Want a quick refresher course? Let’s recap the 5 essential ingredients to the ideal answering service script:

1. Start with a clear greeting, and stir in a direct question. – Steering the call right from the greeting eliminates any guesswork for the operators.
2. Fold in key information, and don’t overmix. – Keeping questions simple will ensure that your calls don’t go any longer than necessary.
3. Pour into a pre-set message delivery method. – Contact programming to confirm where you’d like your messages to be sent.
4. Bake 24 hours a day, and check regularly. – When you’re busy with current clients, it’s easy to forget about new leads. Remember to check your messages.
5. Whip up fresh details, and garnish as needed! – The operators are only as good as the info at their disposal. Stay current with your account updates.

Check out our other article for more information about answering service scripting.

If you’re writing about scripting on your own website, please copy the code below to use this infographic:

[html]
<img title=”Build The Perfect Call Center Script Infographic” alt=”Build The Perfect Call Center Script Infographic” src=”https://www.specialtyansweringservice.net/wp-content/uploads/5-ingredient-answering-service-script.jpg” width=”1024″ height=”7040″ />
<pre><em>Image originally posted on <a href=”https://www.specialtyansweringservice.net/wp-content/uploads/5-ingredient-answering-service-script.jpg”>The SAS Blog</a></em>
[/html]

The post Infographic: How to create the perfect answering service script appeared first on Specialty Answering Service.

How can you pull together a script that will gather the right answers, maintain call flow, and provide the operators with the information they need to make the virtual receptionist experience effortless? We’ve boiled down years of experience into 5 tips for creating the best telephone answering service scripts.

What you’ll need:

1. A clear greeting
2. Key information
3. Message delivery method
4. Time to monitor your account
5. Fresh, up-to-date details

Step 1: First, start with a clear greeting, and stir in a direct question.

The first ingredient to a great message is a live greeting that will help the operator steer the call. You want your greeting to have an introduction followed by a direct question that will guide an agent down a specific script path. Following are a few examples of successful introductions:

• Thank you for calling Trixie’s Dog Walkers! This is Julie. Are you an existing client?
• You’ve reached New York Dental’s answering service. This is Alberto. Is this an emergency?
• Thank you for calling General Plumbers. Are you calling to schedule a service appointment?

Step 2: Fold in key information, and don’t over mix!

In addition, limiting your script to simple questions is always the right idea. Ask for information that callers can easily provide, and avoid complex questions that can be answered later. This ensures that calls flow smoothly, are handled in an appropriate length of time, and you have the necessary information to get the ball rolling with the caller.

Stick to basics such as:

• First Name, Last Name
• Phone Number, Cell Number
• Address, Email
• Reason for Call (usually scripted as a Regarding step)
• Best Time for an Appointment / Call Back
• Type of Insurance
• How Heard (usually the advertising source)

Step 3: Pour into a pre-set message delivery method.

Every good script should include a foolproof way to receive messages. Since adding different ways to retrieve your messages is free with SAS, we recommend receiving your messages by email and text to make sure nothing is overlooked. If you’d like, operators can also reach out to you by phone, either via a warm transfer or a reach on-call.

Going one step further, if you’re already using helpdesk or CRM software to manage leads, and you basically live inside those programs for the better part of your business day, then we can also push messages directly to the applications that you use the most. Some of the more common applications offered are:

• Desk.com
• Freshdesk
• Help Scout
• Salesforce
• SugarCRM
• Zendesk
• Zoho

For a complete list of tutorials that will show you how to configure the available integrations in SAS Desk, visit our helpdesk.

Step 4: Bake 24 hours a day, and check regularly.

When you bake cookies, your goal is to eat them. When operators take messages, your goal is to read them. Monitor your account online, or use the answering service mobile app to review message details and listen to call recordings. It’s also beneficial to create custom call status labels, which will help you differentiate the calls that you’ve sifted through from those that still need to be addressed. With custom labels, your call log is as organized as a well-set table. And if there were calls you feel could have been handled better, add a special label for quick reference. Then, when you have time, rate the operators.

Step 5: Whip up fresh details, and garnish as needed.

Last, but not least, no one wants an out-of-date script or list of FAQs, especially not our operators. When it comes to call handling, fresh is best. The online portal allows hands-on control of your information so that you can keep call handling current. On-call changes, message delivery, and script updates are all at your fingertips. Here are a few things that you may need to update, depending on your industry:

• On-Call Schedules
• Services Provided
• Properties Available
• Closed Dates
• Sales or Promotions
• Business Hours
• Appointment Availability
• Insurance Accepted
• Shipping Charges or Order Lead Time

Need some help? No problem. Contact our Customer Support team. If you’ve already created a call center script sample, we can build your script to match. Alternately, we would be happy to schedule a review of your existing script. At Specialty Answering Service, your success is our success – so let’s cook up something great together!

The post 5 Tips to Make The Best Telephone Answering Service Scripts appeared first on Specialty Answering Service.

• DO focus on pronunciation: Do you have a complicated business name? Try to come up with the best phonetic spelling to make it easy for CSRs who may be answering your calls for the first time.
• DON’T complicate things: Make questions simple and direct. The last thing you want to do is confuse CSRs with lengthy questions that don’t point in a clear direction.
• DO think of everything: What might callers want when contacting your business? Create easy paths for every possible scenario. Is someone calling for an appointment? For information on a product? For your address? For an emergency? For pricing? You get the picture.
• DON’T assume that callers will always know what they want: The fact is, sometimes people call your business unsure of what it is they really need. Or they may be calling for one thing, but then realize they need something else while they are on the phone. This makes writing multiple possibilities into your script essential.
• DO ask for what you need: If you are hoping to wow your customers, then you need to ask for the appropriate information from callers so that you can get back in touch with the information they requested at your fingertips. Name and phone number are obvious. But what about reference or invoice number for billing, product name or sku for sales, ideal time for a return call, etc.
• DON’T forget your manners: It may be a scripted call, but that doesn’t mean it should be impersonal. Be sure to add pleasantries like please, thank you, how may I help you, good morning, good afternoon, thank you for calling, etc. Callers will appreciate it.

When creating the perfect script, reading and re-reading is a must. Then have other people read it. Do a few role plays and see how it flows. If the account is live, do test calls and note any problems the CSRs have in handling the account so the script can be adjusted. If you are on SAS’ free trial period, it’s a great time to do test calls because they’re free!

The more time you spend on setting calls up to follow a certain outline, the better it will be understood by operators and callers alike.

Want to learn more? Listen to some sample call center calls to see examples of call flow or learn how to adjust your script to get the most out of your free trial.

The post Don’t trip on your script! 6 call center scripting do’s and dont’s. appeared first on Specialty Answering Service.

Sample mock call for an apartment complex.

Sample mock call for an e-commerce store.

Sample mock call for a limousine company.

Sample mock call for a plumber.

Sample mock call for a recall hotline.

Sample mock call for a property management office.

Sample security system monitoring phone call.

The post Listen to call center sample calls for examples of typical call flows. appeared first on Specialty Answering Service.