North America is one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse continents in the world—and Canada is a leading multicultural nation. As a savvy Canadian business owner, it’s your responsibility to cater to the growing needs of your customers by breaking down language barriers and hiring as many bilingual employees as possible. Among the many hidden benefits of hiring bilingual staff is the fact that they not only contribute to the expansion of your business, but they also facilitate a smooth transition into new and often untapped markets that are brimming with potential for profit. Of course, every new business venture comes with its fair share of risks, but when it comes to expanding your employee roster, the advantages usually outweigh the risks.
Why Your Company Needs Bilingual Customer Care Representatives
A wide range of bilingual employees is one of the greatest assets any business can obtain. Having a wealth of employees who can communicate in a different number of languages fluently is a huge bonus, but it’s also important to know the needs of your market and business well so that you can aptly cater to them.
For instance, consider the type of communication your business uses the most. Do you engage in more written or spoken communication with customers? This is important because a person’s language fluency usually differs between the spoken and written word. If your customer service representatives will be spending an equal amount of time working on face-to-face, over the phone, and e-mail customer interactions, then you need to make sure that they’re capable of doing so proficiently on all fronts.
To further build on that point, here are a few more reasons why you should hire bilingual employees.
1. Cater to a Wider Global Audience
Think “big picture”. In the beginning, you should absolutely focus on catering to a specific local market, but as your business continues to grow and expand to new locations—both physically and online—you need to cater to the needs and expectations of your growing customer base. Hiring bilingual customer service representatives who are capable of communicating in multiple languages proficiently can help increase your international revenue over time.
2. Help Expand Your Business to Different Regions
Regional dialects can sometimes be so distinct from one another that they’re almost akin to speaking an entirely different language. Oftentimes, people who speak different dialects of the same language can have a hard time understanding one another. With that in mind, it’s helpful to your business if you try to hire bilingual employees who are fluent or have a working knowledge of different dialects of the same language. That way, you can focus on greater regional expansion within the same country in addition to international growth.
3. Break Down Language Barriers and Increase Compassion
Another noteworthy hidden benefit of hiring more bilingual employees for your business is that it not only helps break down seemingly insurmountable language barriers between customers and employees, but also between coworkers. A culturally and linguistically diverse workforce can help create a more cohesive and tolerant working environment. After all, learning a new language is challenging in a way that only multilingual people can comprehend. But, by working with people who come from different backgrounds and understandings of language, employees can develop more empathetic skills that are essential to the customer service industry.
4. Retain More Customers
When customers see the effort that your business is putting into accommodating their specific communication needs, they’ll be impressed with your level of care and this will help set your company apart from your competition. Additionally, having someone that they can relate to and who speaks their language can help establish a stronger, more personalized rapport. The more comfortable your customers feel with your sales and support staff, the more likely they are to continue supporting your business, which will only strengthen their penchant for brand loyalty.
5. Monetize on Word-of-Mouth Advertising
Regardless of your ad spend budget and marketing prowess, word-of-mouth is still considered one of the best forms of advertising. In today’s competitive e-commerce and brick-and-mortar market, most people tend to look up online product and company reviews before making a purchase decision. Customers like to be well-informed about the businesses they choose to support—and for good reason. They want to make sure that they’re making a worthwhile investment or purchase.
Close-knit cultural communities are a highly profitable hotbed for regular word-of-mouth advertising. Most people living within these communities know each other and can therefore make accurate recommendations to their friends and family members. Imagine the potential for growth in these communities when their members realize that your business employs people from the same cultural background or who speak their language and can cater to their needs.
Even if it’s strictly on a conversational level, hiring bilingual employees who speak different languages demonstrates to your customers that you care enough about their needs to make important adjustments to your business plan.
6. Stand out from Your Competition
Nowadays, pretty much every business tries to be more diverse and inclusive when it comes to hiring people of different ethnic backgrounds. But hiring an entire team of bilingual employees who are capable of communicating in a wide range of languages is enough to blow your competition out of the water.
Bilingual or multilingual employees are capable of doing so much more than simply interacting with customers. Advanced language skills also mean that they have enhanced cognitive abilities, greater focus, and the drive to continue taking on and accomplishing new tasks. Many bilingual employees have multiple transferrable skills that can be beneficial to other aspects of your business including translating documents, conducting meetings in different languages, and even eventually managing or working in international business locations.
As one of the leading staffing agencies in North America, Resolve Recruit Inc. has proudly helped countless businesses find the right candidates for their companies. Acting as a liaison between the businesses we represent and potential candidates, our recruiters are always prepared to provide compassionate and thorough services to ensure that every candidate is properly vetted as per the job requirements. To learn more about the benefits of hiring bilingual candidates, contact us today.
