In a multilingual call center, we find talented multilingual agents who can confidently converse in multiple languages. These multilingual agents are using their knowledge of different foreign languages to serve their clients who have customers all over the world. From Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Japanese to Spanish, multilingual agents are truly gifted in communicating using the native tongue of their client’s customers worldwide.
But effective communication requires more than just a knowledge of a language. In order to be competent and effective, a multilingual call center must also invest in training their staff about the different cultures of the countries from where their customers are calling. Cultural knowledge goes a long way in delivering superior customer service. When your multilingual agents possess the right cultural knowledge, they can easily and quickly adjust their communication style and tone to make their customers feel more at ease. Here are the three reasons why cultural knowledge is important in a multilingual call center’s daily operations:
Here are the three reasons why cultural knowledge is important in a multilingual call center’s daily operations:
- Avoid giving the wrong impression to customers. Nuances in the manner of speaking can make customers feel more attentive, irritated, or pleased. A basic cultural knowledge, particularly in the different communication styles of people from other countries, is critical for multilingual agents to avoid causing confusion and frustration to their customers. Some Western customers talk fast while some Asians talk slow. If you talk too slow to a Western customer, they might think you are delivering poor customer service. If you talk too fast for an Asian, they may think you are being rude for rushing their phone call. Knowledge of subtle differences such as this can prevent stressful situations – for both you and the customer – from coming up in the first place.
- Allows faster establishment of customer rapport and trust. Generally speaking, people are more prone to trust those they have more similarities with. If your multilingual agents already speak the same language as their customers do, why not raise the bar of service by equipping them with useful information about their culture as well? Empower your multilingual agents to make these valuable connections to their customers by teaching them about cultural knowledge. It helps you show your customers that you are not a total stranger to their culture, which encourages them to trust you more.
- Facilitates better customer engagement results. Even the most basic cultural knowledge can help you bridge that gap between you and your customer. While there are some customers who are very private and are not fond of idle talk with customer service agents, there are those who are open to it and actually welcome them. Showing your customers you know a thing or two about their unique culture – maybe their cuisine or sports history – can instantly improve the quality of your conversation with them, and their customer experience as well. Applying your cultural knowledge at the right time and place is key to break barriers between you and your customer, increase their customer satisfaction and deliver a positive customer service experience.
As one expert said, cultural mindfulness comes from having cultural knowledge and intercultural skills in place. In a multilingual call center, cultural knowledge is the primary stepping stone for the multilingual agents to deliver the kind of service their customers, no matter what language they speak, deserve.
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