Phone Scripts for an Energy Company: 5 Practical Tips
A sharp intake of breath before the microphone, a hesitation at the word 'capacity tariff', and then an immediate request to pause the recording. Well-designed phone scripts for an energy company prevent both the caller and the voice actor from getting stuck on clunky phrases. Below, you will find five clear insights to make your telephone communication clear and human.
1. Write for the Ear and Avoid Official Language
An effective phone script is written speech that sounds natural as soon as someone reads it aloud. We often receive texts that seem taken directly from legal small print or an energy bill. Long, convoluted sentences work fine on paper, but they cause confusion over the phone.
In the recording studio, I immediately notice when a text is written purely for the eye. The voice actor struggles for breath because there are simply no natural pauses in the sentence. Replace sentences like 'Please have your fourteen-digit EAN code ready before the connection is established' with 'Please have your EAN code ready. You'll find it at the top of your energy bill.' This immediately puts the caller, who is already searching, at ease.
2. Guide Callers Directly to the Right Service
Energy customers rarely call without a clear reason. Most often, they are calling about moving home, a query about their advance payment amount, or an urgent fault with their installation. An options menu should filter these situations immediately, without people having to listen to irrelevant options for three minutes.
Therefore, keep the main menu compact and logically structured:
- Emergencies or faults: always put these as the first option, so concerned people do not have to wait.
- Questions about billing and payments: the most common reason for private customers to get in touch.
- Moving home and meter readings: an administrative process that can often be easily managed online.
- General questions about contracts and tariffs: for new or changing connections.
As a director, I always recommend: first state the action or topic, and only then the number. So, do not say 'Press 1 for faults', but 'For faults, press 1'. The caller first hears if the category is relevant, and only then listens out for the correct key.
3. Choose a Voice that Projects Reliability
A caller contacting an energy supplier sometimes feels a little tension, especially with unexpectedly high annual bills. The voice's tone should therefore be calm, stable, and approachable. An overly cheerful or commercial advertising sound can quickly cause annoyance.
For our Belgian customers, we often hear that a familiar, warm tone works wonders to immediately defuse the situation. Our actors from Belgium are therefore often chosen for these kinds of projects, with a clear, calm tone. For Dutch-language productions north of the border, there are voices that know how to maintain exactly the right professional distance.
4. Offer an Alternative for Online Tasks
Many questions for an energy supplier's customer service concern tasks that can easily be handled through an online customer portal. For example, submitting a meter reading or adjusting a monthly direct debit. Yet people still call about this daily.
Instead of abruptly dismissing the caller, a friendly script that gives the caller the choice helps. Calmly mention during the waiting time that simple adjustments can also be made via the website, without it feeling like you are pushing the customer away. Keep the instruction short and refer to the exact section on the site, so the caller immediately knows where to look.
5. Provide Clear Out-of-Hours ScriptsWhen your business is closed, callers need to know what to expect. This is especially true for energy companies. If someone's heating stops working on a cold winter evening, they do not want to hear a vague voicemail message. They need to know when someone will be available.
Clearly state your customer service opening hours. For urgent issues like gas smells or network outages, provide the direct emergency number for the network operator. This stops people in dangerous situations from waiting unnecessarily for an employee who will only log in the next morning.
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Frequently asked questions
How long should a welcome message be?
Keep your welcome message under fifteen seconds. Callers want help as quickly as possible. Greet them kindly, state your company name, and then get straight to the point or offer the option menu.
Should you use music when callers are waiting?
Yes, suitable music confirms to your callers that their call is still connected. Choose calm, neutral music that isn't too prominent. Then, every thirty to forty-five seconds, alternate it with a short, friendly update message.
Can you record telephone messages in multiple languages?
Absolutely. In Belgium, for example, a bilingual setup in Dutch and French is often necessary. You can let callers choose their preferred language at the start of the menu. Then, their entire call experience will continue in that language.
If you want to start writing your own scripts straight away, we have a collection of ready-made example texts you can use as a direct starting point. If you have specific questions about the right tone, or if you would like to discuss the best approach for your phone system, please get in touch. We are always happy to help you brainstorm ideas.
Frequently asked questions
Short and to the point. Click to see the answer.
How do I order a phone message?
Pick a voice you like for your phone system. Enter your texts. You can also use our simple text generator. Add hold music if you want. Within 3 days at most, you receive the finished audio files.
How does ordering work?
- Here is how it works: 1. Listen to the demos and pick a voice for your phone system. 2. Enter your texts. You can also use our simple text generator. 3. Add hold music if you want. 4. Pay securely with Bancontact, iDEAL or credit card. Within 3 days at most, you receive the finished audio files by email.
What does a professional phone message cost?
The price depends on how long your text is and which message you need (welcome, menu or hold). As soon as you pick a voice, you see what it costs. Hold music is optional.
How much does a professional voice-over cost?
The price depends on three factors: the medium (corporate video, radio advert, telephony), the licence duration (1 year, unlimited) and the script length. With Voices, you see the exact price per voice artist before you order. No surprises later on.
A short corporate video starts from a modest amount. A radio advert with national reach costs more due to the buyout (broadcasting rights). Telephone messages are generally the most affordable.
Tip: enter your script for the voice of your choice and you will instantly see the cost.
