touch and come across as ‘robotic’.
- • If the customer contacts more than once, their service becomes repetitive as they sit through the same script every time.
The legal challenges of the call centre
Accommodating regulatory requirements isn’t always a walk in the park for the call centres of today. From GDPR, to HIPAA, to PCI DSS, to CCPA, data compliance standards are complex.
Take a new sale as an obvious example. Whenever a customer signs on to a new contract, agents need to make sure they’ve conveyed all the terms and conditions of that contract, plus all the legal parts that the customer and the company are beholden to.
Whenever a customer needs to supply extra or sensitive data, agents need to ensure the customer knows their rights regarding its use.
When the ‘fine print’ bits don’t get said, or said correctly, it opens the way for issues down the line. First, it could mean a customer feeling wronged and misled – with all the anger, confusion, and dispute that may bring. Second, and more worrying from a legal perspective, it could mean a fine for the company for non-compliance.
Using scripts to boost legal compliance
This is where call centre scripts are essential. Creating scripts – and imposing their use – means you can ensure every agent conveys information the contact centre must share by law.
A call centre script can include lines that are perfectly curated to convey everything that needs to be said from a regulatory standpoint in a succinct, on-brand way.
For example, consider GDPR needs. With a script, your data protection statement is there, in front of agents, ready for them to say in the exact language that needs to be used.
Or, consider a sales associate. With a script, they can dot the i’s and cross the t’s while signing on a new client. All, that is, without worrying they’ve forgotten something.
Call centre scripts: an easy way to ensure compliance
When you use call centre scripts to assist with legal statements like disclosures and disclaimers, you make it easier for agents to provide compliant service.
Once your script is written with the best wording and the perfect tone, the only challenge that remains is making sure everyone sticks to it.
Useful links
The pros and cons of live chat scripts
The Mehrabian myth, non-verbal communication, and live chat software