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The world is getting smaller. Not literally of course, but due to globalisation, digital innovation and international trade, customers and companies are closer than ever. This offers huge opportunities, but also brings challenges. Customers expect personalised service, no matter where they live or what language they speak. How do you make sure your customer service is ready for a more international world?
In this blog, we look at the challenges and opportunities of multilingual customer service. Let's start by saying that multilingual customer service is not only relevant if you operate internationally. Local companies also often have to deal with non-native-speaking customers. Therefore, we will look at applications that are relevant to both.
The challenges of multilingual customer service
If you serve customers who speak a language other than the common language of your chatbot or agents, you quickly encounter language barriers. Imagine this: a customer from Spain tries to contact your customer service, but no one speaks Spanish. Chances are this customer won't feel understood. Customers want to be helped in their own language. That feels familiar and comes across as professional.
Cultural differences can also be an obstacle. After all, communication is more than just words. What is perceived as polite in one culture may come across as rude in another. Understanding cultural nuances is therefore important to approach customers in the right way.
Finally, setting up multilingual customer service can seem overwhelming. Hiring and training employees who speak multiple languages is expensive and time-consuming. And coordinating different channels and languages requires a good strategy and smart technology.
The benefits of multilingual customer service
When you provide customer service in your customer's native language, you prove that you take them seriously. Customers who feel understood stay longer and are more likely to recommend your company.
In addition, multilingual customer service opens the door to international growth. By serving customers in their own language, you lower the barrier to doing business with you. So you're making your business accessible to a wider audience.
Finally, with the right technology, you can make multilingual customer service scalable without skyrocketing costs. So it definitely pays to explore multilingual customer service options.
One such option is automatic translation of conversations between chatbot or agent and customer. How does it work?
Automated translations as a solution
Chatbots are often a first point of contact for customers. They are the backbone of modern customer service. By using machine translation, chatbots can support multiple languages without many additional technical implementations. This means that a customer in France gets the same fast and efficient service as a customer in the Netherlands.
But live chats can also be translated in real time thanks to AI-driven translation technology. A customer can type in German, while your employee replies in Dutch. And vice versa. This makes communication smooth and personal, without your employees having to be fluent in multiple languages.
Finally, implementing machine translation in chatbot and live chat can help you outsource your customer service to countries with lower costs without compromising on quality. This is because conversations are automatically translated into the customer's language. In this way, he or she experiences the same service as when chatting with someone who speaks the same language.
How Seamly makes this possible
At Seamly, we understand that multilingual customer service requires smart and flexible solutions. Our technology makes it easy to implement multilingual customer service without having to modify existing systems. The result? A multi-language customer service that is up-and-running within 6 weeks. Seamly offers:
Multilingual chatbots: Chatbots that seamlessly switch between 110 languages.
Real-time translations: Both for chatbots and live chats.
Integrations: Seamless integration with your current systems, so you can scale up quickly.
With Seamly, you give your customer service an international upgrade, without making it complicated.
A magical customer service experience for the Efteling
At theme park the Efteling, a magical experience starts with customer service. Together with Seamly, the Efteling has implemented multilingual customer service. Thanks to automatic translations in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Chinese, international visitors are helped quickly and easily. Curious about the results? Download the entire case study here.
Before you get started
Are you keen to get started implementing multilingual customer service? Before you dive in at the deep end, we have some practical tips.
Start with the most important languages. Analyse your customer data to determine which languages are used the most. Focus on these languages first before expanding to less common ones.
Combine technology with human interaction. Automation is powerful, but human interaction remains indispensable. Strike a good balance between technology and personal service.
Train your team. Give your employees the tools and training they need to deal well with multilingual customers. Think of culture training for nuances, and dealing with automatically translated chats.
A more international world demands multilingual customer service. By betting on multilingual support and smart technology, such as machine translation, you future-proof your customer service. Customers will feel heard, you will extend your reach and improve your operations.
We are happy to help. Ready to take the next step? Find out how Seamly can transform your customer service and contact us for a demo!
