7 Steps in creating a multilingual customer support strategy: Part 1

Faith Ocampo Published on August 3, 2016

English may be one of the world’s most widely recognized languages, but it’s far from being consumers’ sole language of choice when it comes to customer service.

customer service agent with multilingual call center coworkers

Now that personalization has become the standard of good customer care, international brands are under pressure to tailor-fit their services to a multicultural market. But does the customer care business model that these companies have support this goal?

In the process of building a customer support strategy, plenty of managers, particularly those targeting a largely English-speaking area, forget they may also have non-English-speaking customers. This is a big mistake since today’s richest markets are often multilingual. It’s a result of how highly developed cities have become melting pots where people from varying cultures converge. And of course, the same goes for brands that target multiple countries. These organizations have a pressing need to build a multilingual call center.

Arming your brand with every possible service feature, especially multilingual capabilities, will allow you to make every single customer feel valued. On the contrary, when you leave out portions of your customer bases from your support strategy, you sacrifice the quality of the customer experience. Brands who can’t speak their customers’ language can’t expect to build trust and loyalty among their market.

Before you implement a multilingual customer service strategy, however, you must make sure that all aspects are carefully thought out. This two-part article will guide you on how to successfully build and launch your brand’s multilingual support strategy.

1. Identify your markets.

businessman holding magnifying lens to small globe

The first step is to identify your current and potential new markets. This will help you determine the languages that your customer support team must be able to speak. But aside from this, a clear understanding of your customers and their countries of origin will allow you to create a strategy that is aligned with people’s cultural practices.

Remember, however, that just because you’re targeting a particular country or city doesn’t mean you can stick to just one language. For instance, California may be thought of as a state composed mainly of Americans, but you can actually find a mix of cultures in the area. Some of the most prevalent languages in this state are Spanish (spoken by 9.5 million), Chinese (927,000), and Filipino (707,000).

2. Anticipate the types of customer queries.


business team meeting

After identifying your markets, you can more accurately predict the volume of transactions that your contact center will be handling and the types of queries you’ll get. This part is crucial and must not be skipped because it will guide you in gauging not only the languages you need to support, but also the number of agents that you have to hire for each language. Plus, you need to identify the skill set your agents must have based on the nature of your brand and the common issues that your customers encounter. For example, tech companies must employ tech-savvy agents while retail brands may choose highly upbeat sales reps.

You may also categorize customer issues according to complexity. Are they mostly transactional, information-based, or diagnostic? Do customers seek advice from you before making a purchase? Your agents must be able to handle these types of queries in order to improve the customer experience.

Another consideration you have to make is the growth rate of your customer base. Should your market expand or shrink, you must be able to scale your workforce up or down. This will let you make the most of your contact center operations.

3. Recognize customer expectations.

business executives discussing company matters on white board

To successfully capture the international market, it’s important to pay attention to culture-specific nuances. Watch out for remarks that may not be acceptable for your customers, and make sure that your agents are aware of these.

Aside from the cultural aspect, you must also invest in the customer service platforms that your consumers prefer. For instance, if your customers are mostly millennials, you better deploy mobile solutions, as 50% of them consider their smartphones more important than desktop computers. On the other hand, the baby boomer generation (those born between 1946 and 1964) favor email over other channels.

As for the availability of your multilingual call center, carefully gauge whether you need to operate on a 24/7 basis or if you can afford to have some days off. Customer support provider Open Access BPO commonly keeps its operations available at all times to accommodate more transactions and boost the customer experience.

Contact us today so we can start developing the right customer support strategy for your multicultural customers. Whether it’s for global expansion through multilingual call center or if you intend to grow your local business with back office support, Open Access BPO has you covered

For the next four steps toward a successful multilingual customer service strategy, watch out for the second part of this article.

Faith is a digital media enthusiast aiming to become an active part of the tech world by sharing her insights. She likes to blog about everything digimarketing, technology, and social media.
Join us on facebook
Open Access BPO 22 hours ago
The 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 is a top #outsourcing destination. The country's capital, Manila, where Makati is located, houses most of the country's top 1,000 companies.
𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗕𝗣𝗢's flagship center in Makati leverage world-class infrastructures and the nation's most expansive talent pool.

Our facilities in the Makati Central Business District offer scalable multilingual solutions for global businesses.

𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝟯𝟬 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀: https://buff.ly/4e7eRln

----------
𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗕𝗣𝗢
• Our Solutions: https://buff.ly/4f22Mip
• Our Other Locations: https://buff.ly/4e68ej1

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
Open Access BPO 23 hours ago
𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗕𝗣𝗢 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗸𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲-𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝘄𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟯𝟬, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰.

Drop It Like It's Hot: The OABPO Weight Loss Challenge began with an early morning wellness session hosted by the outsourcing company's Clinic Services with guest speaker, fitness coach JR Madriaga. Both the morning and evening sessions were streamed online for those who could not be physically present.

After discussing the rules of the challenge and weigh-in schedules, Coach JR talked about some of the most effective methods of losing weight. He highlighted the healthiest ways for the participants to get their weight loss journey started.

A high-energy Zumba session soon followed the discussion. It not only served as a fun way to start the challenge but also emphasized the importance of incorporating physical activity into daily routines.

More than 80 employees from both Open Access BPO Makati and Davao signed up for the three-month weight loss challenge. The grand prize, originally P25,000, has since been doubled to P50,000, with the winner to be announced in next year's Kick Off Party.
Open Access BPO Yesterday
Did you know that it's possible for you to connect with your Chinese #ecommerce customers even though you don't speak their language?

#CallCenter outsourcing can greatly help in atracting and supporting customers from this gigantic Asian market.
Here's how partnering with an #outsourcing #CustomerExperience procall center can establish these connections: https://buff.ly/3C8HG3G

----------
Whether it's Mandarin, Cantonese, or Hokkien, Open Access BPO's multilingual services are your best bet for an improved market presence in China: https://buff.ly/48uCcfp

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerSupport #MultilingualCallCenter
Open Access BPO Yesterday
𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫.

Our blog post provides you expert tips and strategies to help you handle these situations with empathy and professionalism.
Discover effective strategies and best practices to ensure your communication remains clear, respectful, and compassionate: https://buff.ly/4eaaJkD

----------
Deliver exceptional #CustomerExperience with our services to ensure #CustomerRetention and foster brand loyalty: https://buff.ly/4f3L4vd

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerSupport #CX #CSat
#outsourcing #CustomerSatisfaction
Open Access BPO 2 days ago
Our dedicated Xiamen and Taipei teams always go #AboveAndBeyond for our customers. To show our appreciation for their hard work, we spent during #CSWeek treating them to some fun and games at the office.

They even took part in the special video challenge to share how they show their dedication in customer service. And of course, they had a special dinner last Friday to close the festivities.

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerServiceWeek #CSWeek
#OABPOCSWeek2024 #AboveAndBeyond
#CustomerServiceWeek2024
Open Access BPO 3 days ago
𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 #𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡-𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 #𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦.

Learn about the crucial skills, traits, and mindset of these #CustomerService experts, key for exceptional #CX and sustained positive brand reputation.

Here are the types of high-performing customer support agents: https://buff.ly/40pii3K

----------
Outsource with us today and get a team of dedicated experts for your business needs: https://buff.ly/3C0mNHH

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CallCenters #CX #oustourcing