How to Write a Great Customer Support Script for Frontline Teams

So, you’ve been debating the benefits of using scripts in your call center. You’ve considered whether or not great customer service can really be scripted and looked at the benefits call scripting software has to offer. After weighing all the pros and cons, you’re convinced. Now, it’s time to think about how you can write an outstanding customer support script that will set up your frontline team for success. 

Unfortunately, there’s no magic formula when it comes to penning the perfect script. No script will be watertight, and hiring and retaining experienced agents will be a determining factor in  the quality of customer support you can provide. Nevertheless, when trying to level up your customer support team to deliver excellent customer service, implementing a great script is a fantastic place to start. 

But before we dive into fundamentals of a successful customer support script, let’s cover exactly what we mean by delivering “excellent” customer service.

What's an example of excellent customer service?

Excellent customer service is about flipping a bad brand experience into a positive one. If you’ve ever reached out to a customer service department, frustrated and disappointed with the service you’ve received, you’ll know it takes a lot more than just fixing the problem to change your opinion of the company. One bad experience can ruin years of good ones. 

In order to turn a customer’s experience positive again, your agents will need to listen, empathize, find a solution, thank the customer, and then give something extra − whether that’s a discount, a refund, or perhaps a free gift. The White House Office of Consumer Affairs states that on average, loyal customers are worth up to 10 times as much as the value of their first purchase. Don’t risk losing a customer based on one bad experience − convert them into a brand advocate with a well-executed customer care call.

The challenge is to make excellent customer service your company’s standard, so that happy customers are the norm. The reliable and scalable way to do this is with a customer support script. 

So, what should you bear in mind when writing a killer script?‍

1. Flexibility

A rigid script, whether it’s on paper or made by an inflexible tool, will be too restrictive for the unpredictable nature of customer support calls. An interactive agent script, on the other hand, will support your agents while giving them the flexibility to react to the customer and have a solution for every realistic outcome. 

Focus on what these possible outcomes could be, and think about how your agent can respond to them. Build in multiple flows so that your agent will always be backed up by a script, no matter what the caller says next, and able to drive the call to resolution.

While agents can make mistakes, they will perform best when given a degree of flexibility. Train them well, support them via a flexible script, and work with them to constantly improve their performance. ‍

2. The careful use of language

Language is an agent’s greatest asset. When writing what your agents will say, keep the following in mind:

• Address the customer by name, although do so sparingly
• Avoid the use of jargon or technical language
• Write in pauses and appropriate questions to keep the caller engaged
• Remind the agent to express gratitude, use a positive tone throughout, and adopt natural language as much as possible
• Encourage the agent to empathize and mirror what the customer has said so that the customer feels the agent is listening
• Write in options for escalation, letting the agent know it’s OK to put a customer on hold to confirm a detail, ask a question, or escalate the issue to a superior
• Use affirmative terms like “I understand”
• Don’t be afraid to include apologies − it’s important to admit when a customer’s experience has not met your company’s expectations
• Ensure the agent thanks the caller for their time, for highlighting the problem, and for being a customer
• Wrap up by outlining the next steps, and asking if there’s anything else the agent can do to help
• Steer clear of clichés!
  

An excellent script covers what to say, so that agents can focus on how to say it. If executed well, your agent should be using the script solely as a guide.

3. Arm agents with information 

A good scripting tool will integrate with your CRM, so that you can surface as much data about the caller as possible. That way, your agent will have more context and historical information about the case; saving time, reducing friction, and helping them reach resolution faster. 

Plus, including easy “data in” options will help agents feed back into the CRM without detracting from the call. If the same customer reaches out to your company again, information from this call may prove crucial in resolving a future incident. ‍

4. Evaluate, analyze, adjust

This is perhaps the most significant step towards writing a great customer support script. In short, an optimal script should be in a constant process of adaptation and improvement. 

Undergo primary tests on your script before putting it live. Run roleplays with your frontline team, and then try it out on a few real customers before you roll it out across the board. 

Importantly, be sure to build and implement your script with a tool that offers powerful analytics so that you can take actionable data from each call. Detailed feedback will help you to learn from your best agents and better understand your team’s failures, helping every agent to be as good as the highest performer. This consistent process of script evaluation and tweaking will push your script to be the very best it can be. 

Following these tips will put you on the right path to writing a great customer support script… as long as you’ve got the right software. They all have one common requirement − a flexible, interactive scripting tool. That’s where Zingtree comes in. 

Zingtree is the easiest way to build an effective, interactive customer support script with no coding required. With insightful analytics, CRM integration, instant note generation at the end of the call, and many more indispensable features, your script will quickly become the most powerful tool in your team’s arsenal.

Find out how you can build your compliant, scalable interactive agent script with Zingtree by requesting a demo today. Your agents (and customers) will thank you!