In terms of customer communications, or the customer experience in general, customers nowadays have many expectations that businesses they engage with have to meet. In the past we have talked about delivering the right message at the right time via the right channel but a factor that many businesses often overlook, perhaps because it seems so self-evident, is the language in which they choose to communicate. The impact of language on the customer experience is often underestimated, it’s essential to create the right message.

So how important is communicating in multiple languages? Crucial. Just like businesses have to be able to reach out through multiple channels as we saw last week, multilingual communications are equally imperative to meet individual customer expectations and preferences. For instance, according to this study, almost six out of ten consumers value the availability of information in their native language higher than a lower price. If you provide your customers with localised content, this will build trust as you narrow the distance between yourself and the customer with content that is understandable, feels familiar and is more likely to be perceived as credible.

Language is more than the language itself

Now, using your individual customers’ language when engaging with them is one thing, but tuning said language to their specific needs, preferences and profile is another. Depending on your business, you are used to expressing yourself among peers with a certain industry jargon. Although this terminology might be clear as day to you, you must never forget that you are a skilled professional as opposed to the customer who isn’t trained or hasn’t got your level of expertise.

If the customer doesn’t understand you it’s impossible to create a connection let alone build customer loyalty. He will not feel valued and it won’t take long for him to find help elsewhere with a company or organisation that takes the time to elaborate their approach and solutions in a way he will understand.

Using the correct language is a fine line to walk. You want to show that you have the necessary expertise but don’t want to be too technical in your explanations. You want to make yourself understood but don’t want to oversimplify your explanations either. Communicating efficiently requires you to fathom and try and match your individual customers linguistic levels. This will help convince them that you are there to help.

Managing multilingual communications

Delivering multilingual communications should not result in an exponential increase of your internal workload. Copying templates and selecting languages based on the receiver’s profile, while retaining consistency should happen swiftly to avoid a negative impact on your operational efficiency. To do so it’s key you work with the right communication tool suited for the job. If you want to know more about how to choose the communication tool that fits your needs, feel free to read all about it here.

In terms of customer communications, or the customer experience in general, customers nowadays have many expectations that businesses they engage with have to meet. In the past we have talked about delivering the right message at the right time via the right channel but a factor that many businesses often overlook, perhaps because it seems so self-evident, is the language in which they choose to communicate. The impact of language on the customer experience is often underestimated, it’s essential to create the right message.

So how important is communicating in multiple languages? Crucial. Just like businesses have to be able to reach out through multiple channels as we saw last week, multilingual communications are equally imperative to meet individual customer expectations and preferences. For instance, according to this study, almost six out of ten consumers value the availability of information in their native language higher than a lower price. If you provide your customers with localised content, this will build trust as you narrow the distance between yourself and the customer with content that is understandable, feels familiar and is more likely to be perceived as credible.

Language is more than the language itself

Now, using your individual customers’ language when engaging with them is one thing, but tuning said language to their specific needs, preferences and profile is another. Depending on your business, you are used to expressing yourself among peers with a certain industry jargon. Although this terminology might be clear as day to you, you must never forget that you are a skilled professional as opposed to the customer who isn’t trained or hasn’t got your level of expertise.

If the customer doesn’t understand you it’s impossible to create a connection let alone build customer loyalty. He will not feel valued and it won’t take long for him to find help elsewhere with a company or organisation that takes the time to elaborate their approach and solutions in a way he will understand.

Using the correct language is a fine line to walk. You want to show that you have the necessary expertise but don’t want to be too technical in your explanations. You want to make yourself understood but don’t want to oversimplify your explanations either. Communicating efficiently requires you to fathom and try and match your individual customers linguistic levels. This will help convince them that you are there to help.

Managing multilingual communications

Delivering multilingual communications should not result in an exponential increase of your internal workload. Copying templates and selecting languages based on the receiver’s profile, while retaining consistency should happen swiftly to avoid a negative impact on your operational efficiency. To do so it’s key you work with the right communication tool suited for the job. If you want to know more about how to choose the communication tool that fits your needs, feel free to read all about it here.