In the first part of our blog, Common Voice and Chat Script Problems, we began to discuss some simple tips to improve customer experience during voice and chat interactions. Steps such as adjusting tone, simplifying prompt complexity, or rearranging them altogether can transform the entire customer experience. Remember, a good experience positively impacts your brand and is good for business.
So, if you want to make an even bigger impact, don’t stop there! Let’s take a look at a few ways to make your IVR and Chatbots feel smoother.
Cut down on the wordiness
The wordier your script is, the more cumbersome it is for your customer to engage. In other words, don’t overestimate your caller’s attention span. Remember, proper voice direction and tone can help you keep your scripts short without making the customer feel hurried or snapped at. For instance, if you must say “please”, use it sparingly, such as in the main prompt: “Please hold for the next available representative.”
75% of callers are on your company website while they are calling you.
Phrases, words or options you can eliminate
- For This, Speak One: Generally, the construction of a prompt is structured like “For [action], speak [prompt].” As you progress through the menu, drop the instruction to ‘speak’ to further streamline the interaction and keep the contact moving forward. The caller gets the idea of how to use the system. This probably isn’t the first IVR they’ve ever called into.
- WWW-dot, backslash, colon, etc.: One of the large call center companies did a study and determined that 75% of callers are on your company website while they are calling you. If you don’t have technology that can determine that the person calling you is also logged in currently on the website and you feel you must inform the caller of a website option, keep it as simple as possible- domain and extension, nothing more. Once you’ve given the customer your website, don’t continue abusing them with it in hold messages and transfer messages or the agent script.
- Long, complicated words: Always remember that this is a script someone has to read out loud for someone else to hear it. Keep words brief and accessible. As mentioned above, if it sounds weird to you, or is hard to say out loud, it will be awkward for the caller to hear let alone understand.
- Abbreviations: While you want to avoid complex words, you don’t want to revert to abbreviations or TLA’s (Three Letter Acronyms). Your customer might not understand your internal acronyms. Instead of using the abbreviation, just say it.
- Unnecessary options: Unless there is a very specific reason to split out the options, don’t have multiple options that lead to the same caller destination. It is permissible to group options “For Billing and Payments…” Avoid options like repeating of a menu or asking them to do something to end the interaction.
- Compliance messages: If not essential, avoid legalese and avoid legal compliance statements. If absolutely required by someone in your legal department, keep it simple, offer it as an option, and direct them to the website where they can review all of the legal information pertinent to your business. (e.g. PCI, HIPPA, GDPR, Privacy policy, Cookie Policy, recordings)
Additional considerations
- Lengthy greetings: Keep your greeting script brief and to the point. Do your callers need to know that your options may have changed?
- Pace: A subtler consideration is the pace of the speech. Your delivery pace provides an undertone that your callers might not appreciate. Do not speak too fast (or too slowly), particularly if you are providing specific information such as a phone number.
- Your brand’s sound: The voice that greets and directs your callers is your brand in sound. The voice itself has a persona that can convey a number of emotions. Make sure that the human qualities callers associate with the voice match the brand your organization seeks to project.
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