Word Clouds Illustrate Agent Performance
Speech analytics technology is more accessible to businesses than ever before. Advances in the technology have made it simpler to use and easier to analyze results. One of the key functionalities of speech analytics technology is tracking the use of keywords. Tracking keywords has a number of applications across a variety of verticals. It can be used to alert supervisors of calls gone wrong or ensure representatives are mentioning a new product. But beyond these specific applications, broadly tracking keywords can tell you a lot about the “voice” of your brand.
“Words are singularly the most powerful force available to humanity. We can choose to use this force constructively with words of encouragement, or destructively using words of despair. Words have energy and power with the ability to help, to heal, to hinder, to hurt, to harm, to humiliate and to humble.” – Yehuda Berg
Regardless of vertical, all call center businesses have one thing in common; they rely on the voice of their representatives to shape their brand. Words can be powerful and in the absence of our other senses, that power is magnified. Callers don’t see a friendly face or inviting atmosphere. The only contributing factor to their experience is the language that is used.
The power of positive words is no secret. They have the ability to invoke emotional responses, defuse a bad situation, and be used to persuade or gain someone’s favor. Likewise, negative talk also has a great impact. Studies show it can take a dozen pleasant experiences to make up for a single bad one in the mind of a consumer. This means that the words representatives utter today can have an impact on your brand’s reputation for years to come.
What Keywords Do Your Reps Use The Most?
Speech analytics applications allow businesses to track the frequency of use for keywords – Many include options to create a visual representation of all the words captured on the audio. These typically take the form of a “word cloud.” Word clouds display the words which are used the most in a larger font, so the frequency of use is visually obvious. These can be applied to individuals, departments, or the call center recordings as a whole.
Monitoring the word cloud for your call center can tell you a lot about the voice of your brand. By skimming the largest words off the top of the cloud you can get an impression of what kind of attitude your representatives are projecting to callers. Lists can be created from these popular words and used for training or tracked to monitor improvement.
Depending on your business model, different words have a different impact. In a sales environment, you can tell your reps are using positive persuasion from words like “free,” “advantage,” or “savings.” Words like “cheap,” “cost,” or “buy” may indicate a need for training as they aren’t typically well received and can come across as too pushy or forward. Keywords can also help you spot obscure issues with language. For example, the word “honestly” when uttered by a salesperson, however well intended, can turn a buyer off and make them suspicious.
Following is a list of common words which carry heavy connotations:
| POSITIVE | NEGATIVE |
|---|---|
| Definitely | Don’t |
| Certainly | Can’t |
| Great | Problem |
| Thanks | Never |
| Assist | Terrible |
| Help | Won’t |
| Understand | Must |
| Assure | No |
| Will | Afraid |
| Absolutely | Obviously |
Tracking the popular keywords in your call center can give you a lot of insight into the caller experience and offer opportunities for script and training improvements as well as explanations for issues that may arise in your operational processes. This functionality is just another way that speech analytics can be a powerful tool for call centers, helping to streamline the brand’s voice and build or repair its reputation. What would the word cloud look like for your business?