products and services. Interjecting some of an agent's personality into an interaction can boost a caller's faith and make him feel as if he is talking to someone who knows what she's doing, Pell says.
"A great example of this is step-by-step technical knowledge walk-throughs that support agents use," he says. "Many times they allow for variability of answer and give the caller the feeling that the person he is working with has a comprehensive understanding of the issue."
Navarra echoes that sentiment and believes that agents who are better trained don't have to use static scripting as a crutch. That translates into a more personal and reassuring experience for the customer, which in turn can lead to cost savings, such as in decreased repeat calls.
"Unfortunately, what's happened is that static scripting has become a quick fix instead of training," she says. "It's nice that agents have scripts that they can rely on if they need to, but if a customer asks a question that's not on a script, the agent might not be adequately trained to provide an explanation confidently. The customer will hang up and call back into the contact center. Now you have two calls instead of one for the same issue."
With dynamic scripting, information can appear with a swipe at the screen, but agents are not forced into a conversational straitjacket. "Basically, it's about knowing the customer," says Steve Herlocher, chief marketing officer at Jacada.
"In a personalized script, I'm going to know who you are, what your history is, if you have any problems," Herlocher says. "I can start the call with what's most likely on the top of a customer's mind instead of starting at the beginning and going through a set of predefined scripts and asking questions which will upset the customer."
"People want to feel like they are talking to a person who both understands and cares about their issue," Redding says. "The customer calling in at the very least can experience a support person being responsive to her unique needs, which increases the positive connection between caller and support."
Freeing Agents Though Dynamic Scripting Technology
Dynamic scripting technology can draw information from not only company procedures and policies but also data from seemingly disparate sources. Speech and desktop analytics, CRM systems, the IVR, and other channels and systems offer feedback to the agent and "elevate scripting to almost an art form," Navarra says.
"Not only is guidance returned, but so are next best action recommendations, such as, 'Here's the best offer for the customer,'" she says. "Ideally it's pulling in information on a customer's history or past behavior and optimally coming up with the right solution or retention offer for