Scripting is great for efficiency, and in some cases customers don’t mind it. But beware of the instances when they do mind.
If conversations are too heavily scripted in situations that customers feel should be personalized, satisfaction drops significantly, new research from the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business.
Customers recognize any level of scripted responses and conversations – from simple sign-offs to technical or legal disclaimers, the researchers found. And for the most part, they accept and expect those.
But there’s one important difference: Customers become dissatisfied when scripted responses are used in situations that they feel should be personalized.
An example: At a hotel, customers don’t mind if check-in and directions to the fitness center sound heavily scripted. But they’ll often be bothered by a scripted response from a concierge who’s asked where to go for dinner.
Bottom line: When customers emotions and concerns are high, they want service professionals to respond sincerely and naturally.
In the interest of efficiency, go ahead and script greetings, farewells and basic information. Let agents use their natural sense of empathy and concern to guide other conversations.
