Script Readers

[Anonymous]

I understand why the previous thread was locked and I most definitely agree with the decision.  We need to understand that people of those particular backgrounds may be offended by some of the things that were being said.

But one thing I will agree with is...script reading.  I have absolutely zero tolerance for script reading.  And I don't care what nationality you are... You are not a newscaster, this is not a school play, you are not a machine, this is not a soap opera.  Stop reading the script and speak to me like you are a person.

Which is good about Amex.  NO SCRIPTS.  Real people.  Sometimes a little too real, if you ask me.  Some of my peers can get a little out of hand...well, myself included.  haha.

[SonorityGenius]

Dont forget, it is NOT their choice to do "script reading"

Out sourced call centers often employ people of developing countries, and as such they may not even have a credit card of their own to "understand" you.

They are just glad they are employed for pennies a day.

They are given strict guidelines what to say for a specific scenario, they may not even know what caused it / what country is it in etc.

We need to blame our CC companies that use outsourcing as a method of "customer service" not the people employed. Everyone needs to earn bread or chapatti w.e you call it.

[haulingthescoreup]

Agreed--that's why I flinch when I realize I'm talking overseas. It's not the people, it's the fact that the creditor cares so little about taking care of customers that they contract out to the lowest bidder. Of course they're given scripts to read -- the creditor isn't interested in resolving your problem; they just want you to give up and mail a check!

It's pretty rare when the lowest bidder on ANYTHING works out the best for the consumer. I have to deal too much with this at work. I'd like not to have it happening off the clock.

[Anonymous]

It's hard to direct anger at the proper area of blame.  It really does belong with the company.  They think it's okay to employ these individuals.

American Express also does employ outside vendors in the Phillippines and has a major call center in India.  They are actually very kind people.  Maybe that's a stereotype but they're nice to talk to.

[Anonymous]

Even American allcenters read scripts.  Unfortunately depending on the position the rep is limited in what they can or cannot say and it relates back to corporate liability. Say for example you have someone calling for tech support, and the rep responsibility is simply to route the call to the correct department, the customer says I don't know how to save pics on a certain model of camera, even if the rep has the exact same model camera and is an expert, they can only route to a tech person who may know nothing of the product.  That's simply because that was not the positon that person was hired for and cannot act in that capacity.

Same thing with credit cards, which is why you have back door numbers for relationship managers. They are never aloowed to suggest it, but if you know who to call you have an 'in'.

[Anonymous]

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Brammy wrote:

Even American allcenters read scripts.  Unfortunately depending on the position the rep is limited in what they can or cannot say and it relates back to corporate liability.

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Exactly, which is why I didn't pinpoint any particular origin. Script readers are everywhere!  lol

I actually tell them, "maybe I should have stayed on the automated voice response system because I can't tell the difference between the robot and you."

[Anonymous]

Don't get mad or be rude to the reps.  Trust me, they would rather help you and get you on your way then have you screaming at them ot being rude.  Their hands are just tied. I really wish they had more leeway aswell. That way if something is out of their pervue, more than just answering blanket questions, they could route ou to someone twho may be able to help.  Unfortunately, even a slight variation on script has been known to cost some employees their jobs.

[Anonymous]

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Brammy wrote:

Don't get mad or be rude to the reps.  Trust me, they would rather help you and get you on your way then have you screaming at them ot being rude.  Their hands are just tied. I really wish they had more leeway aswell. That way if something is out of their pervue, more than just answering blanket questions, they could route ou to someone twho may be able to help.  Unfortunately, even a slight variation on script has been known to cost some employees their jobs.

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That's some good advice.  I actually know from experience you can get more action done by being polite.  And as far as the variation of the script such as quoting apr and reading disclosures, I know they're strict about that.  But as far as the overall of feel of the call....that's where my major concern lies.  If I'm not being treated like a person, I get angry.

[Anonymous]

I am a department manager working with word processing professionals.  I work with local (US) and offshore (India) staff.  While I do know that heavy accents can be frustrating, I have been to India several times and you cannot beat them for work ethic and desire to do a good job. 

Unfortunately, many companies think they can go overseas, hire a large staff solely for cost consideration, and do not adquately matriculate the staff in the cultures they will be dealing with.  We invested a lot of time and money in ensuring the staff understood our culture and particular industry's lingo prior to ever training them to work on our products.

I also deal with phone support staff which I must call for assitance and have felt the frustration with dealing with someone who cannot answer the questions at hand because they have no real knowledge of the product they are dealing with.  This falls solely on the shoulders of the outsourcing company.  How arrogant to believe that your customers and your representatives do not require more than scripted responses.

Carol

Message Edited by Cooneyca on 11-12-2007 02:04 PM

[Anonymous]

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Cooneyca wrote:

 How arrogant to believe that your customers and your representatives do not require more than scripted responses.

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Thank you so much for your input and your understanding of my frustration.

This last line pretty much sums it all up.