When dealing with customers, multilingual support is as important as the service you provide. Here’s why language matters in elevating the customer experience.
Think about the last time you had a great experience as a customer and how it left you feeling afterward. It’s great to be listened to. Better yet, understood.
Now think about your organization’s customers. Wouldn’t you want them to experience the same when interacting with your business?
Seventy-five percent of customers are willing to spend more on brands that give them good service. A bad experience, however, can have a lasting negative impact. A PWC report reveals that 32% of customers would stop doing business with a brand they loved after one bad exchange.
What can we learn from this? Effective communication plays a crucial role in a company’s ability to deliver quality customer service. Hence, customer-facing employees should have the skills to understand and respect the linguistic and cultural differences of their buyers.
In this article, let’s dive into the reasons why languages impact your customer experience and how your organization can get started.
Importance of Language in Customer Experience
In today’s diverse world, customers come from all sorts of cultural backgrounds. And many of them may not be native speakers. For your brand to thrive while offering the human touch customers appreciate, you need to start speaking their language.
That way, the better your employees can:
Hold personalized conversations
More than giving information, customer service is about fostering human connections.
Customers want to be treated as individuals, rather than just another support ticket. They expect to feel a genuine interest in their needs. So, sticking to rigid scripts and pretend emotions won’t do the trick.
One in four customers states they’re more likely to connect with a brand if their interactions feel personalized.
Thus, brands must go the extra mile and develop the communication skills of their employees. This allows conversations to be tailored to each customer’s needs and preferences.
Understand cultural differences
Every culture has its unique customs and values. By communicating with these in mind, your team can become aware of the nuances that come with each culture.
This sensitivity allows them to change their approach, ensuring that interactions are respectful and considerate. For example, in some cultures, formal language and titles are highly regarded. While in others, an informal and friendly tone is preferred.
Without knowing this, these cultural nuances might be overlooked, leading to misunderstandings. As a result, your company could lose prospects or loyal customers. You could even damage your company’s reputation.
Avoid miscommunication
When customers cannot fully express themselves or understand information, frustration can quickly set in.
Reduce this risk of miscommunication with effective language training, so employees can provide clear explanations and simplify instructions. They can also read the customer’s tone and emotions, and adapt their approach.
This clarity helps resolve issues quickly and leaves customers with a positive impression of your brand. They will also purchase much faster when they can understand your products and services.
Help build trust and loyalty
When customers feel connected to a brand, their sense of loyalty increases.
Buyers are not just looking to repeat purchases with a brand they love. They’re seeking meaningful relationships with their favorite businesses. That is how “brand loyalty” is defined today.
The key to doing that lies in offering multilingual support. When customers receive support in their preferred language, they feel valued and satisfied. This satisfaction translates into happy customers.
Not only will they continue to do business with you, but they’ll become champions of your brand, spreading positive reviews and referrals.
Empower Your Customer Support Teams
Now you know the importance of language in elevating the customer experience. What then should go into your multicultural customer support strategy? Start with diverse hiring.
Hire individuals who are proficient in different languages and cultures. A diverse team can naturally bridge language and cultural gaps, making connecting with a wide range of customers easier.
To make sure you find the best global talent, goFLUENT’s Language Assessment provides a comprehensive solution. This assessment evaluates candidates’ language proficiency in real-world scenarios. More than a good recruitment tool, it provides a foundation for critical discussions on improving training strategies.
Once you’ve built a diverse team, it’s crucial to empower them with language training.
Start by choosing a language training provider that offers great training management, content, and technology. If they have a language academy that hosts a range of relevant learning resources and tools plus learner support, then you’re headed in the right direction.
Additionally, you can also provide staff with cross-cultural training. This helps your team navigate various cultural norms and foster respectful interactions.
Gain a Competitive Edge Globally
In a global marketplace, speaking your customer’s language is not merely an option but a strategic imperative. It’s a commitment to providing outstanding customer service.
With a multicultural customer support strategy in place, your brand can increase loyalty, which leads to increased customer happiness, retention, and lifetime value.
Don’t wait until your brand reputation is damaged to begin building customer trust. Start empowering your team with language and communication skills, and elevate the customer experience to new heights.
