Developing a Call Answering Script for Your Electrical Business
Making the jump to having a dedicated answering script for yourself, your receptionist, or your answering service is a wise move. It helps ensure each customer is treated well and receives the same level of customer service. It also should ensure that your team gathers all of the information that you’ll need on each call without taking too long. A call answering script may sound impersonal, but it doesn’t have to be. When delivered well by a highly trained virtual receptionist, your script can sound great every time. Developing it is usually the hard part. So here’s how to do it.
Understanding Call Answering Scripts
A call answering script should tell whoever is answering your calls exactly what to say in any foreseeable call your customers could have. It should also tell them when and how to transfer the call to you or anyone else who might need to take the call at your electrical business. There should be several goals for your script, including:
- Provide your caller with a high level of customer service
- Collect all of the information you need from your caller
- Book the work and set their expectations for it to avoid issues down the road
We’ll go over how to make sure your script should meet each of these goals.
Customer Service
Your call script should greet your customer, express understanding of their concerns, and do the other things that you need to provide them with high levels of service. The introduction and closing are the most important parts of the script to provide customer service. Each should be brief but also pleasant and responsive to the customer.
Greetings might sound like:
- “Thanks for calling [your electrical company]. This is [your receptionist]; how can I help?”
- “You’ve reached [your electrical company]. I’m [your receptionist]; what can I do for you?”
Closing might sound like:
- “Okay. Thanks again for calling. Do call back if things change.”
- “Okay. I’ll call you back as soon as I can. Let us know if you need anything else.”
Collecting All of the Information
When you’re designing a script, it’s wise to base your script on what you’ve heard from customers before. Make sure that every kind of electrical concern that your customers could be calling about is accounted for in the script. And that there are options for new concerns you’ve never heard. It is also useful to add a prompt near the end of the call, where the receptionist can ensure that they have understood everything. Examples include:
- “Okay. I think that is everything I need to know. Do you have any other concerns?”
- “[Repeat customer’s concerns]. Have I understood you?”
- “Are there any of these signs of emergencies, like [list signs here].”
Set Expectations
Of course, your script should assist your receptionist in booking your customer’s work. But it should also set up their expectations for that work when you can. This helps you avoid customer confusion and complaints, saving you valuable time down the road. When you can, provide this information or re-confirm it with your caller:
- The date and time you’ve booked them for
- Signs that they should call you back
- How long do these kinds of repairs or installations tend to take
- What the electrician will need when they are on-site
Your call script should balance being comprehensive with quick. Even your customers will not want to be on calls that are too long.
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