Running a business is challenging. Those challenges double in the case of expansions. They can encounter several hindrances, such as language barriers and miscommunication, among others. According to Babbel, there are nearly 8 billion people worldwide, but only more than 1 billion can speak English. For this reason, multilingual customer support services are a must for most businesses.
Multilingual customer support is becoming a top priority, especially in voice customer service, as businesses continuously grow globally. Business Wire reveals that over 65% of customers would switch to brands that offer support using their native tongue. Another report by ICMI claims that over 70% of customer service leaders confirm that offering support using a customer’s native language can increase satisfaction.
So, should you outsource multilingual customer service for your business? Before answering that question, let’s go into the basics of multilingual customer support.
What Is Customer Support Services?
Customer support services are services rendered to customers or clients to assist them in planning, troubleshooting, maintenance, upgrading services, or disposal of a product. It requires a talented customer support team to resolve customers’ problems and concerns. Moreover, it’s an opportunity for businesses to grow and serve as a great competitive differentiator that improves brand loyalty and awareness.
What Is Multilingual Support?
This refers to utilizing multiple languages in client assistance, helping businesses provide consistent and high-quality customer service to a wide range of clientele. It is a critical component for expanding or extending geographical reach and demographics. Most importantly, it is the most effective solution for scaling internationally.
Traditionally, the translation is done by human agents. Having said that, the advent of technology brought new methods, such as artificial intelligence (AI), that are game-changing in the customer support landscape.
But can AI provide multilingual support?
The answer is yes. AI translates automatically, ensuring quicker service. However, it’s not a perfect method, needing continuous testing and maintenance for more accurate translations.
Challenges of Building an In-House Multilingual Support
As helpful as it is, providing multilingual customer support isn’t easy. You may encounter multiple obstacles along the way, such as:
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Difficulty In Seeking Qualified Staff
Finding qualified staff requires extensive recruitment efforts. It is difficult to find multilingual people with a deep understanding of cultural nuances and preferences. Thorough screening can take a lot of time and resources.
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Poor Consistency In Maintaining Quality
Consistency is key to offering multilingual customer service. So, it’s essential to have continuous staff training and provide needed resources. This also necessitates a serious amount of investment to maintain.
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Language Idiosyncracies
Different audiences have different communication styles. Each audience requires a tailored approach to ensure clear and impactful communication.
Advantages of Outsourcing Your Multilingual Customer Support Service
1. It is A Cost-Effective Approach
As a business owner, you must look for ways to save money while running your business. One way to do this is by outsourcing your customer support. This ensures access to skilled multilingual agents and reduces overhead expenses, such as salary, training, equipment, and statutory benefits to maintain your in-house team.
2. Gain Access To Pools Of Talents
As mentioned earlier, outsourcing can help you have many multilingual experts. These experts can assist you without spending much money on their training and benefits. Outsourced companies can provide agents with various and excellent language proficiency, allowing you to target specific audiences since they excel in offered training and seminars.
3. It Expands Market Reach
Outsourcing allows you to open your doors to a broader audience. Outsourced multilingual customer support is a big help for you to reach a new region, country, and demographics using the language they’re comfortable with.
4. It Enables 24/7 Customer Support
Customers come from different places and time zones. So, it’s best to have a trusted outsource multilingual customer support services that can provide 24/7 high-quality customer solutions.
When you provide their needs promptly, they are likely to repeat transactions with your business, receive positive feedback, boost your brand reputation, and increase your sales.
5. Provide Personalized Experience
Providing personalization is essential for your business. One way to start this is by offering multilingual customer support, allowing them to communicate in their preferred language. By doing this, you can communicate with customers on a more personal level. That way, you allow yourself to deepen your connection and serve them a more personalized experience.
Time To Outsource Your Multilingual Customer Support Services
Outsourcing multilingual customer support may sound complicated at first. However, it’s the most sought-after strategy for your business to expand and reach a broader audience. Most importantly, it’s a strategic investment setting yourself apart from your competitors.
Expanding your customer support capabilities to encompass various languages serves as a testament to your commitment to providing an exceptional customer experience. It becomes a proactive endeavor to eliminate language barriers, fostering seamless communication and building stronger connections with customers from diverse linguistic backgrounds.