The Effects of Positive Scripting

05 Sep The Effects of Positive Scripting

Let’s imagine you call your favorite dog food company just to voice a concern pertaining to the ingredients listed. As you’re singing along to their catchy jingle “are you ready to fill their bellies, are you ready to fill their bellies, are you ready to fill their bellies, because our chow is too chowlicious..” “Hello, Chowlicious how may I help you?”

The agent greets you, and you began to explain your concern. After expressing your concern, the agent responds with “I’m sorry there is nothing I can do, is there anything else I can do for you?” How does this make you feel, do you think your concern was addressed? Do you feel valued as a customer? Likely the answer to these questions is no.

Studies have shown that many customers leave providers for this reason. Chowlicious is a great example of how a company’s lack of scripting can negatively impact customer experience. With that in mind, let’s see how positive scripting can change the interaction.   

 What is Positive scripting?

Positive scripting for lack of better words is a conversation script that aims to change a customer’s frustration into a plan of action for their desired outcome. By changing the message from simply addressing the problem, to providing a solution to the problem, customers are guided to their desired outcome as well as presented up-selling opportunities. Let’s go back to the Chowlicious agent for a second. 

How would you feel if the agent response was, “Thank you for sharing your concern, I’m going to escalate your call to the proper department.”? We are willing to bet that your experience as a customer improved. Not only was your concern addressed, but using powerful words like “escalated or escalate” shows urgency.   

Benefits of positive scripting

By using positive scripting, contact centers are providing live agents with effective, and accurate company-sponsored information. As a result, scripting keeps every member of the contact center unified in respects to accurate messaging and customer interaction. Creating positive scripts are very simple and easy if you want it to be.

Some contact centers have vague outlines of positive wording to allow the live agents to use their personality and skill to navigate the conversation. On the other hand, many companies have very long and detailed scripts outlining every word for the live agent. Be careful not to over-do any single approach.

 Studies have shown that too much of either of these approaches results in a decrease in customer satisfaction. According to studies, 34% of customers say their experience improved tremendously when the agent doesn’t sound like they are reading from a script. Your best bet is to use a balance between the two approaches, this will give agents the structure to carry out the proper messaging while giving them the freedom to make that human connection.

Dangers of positive scripting

Just like everything else in life, too much of anything is bad. In respects to positive scripting though, too much of one approach is shown to have an inverse effect. When the script is too strenuous, agents may sound robotic, emotionless, and detached for the customer and this is a result of the agent reading the script.

A common element of positive scripting is using the customer’s first name in attempts to humanizing the conversation. On the contrary, studies have shown that addressing customers by their first name can result in them feeling disrespected and mentally ending the conversation early.

Simply put, if done correctly positive scripting takes a hopeless or bleak situation, to something vibrant and full of opportunities.  If you are interested in applying positive scripting to your business, contact us now!