What are the tools and strategies for delivering exceptional customer experiences and maintaining efficiency in BPO?
Today, organizations globally use business process outsourcing (BPO). It suggests dealing with hires and customers of diverse cultures and backgrounds and, as a result, the necessity of addressing the issues of language barriers. What is a language barrier? As a rule, the main challenges of communication between native and non-native speakers are (a) speed, (b) accent, and (c) vocabulary. So a language barrier is a combination of these three elements. And what are the intuitive actions when a non-native speaker doesn't understand the native speaker? They ask for repetition, clarification, or a bit slower speech.
Now let's imagine the same situation in a contact center setting during a customer call. The stakes here are higher. The conversation isn't just casual—it’s about solving a problem, providing service, or making a sale. The non-native agent must balance comprehension with professionalism, efficiency, and customer satisfaction. What are the tools and strategies for delivering exceptional customer experiences and maintaining efficiency in BPO? Let’s explore together!
Common Language Challenges in BPO
Fast-Paced Speech and Accent Differences
Fast speech and the strong accent of native speakers often lead to comprehension difficulties in real-time between non-native agents and customers. Even commonly used words and phrases can sound unfamiliar due to pronunciation variations and affect communication clarity.
Research shows that 79% of contact centers have customers who are not native speakers of the primary languages that they serve, and 60% of those customers expect to receive service in their native language.
Use of Idioms, Slang, and Informal Speech
While a strong idiomatic vocabulary demonstrates fluency in a foreign language, it can hinder communication in a contact center environment. Phrases like "Let's touch base," "That's a no-brainer," or "Give me a ballpark figure" can confuse non-native speakers—either agents or customers. Similarly, the use of informal contractions, such as "gonna," "wanna," and "lemme," will negatively impact communication and diminish even high-quality contact center agent performance.
Lack of Clarity and Background Noise
Difficulties in understanding can arise from callers who mumble, speak in long, complex sentences, or use filler words such as “uh, like, you know." Additionally, background noise, poor phone connections, or overlapping speech can also contribute to these challenges.
The Impact of Language Barriers in BPO
Communication determines the success of multilingual customer service. Language barriers can have several adverse effects on BPO services:
Misunderstandings: Insufficient language skills may cause a poor understanding of customer needs. This results in miscommunication, which in turn can lead to issue resolution failure and frustrated customers.
Unprofessional Customer Service: Language barriers can portray agents as unprofessional and harm a company's reputation, even if they are highly skilled and competent.
Damaged Company Reputation: Ongoing communication problems can spoil a company's reputation, leading to loss of business.
Lost Sales: CSA Research found that around 40% of surveyed customers would not purchase a product or service if it were presented in a language other than their native one. The inability to communicate effectively can result in missed sales opportunities.
Reduced Customer Loyalty: Customers are less likely to remain loyal if their needs are not met due to communication difficulties.
The Importance of Overcoming Language Barriers
As we see, language barriers can have serious consequences for business, which is why addressing them is crucial. Several factors below will demonstrate the importance of proper handling of language and communication issues:
Improved Customer Satisfaction: Clear communication between contact center agents and the customers enhances satisfaction, ensuring identification and meeting of the customer needs.
Reduced Average Handling Time (AHT): Decreasing Average Handling Time (AHT) can be achieved through effective interaction, which leads to faster resolution of customer queries.
Higher First-Call Resolution (FCR): The ability of agents to resolve customer queries without the need for additional follow-up depends on how accurately they capture the core issue. This accuracy directly affects such metrics as first call resolution rates (FCR).
Increased Agent Confidence and Productivity: Elimination of language barriers boosts agent morale and efficiency, leading to job satisfaction.
Reduced Operational Costs: Every repeated call from a customer is related to additional expenses. Hence, overcoming language pitfalls will help lower the costs.
According to statistics, the average cost per call at a contact center can range from $2.70 to $5.60. Given that a contact center can process an estimated 9 million calls a year, the total cost can be substantial.
Stronger Brand Reputation: Contact center agents are the first-line employees responsible for the company's image. So managing consistent, clear communication contributes to the business’s reputation.
Key Strategies for Overcoming Language Barriers
Now that we have assessed the significance of addressing language barriers in contact centers, it's time to delve into effective strategies to enhance agent-customer interaction.
Establish Clear Communication Channels
Standardized communication protocols are the first step to ensuring clarity and consistency. These include the choice of preferred channels for different situations, response times, issue escalation procedures, etc. Another essential point is the availability of term glossaries specific to the given industry as well as a set of approved templates for routine operations like, for example, reporting. Provide clear guidelines for the use of language tone and formality.
Develop a Strong Training and Support Program
Provide your BPO agents with language and cultural training to enhance their communication skills. Including industry-specific terminology in your courses will empower your staff and boost their confidence during handling a customer request.
Monitor and Analyze Call Center Metrics
Regularly assess metrics like AHT and FCR to identify and address communication issues. These metrics can give you valuable insights into the effectiveness of communication and help you identify areas for improvement and industry trends, focus on communication breakdowns, and take timely measures to master customer experience and agent performance.
Leverage Technology to Support Multilingual Communication
Utilize various AI tools for contact centers, including translation and language learning apps, speech adjustment software to facilitate understanding, and CRM systems to maintain overall communication records.
Promote an Inclusive and Diverse Environment
Encourage transparent communication within your team by encouraging them to explore the cultural peculiarities of their peers and customers. This awareness will improve communication and demonstrate respect towards diverse backgrounds.
Role of Technology in Bridging the Understanding Gap
Technology's contribution to the communication industry is significant. Multiple innovative solutions—from real-time translation apps to AI-powered speech speed adjustment tools—became ultimate assistants to contact center agents, ensuring better understanding and communication. Whether dealing with a fast-talking customer or struggling to capture the issue over the background noise, these tools aim to reduce misunderstandings and improve service quality.
Businesses have reported that AI assistance in customer service has yielded the following results: 67% faster information and answers, 62% reduced wait times, 28% lower operational costs, and 42% more consistent customer experiences.
Overcoming Language Barriers with Hecttor AI
Hecttor AI offers a groundbreaking solution to language challenges in BPO. Hecttor, the world's first real-time speech speed adjustment tool, allows agents to understand every word by slowing down fast speech and improving conversational clarity without any delay. This leads to:
Better Understanding of the Caller
Accurate responses and issue resolution
Fewer Repetitions Needed
Focus on Customer Issues, Not Language
Hecttor integrates seamlessly with existing systems and prioritizes data security, ensuring a smooth and secure enhancement to your BPO operations.
Conclusion
To summarize, though language barriers are challenging and frustrating, it is crucial to learn how to overcome them. The strategies above can serve as your guidelines for delivering high-quality customer service and maintaining operational efficiency. By investing in employee training programs on cultural awareness and implementing innovative technologies, organizations can enhance communication, reduce operational costs, and strengthen their brand reputation.
Book a free demo to experience the transformative power of Hecttor AI in your contact center. Explore our real-time speech speed adjustment tool to enhance your team's communication and performance.