By Liz Elting
Business 2 Community - January 10, 2013
A customer visits a website and wants to make a purchase, but her item is backordered. She picks up the phone and dials the customer service line in hopes of finding a local store location where she can pick up the item, only to come in contact with someone who does not speak her language. What is the likelihood that she will make a purchase?
Adding a remote interpretation service to a customer service call center solidifies positive customer interactions, increases your center’s satisfaction rate, and helps your business build a customer-centric image that will attract both new and repeat users.
When searching for the right remote interpretation provider, here are the top three criteria for evaluating potential partners:
- They can respond in virtually any language. In today’s global atmosphere, it’s not enough to offer support for a few of the more commonly spoken languages. Your interpretation service partner should provide interpreters who are native speakers of multiple languages and dialects – everything from Portuguese to Mandarin.
- They can work the phones and more. Consumers around the world are shifting from picking up the phone to using other platforms such as video, instant messenger, web-based audio, and more. Your interpretation service partner should be “in the know” on all of these technologies and ready to support your platforms, beyond the telephone.
- They’re open for business when you are. If your call center is open 24/7/365, then your interpretation service partner should be as well. Your partner should be ready to engage whenever one of your call center agents receives a call from a non-English speaking customer —and that includes Christmas Day or the middle of the night, if needed.
Enlisting the help of a language professional is an act of trust. You are giving them access to your most valuable asset: your customers. As always, the most important element in raising your call center’s customer satisfaction rate is the human one. Even with the most advanced technology and applications, customers still want to end each call feeling as if their needs matter and will be met by a caring, engaged team who understands them.
By investing in a strategic, consultative relationship with a skilled, experienced remote interpretation service partner, call centers can demonstrate that they’re taking an active interest in improving communications – and the overall user experience – for their customers. This level of commitment reaps rewards that include long-lasting customer loyalty and positive reviews. And for many companies, that can truly be critical to the growth of their market and longevity of their business.