The thought of using a script might sound relegated to the broadcasting industry rather than a call center. However, the use of a script is very valuable for call center agents when dealing with the public. Those of you working as property managers will also find scripts very useful when taking inbound calls from customers.

How do you go about creating a call center script so it sounds natural and not forced? Just like scripts for movies, TV, or radio, you want it to sound professional. In the case of a call center, you also want it to sound conversational rather than formal.

Take a look at these steps on constructing an effective script.

Gather Information On Who Your Customers Are

As a property manager, nurturing personal relationships with prospective or current tenants is essential so you keep them around and avoid treating them like a number. Be sure to greet them by their first name.

Collecting other key pieces of customer info related to your business is also important. One way to gather this is to have them fill out surveys so you can collect as much personal information as possible. Knowing what they like and don’t like about your properties will go a long way in determining how you craft your script in a personalized way.

Finding the Perfect Greeting

The first words from your phone agents go a long way in how customers perceive your property-related business.

Typically, the best way to greet callers is to say “Thank you for calling (your business name). How may I help you?” This simple line immediately identifies who you are while showing your appreciation for the call. You’re also offering a quick offer of help, whether it’s for message taking or appointment scheduling.

Sometimes you’ll find scripts that thrown in a “how are you today?” at the end of the greeting. No matter what you choose to add there, think about how it fits within your property business’s brand.

Make sure you set expectations on how you want your phone agents to greet all callers. The more natural and personalized it is, the more friendly the caller will be, even if they’re upset about something.

Why is the Customer Calling?

Once again, you want to know your customers well before writing your call center script. Take some time to fully understand why a customer would call you so you hone your script toward their pain points.

A large part of the time, you may have tenants calling about maintenance issues or a related emergency on the property you manage. The best way to approach this is for your phone agents to show as much empathy as possible for the problem to avoid sounding robotic or unsympathetic.

In some cases, they could even go off-script to show concern for a particular tenant inconvenience. Nevertheless, your script should include the agent asking for the address of the caller in the introduction.

Afterward, have the agent ask the caller for their main contact number so you or a maintenance worker can make a callback. Assure the caller the callback won’t take long to quickly amend the problem.

Documenting the Behavior of Past Callers

Having a basic understanding of how most of your tenants or other customers react on the phone will help you better craft your call center script.

Numerous unique scenarios are going to come up, from prospects wanting to pass on a message to your agents handling emergencies after-hours.

Creating a document of past interactions allows you to provide a way to craft your scripts with more personalized precision and empathy.

As an example, you should prepare to deal with irate callers calling in to complain about nearby neighbors being too loud. Always politely ask what the problem is in the first sentence and then give time for the tenant to explain their complaint.

These callers are going to likely be mad and not easy to converse with in the beginning. Always place apologetic language into the script and be sure to get all contact information correct. This should include carefully spelling the name of the caller to avoid making mistakes when you return the call.

Determining When You Want Your Employees Contacted

Defining when you want customers to call you will help determine what your call agents say during a given work shift. Your script will obviously have some slight differences when speaking with customers during the day compared to speaking with them during off-hours.

Daytime scripts are going to often mean more detailed conversations to solve tenant problems or explaining the application process to new tenants. It pays to create a script explaining some of the most frequently asked questions about property renting so your agents have it immediately accessible.

During these explanations, it’s also better to keep them short and break in to ask if the caller understands each point. Brevity always helps in any type of call center script rather than rambling off three long paragraphs. As we all know, telemarketers could learn something from this.

For off-hours scripts, you’ll want to ask for pertinent pieces of information to pass on for the next business day. Some of your contractors or maintenance employees may have to call and leave messages for you. Having a professional call center take these messages is far more professional than an automated voice mail system.

Finding the Right Call Center Service

If you have the proper call center script written up, it’s time to consider your call center options. Outsourcing is maybe your best bet now rather than investing on your own.

We’re here to help provide a quality call center at Westpark Communications.

Visit our website to ask any question you have about the operations side to partnering us.