How a Bilingual Virtual Receptionist Can Help your Business
While many American businesses will be working with predominantly English-speaking customers, that’s not always the case. As of 2023, 68 million people in the US speak another language at home, and in some areas, another language is almost as frequently used as English itself.
As a result, many businesses would benefit from having a bilingual virtual receptionist, even if they don’t think they need one. In this post, we’re going to take a look at exactly how a bilingual virtual receptionist may be advantageous to your brand and why you should consider it.
What is a Virtual Receptionist?
When you work with a virtual receptionist, you’re typically hiring a live answering service that staffs their own trained agents. Phone calls or web chats to your business will automatically be patched through to the live answering service, where an agent will answer as a representative of your business. They’ll greet your customer exactly as you would, and offer the same level of customer service.
A bilingual virtual receptionist, therefore, is an answering service that has bilingual agents available to help your customers. Let’s take a look at exactly why this is so valuable for your business.
Why You Need a Bilingual Virtual Receptionist
You’re Able to Help More Customers
It goes without saying that if your virtual receptionist can speak more languages, they’ll be able to help more customers. Plenty of people in the U.S. may not speak fluent English. Speaking their language allows you to do business with them when other businesses likely can’t.
Keep in mind that many customers with a decent understanding of English may still find it easier to communicate with someone who speaks their first language. This is particularly important when clarity is of the utmost importance, like when someone needs to understand the conditions of a loan or a legal situation they’re in, or when they’re trying to explain specific symptoms to a triage nurse.
Helping more customers can help you scale effectively, growing your client base quickly.
It Shows That You’re Established
The more services and amenities you can offer your customers, the more established they’ll assume that your business is.
If you call a toll-free number to reach a business, for example, you’ll likely assume that the business is large enough that this was a “necessary” decision. Similarly, if customers hear the option for different languages when they first call, they’ll likely have the same assumption.
The more established your business appears, the more credible it becomes. This can make it easier to convince users to work with you, as they may be more likely to trust you. This goes for both English speakers and non-English speakers because the implication is the same regardless of someone’s primary language.
You Save Money & Boost Profits
If you’re able to better serve more customers in a multitude of languages (even if it’s just in English and Spanish), you’re going to have a larger client base and you’re going to sell more.
Overall, something as simple as working with a bilingual virtual receptionist and ensuring that you have strong translation options on your site can go a long way in increasing profits quickly. It’s low-cost but brings in high rewards. If you’re looking for a smart investment that will bring in maximum ROI, this is the way to go.
Remember that virtual receptionists cost less than the salaries, taxes, and health benefits in-house team members and that they’re available 24/7. You’re saving money and increasing profits at the same time with a bilingual virtual receptionist, and it’s hard to say no to that.
When most businesses are focused on increasing customer service and responsiveness, it’s not unusual to turn to live answering services and virtual receptionists. Many businesses do, however, forget to consider the perks of specific services, like bilingual agents.
Working with a bilingual virtual receptionist can be an important step to ensuring that all of your leads, vendors, and customers are able to get the high-quality service they deserve.
