Deciding whether or not to hire a bilingual answering service is not a difficult decision. The United States is home to the second largest Spanish-speaking population in the world, and after English, Spanish is spoken more often than any other language in the country.
Working with a bilingual answering service can make a huge difference in how an organization is perceived by both English and Hispanic Spanish speaking customers and patients. When all situations are handled quickly and efficiently, everyone wins and everyone feels good about the organization.
Emergency Calls Require Fluency and Speed
Since there are now well over 52 million Spanish speaking people in the country representing over 17% of the population, it is important that call centers are staffed with people who can communicate in the native language of this large segment of the population.
Operators who speak the language can quickly and efficiently gather vital information from Spanish speaking people. When emergency calls come in, they can be answered quickly and vital information can be communicated accurately. A bilingual call center agent can also help the caller remain calm and instill trust in them, and they can even be the difference between life and death.
Better Customer Service
Not only can bilingual call center agents deliver better customer care in emergency situations, but they can offer better customer service to Spanish-speaking customers in most situations. Because they understand the nuances of the language, they can avoid misunderstandings, provide for smoother communication, streamline calls and resolve issues faster.
When companies and health care organizations do not work with a bilingual answering service, Spanish speaking callers can often feel frustrated, disappointed and like second class citizens. Since they represent such a large percentage of the population, they can have a significant impact on an organizations reputation in the market place.
If Hispanic people feel like they are receiving excellent customer service, they will spread the word in their communities. On the other hand, if an organization fails to provide bilingual services, it can cause irreparable harm to their reputation and the overall business.
With over 52 million Spanish speaking people in the United States, it is critically important to work with a bilingual answering service so that all customer situations are handled quickly and efficiently, and customers and patients receive consistently high levels of service, regardless of their native language.
The population of Spanish speaking people is expected to be at 119 million by 2060, so it will no longer be an option whether or not to have a bilingual answering service. It will be a necessity, and those organizations that choose not to have one, will more than likely be out of business.
