Customer support is a vital aspect of businesses in this digital age. When talking about customer services, it seems that many don’t offer support in languages that are the majority, such as Spanish in the U.S. This can be backed by factual data.
The United States is the second largest when it comes to the Spanish-speaking population after Mexico. From these stats, some speak Spanish as a first language, which makes up about 13 percent of the U.S population. And the ones who do so as a second language are about 18 percent of the population. This is about 60+ million in total.
This reason alone is enough for the “why” of having customer support services in Read on for 5 more that bring an immense change when inculcated by your business in the U.S.
Reason 1: Feeling Seen & Heard
People feel seen and heard when they share experiences and are given support in their own language. The main reason is that language connects people.
This is important, especially in the case where customer support can get a little sensitive and, at times, blown out of proportion. In those cases, language is the bridge that helps to communicate effectively and lets the customer feel as if they are talking to their people or community.
This is also a vital aspect when it comes to areas of business that have the highest interactions with customers, such as healthcare, service industries, retail, finance, food, etc. We mean all the customer-focused businesses that need to build on “customer satisfaction, loyalty, and retention”.
| Brand Example:
Cox is one of the most reliable providers in the U.S, which provides some of the best services to its customers in the country. With Cox servicio al cliente, they provide exceptional support to their Spanish customers with all-around help from CS reps who speak Spanish. What does this do? It allows for seamless omnichannel customer support services that drive customer satisfaction across the U.S. for Spanish, as it’s the second most spoken language. |
Reason 2: Building Comfort & Trust
The main reason for providing customer support is to, help customer resolve their issues, making the experience a with the brand a memorable one, and build long lasting relations with them.
Why is understanding and building relations with customers important?
This is because people remember when they are treated with understanding and delightful services. Then the customers reward the brands with loyalty through repeat purchases and a good word of mouth. The latter being priceless for a brands reputation.
| My Delightful Personal Shopper Experience:
I have many experiences as a customer, some good and some bad. A few years back, I used to go to Nordstrom every Sunday. But something amazing happened that I still remember to this day. I had been looking for a burgundy dress in my size for weeks, and I was told “it’s on the list” and “will be available in two weeks”. I forgot to tell them to keep it in my size if it arrived. After a week or so, I forgot about it, but the support staff remembered. They brought me all the options they had and reminded me. I was literally shocked and delighted that they made a note of my asking, and especially kept it ready for me upon my arrival. I even took many of my friends and family there, and many of them have become repeat purchasers too. |
Likewise, it is vital to provide your customers with a certain level of understanding when you communicate and work to resolve their issues. If this is done in the customer’s language, it fosters the image of compassion and empathy, while the customer feels relaxed.
For example, even a very huge brand like “Nordstrom” has support services in Spanish for its service channels to build trust and reliability. This makes the customer come back repeatedly.
Reason 3: Retention Is Boosted
The primary reason for providing customer support is not only to boost sales, but, like we said above, also to encourage customers re-visits. This is known as retention and hailed as the holy grail when it comes to support and customer experiences.
A well-structured support in Spanish in the U.S. will provide immense future benefits for the brand doing so. It will not only affect the sales positively but will also give the brand great word-of-mouth support.
A tip would be to use the current powerful AI-powered tools to offer personalized support in Spanish. It will power the sentiments of the customers in real time and maintain the empathy of the brand. But there should also be reps who speak Spanish to help in times when understanding is vital (refer to reason 1) or there culturally is suited more.
Reason 4: Mitigation of Services Error Risks
Miscommunication may be the deadliest factor in customer support and can be a costly one.
One bad experience may pull the customer away, as research has shown in a PwC study. The study conducted was on “The Future of Customer Experience”, which shows how customers (about 50%) think businesses just don’t “get them”. This signifies how vital it becomes to provide multilingual support and to ensure relevancy and understanding when it comes to dealing with customers from a different culture or language.
One tip is to outsource the Spanish-speaking support that allows a business to provide it, and not lose due to higher costs.
Reason 5: Purchase Power
The U.S. is the largest with the Spanish speakers, but it also has a great majority that adds to the stats of buying power. This amounts to over 2.5 trillion dollars.
Spanish-speaking customers represent a massive and growing consumer base. By providing customer service in Spanish, businesses open the door to millions of potential clients who prefer to communicate in their native language, improving accessibility and brand trust.
Lastly, all of this will provide the brand offering multilingual support to its customers in the U.S., will have a competitive advantage, positive brand repute, and will get a better reach than brands that don’t.