Creating an Answering Service Script

The relationship between a business and an answering service is built on so many things. Yet, the most important aspect of the relationship takes place before the first call is even answered. The set up of the answering service process is one of the most critical steps in ensuring that the process runs smoothly. Creating an answering service script is crucial in ensuring that the relationship. So much of what occurs during a telephone call has to do with the skill set of the answering service operator, as well as the training techniques of the answering service. However, creating the answering service script helps the operators during the entire process of the call.

Communication is Vital
From the very start of the set up process, your answering service should be working in tandem with key office personnel. Together an answering service script is created. The first step is for the answering service to listen to the customer. By listening to the customer's needs, your service will begin the process of scripting the call. After the needs of the customer are identified, they will then search for existing clientele with similar needs. In seeing the way that other company’s needs are scripted, the operator then begins to create a unique answering service script.

Script Writers
The answering service script is created as a guide for the operator to take a step by step approach to handling phone calls. The writers actually put themselves in the place of the operators. By making sure that the script makes sense in any environment. By assuming the worst in any situation, the script writer takes the initiative to make sure that the script is a helpful tool. By being guided step by step through various scenarios, the call center operator can handle a variety of situations with ease. While the answering service script writers can usually handle typical scripting needs, occasionally there is a need to bring the customer in to write the script.

Learn from Mistakes
One of the best ways to help design a call center script is to find out what is not working. Often times the client comes from another answering service. These clients often times have had a negative experience at the prior call center. By finding out what mistakes were made and how they were made is helpful in creating an answering service script. By seeing the potential pitfalls helps them from happening again. In addition to learning from the mistakes of others, the telephone answering service also learns from their own mistakes. By doing so the script becomes a working blue print as to how to handle calls. This is a process that evolves. The answering service/client relationship is something that should be a learning experience.