Scripts are common tools in many industries like telemarketing and customer support. They can empower relatively inexperienced teams to quickly start tackling more challenging responsibilities in customer-facing roles.
Source: Bojan89 / iStock / Getty Images
A script often has a customer prompt and then a number of potential paths to follow depending on the customer request or response to the initial prompt.
For example, a customer service rep might have a section to turn to for issues with installing updates on a computer or password resets. Or, a telemarketer might have a section for customers whose last experience with the company was negative.
An Important Up-Front Investment
Spending the time to think about the issues that might require a script and thinking carefully through the key elements of that script are important. Invest time early on, and review thoroughly with key personnel, including company leaders.
The time spent up front can save hours down the road by boosting frontline employee efficiency and effectiveness without the need for extensive training before new staff start creating value.
Regular Review
Scripts should not be viewed as set-it-and-forget-it tools. A script can become outdated very quickly; its usefulness often declines rapidly with age. Sales techniques may grow stale, customer service reps may find that some sections are less effective than others, and information might become outdated.
Scripts should be subject to regular review and update. This process doesn’t necessarily need to involve top management at every stage. Group leads and senior members of the teams using the scripts are a great source of insights and suggestions on how to make improvements. But depending on the reach and footprint of the script and the functions it is a part of, more senior leadership may need to be included in the final review and approval process.
Cautionary Note
Employees who are given scripts will use them. That’s the idea. That’s also why those scripts need to be carefully developed and reviewed before being distributed to those who will be wielding them. And it’s a key reason scripts should be regularly reviewed and updated.
Scripts can be a great force-multiplier tool because they turn the knowledge and message delivery of one person or team into a tool that can be employed by countless others, with little or no training, education, or experience on the subject. The key is to have a well-vetted and regularly revisited script to ensure the tools given to employees are well honed and effective.