You might be thinking, “Sounding like we care? Of course we care about our customers!” Let me ask you, when you are on the phone to customer services, listening to someone read the same script for the 3000th time, do you feel like the representative cares? I’m going to guess the answer is “no”.

Why do Customer Service Representatives Sound Like They Don’t Care?

In one word: scripts. It’s understandable that any company offering customer support would want to control what their representatives say. Scripts keep everyone on the same track, with the same solutions, the same standard of business English, and no opportunity to offend the customer. That is an attractive combination, but it comes with problems.

The Problems With Customer Support Scripts

• Disingenuous (not genuine sounding) service representatives.

• Angry and frustrated customers.

• Representatives who dislike their jobs and don’t feel appreciated.

• An inability to problem solve.

• An inability to connect with the customer.

• Informed and repeat customers begin the script again each time they call.

• The eventual loss of loyal customers.

• High staff turnover.

What is the Solution?

If you are interested in having customers who feel valued, there are solutions:

• Replace the script with training - educate your staff on your company’s strategy for responding to customers and problem-solving without using a script.

• Let your representatives use their own words - two different people can say the same sentence, and one can feel natural, and the other feel wrong, or even insulting. This is often because someone is being asked to use words they would never say, and we notice this as customers.

• Train and retain - stop hiring endlessly to replace the customer service representatives who leave. Respecting your staff, training them, and trusting them will reduce turnover, and create a positive work environment people are motivated to stay in, and improve at.

Improving Your Customer Service English

So, how can your representatives support your customers if English isn’t their first language? By improving their modern business English, and the modern way is to be a polite, respectful, and professional version of yourself. Nobody wants to be helped by a representative using words they don’t believe in. Train your staff, empower them to see their job as a career, and bring their personalities and speaking styles into their work. Business English lessons that teach lists of professional vocabulary and grammar are useful, but your staff could learn this from a book.

Modern business English lessons work on bringing out the natural professional in your staff. It’s about coaching your staff to build their speaking skills and confidence until they can cheerfully and professionally handle anything that can happen in customer support. Part of that confidence is from accepting that there is no perfect script that works for everyone, and your staff cannot predict everything they will be asked. There will be times when they can’t find the right word, and that’s fine. Training, and especially modern business English training, encourages representatives to be responsible but honest. There’s no panic when they can’t find the right word, only confidently answering, ‘I’m sorry. English isn’t my first language and I can’t remember the word I’m thinking of.” Honesty is the best policy, and it’s genuine.

Summing Up

If you are in charge of a fleet of customer service representatives and English is not their first language, I encourage you to say goodbye to the script, and give your staff the opportunity to grow within your company. As part of that, modern business English lessons can coach your staff and help you build world-class customer support. I know I look at customer support reviews when I’m choosing which company to go with.