In today’s global markets, it is more important than ever to be able to service customers of all ages and backgrounds. Although your business likely receives calls from customers with a variety of different needs, chances are that a language barrier has presented a communication challenge at least once. With more Spanish speakers living in the United States now than ever before, it’s important that your business is able to accommodate these customers. Your competitors are most likely implementing bilingual language support, and not keeping up can result in lots of lost business.
Being able to communicate with people in more than one language not only makes your business the one that customers want to talk to, but it also shows them that you care. This can lead to repeat business, client referrals, positive online reviews, and more. Effective communication also results in fewer misunderstandings and missed appointments.
If nobody in your office speaks Spanish, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to stop what you’re doing and recruit, hire and train a new receptionist. Outsourcing to a bilingual answering service makes it easy for your business to begin offering bilingual support quickly, and it is often more cost-efficient than hiring an in-house employee.
Why is a bilingual answering service so important?
To answer this question simply, a bilingual answering service can be the difference between earning and not earning someone’s business. People appreciate the ease of communicating in the language that they are most comfortable speaking, and this will almost always help them to have a better customer service experience.
If you’re still unsure of whether your business could benefit from a bilingual answering service, consider these statistics:
- The U.S. has the second most Spanish speakers in the world. The U.S. has 41 million native Spanish speakers, with states like New Mexico, California, Texas, and Arizona having the highest concentrations. Even if your business is not located in one of these states, keep in mind that the Spanish language is growing and expanding into new areas of the country at a rapid rate.
- There are an estimated 58.9 million Hispanic individuals living in the U.S., and over 9 million reported that they speak English “not well,” or “not at all.” Without a bilingual virtual receptionist, your business is unable to communicate with millions of people efficiently. These are people who are likely to hang up and call your competitors if nobody from your company is able to speak with customers in Spanish.
56.2% of consumers reported that the ability to obtain information in their own language is more important than price. If your customers are willing to spend more for a better customer service experience, wouldn’t you want to invest in speaking to them in their preferred language? You can begin making a difference in your customer service today, by email or by calling (800) 430-6511.
