The Future of Customer Experience
Contents
Introduction
Customer experience (CX) is essentially the sum of all the interactions and emotions that a customer, or client, has with a brand throughout their online journey. CX includes aspects such as product quality, service delivery, ease of use, convenience, and personalisation. CX is not only a necessity, but also an opportunity for businesses to differentiate themselves from competitors, increase customer loyalty and retention, and grow their revenue and market share.
However, delivering a great CX is not easy, especially in a multilingual world. Businesses today need to communicate with customers across different channels, markets and languages, and adapt their messages to the local culture and preferences. This requires not only linguistic skills but also cultural awareness and empathy.
In this white paper, we will explore the importance and potential of multilingual customer experience (MCX), the challenges and opportunities that businesses face in this area, and the strategies and solutions that can help them enhance their MCX. We will also provide some examples or case studies of successful MCX programs, as well as some emerging trends and technologies that are shaping the future of MCX.
The Importance of Multilingual Customer Experience
MCX is the ability or practice of providing CX in multiple languages. MCX is important for several reasons:
- Globalization and localization: The world is becoming more connected and diverse, thanks to globalization and digitalization. Businesses can reach customers across borders and continents, but they also need to localize their products and services to meet the needs and expectations of each market. Language is a key element of localization, as it reflects the culture, values and identity of customers.
- The rise of multilingual customers: Customers are becoming more multilingual and multicultural, thanks to migration, education and travel. Customers can speak multiple languages or prefer to use different languages for different purposes or contexts. Customers also have different cultural backgrounds, beliefs and preferences that influence their behaviour and decision-making.
- Impact on customer satisfaction and loyalty: Language has a profound impact on CX. According to various studies, customers prefer to interact with brands in their native language, and this preference influences their loyalty and retention. For example, a survey by Unbabel (2021) found that 68% of consumers would switch to a different brand that offers support in their native language, and 75% would only spend up to $500 with brands that do not offer native-language customer support. Similarly, a study by Common Sense Advisory (2014) found that 74% of consumers are more likely to repurchase if after-sales care is offered in their language.
Challenges in Multilingual Customer Experience
Despite the importance and potential of MCX, there are still many challenges that businesses face in this area. Some of these include:
- Language barrier: The language barrier is the most obvious challenge in MCX. Businesses need to communicate with customers in multiple languages, but they may not have the resources or expertise to do so effectively. Businesses may face difficulties in finding qualified bilingual or multilingual staff, or outsourcing language services to external providers. Businesses may also face difficulties in ensuring the quality, consistency and accuracy of their multilingual content and communication.
- Cultural differences: Cultural differences are another challenge in MCX. Businesses need to understand the cultural nuances and preferences of customers in different markets, but they may not have the knowledge or sensitivity to do so appropriately. Businesses may face difficulties in adapting their tone, style and content to suit the local culture or avoiding cultural faux pas or misunderstandings. Businesses may also face difficulties in building trust and respect with customers from different cultural backgrounds.
- Technology constraints: Technology constraints are another challenge in MCX. Businesses need to use technology to create, manage and deliver multilingual content and communication, but they may not have the access or capability to do so efficiently. Businesses may face difficulties in integrating their technology systems and platforms across different channels and languages or leveraging new technologies and solutions that can enhance their MCX. Businesses may also face difficulties in protecting the security and privacy of their multilingual data and information.
Strategies for Enhancing Multilingual Customer Experience
To overcome these challenges and improve their MCX, businesses need to adopt some strategies and solutions that can help them achieve their goals. Some of these include:
- Multilingual support channels: Businesses need to provide multilingual support channels for their customers across different touchpoints, such as phone, email, chat, social media, etc. Businesses need to ensure that they have enough bilingual or multilingual staff or agents to handle customer inquiries or requests in different languages or use technology solutions such as machine translation, or chatbots, to assist them. Businesses also need to ensure that they have clear policies and procedures for handling multilingual interactions, such as language selection, escalation, feedback, etc.
- Translation and localization tools: Businesses need to use translation and localization tools to create, manage and deliver multilingual content and communication. Businesses need to choose the right type of language service for their needs, such as translation, localization, transcreation, copywriting, SEO, content marketing, etc. Businesses also need to choose the right language service provider or solution for their needs, such as quality, speed, cost, expertise, technology, customer service, etc.
- Cultural sensitivity and adaptation: Businesses need to be culturally sensitive and adaptive when communicating with customers in different markets and languages. Businesses need to conduct market research and customer analysis to understand the language, culture, preferences, expectations and behaviour of their target audience. Businesses also need to craft a core message that conveys their brand identity, value proposition and differentiation across markets, and adapt it to suit the local culture and preferences.
- Artificial intelligence and machine learning: Businesses need to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to enhance their MCX. Businesses need to use AI and ML to automate and optimize their multilingual workflows and processes, such as machine translation, quality estimation, sentiment analysis, etc. Businesses also need to use AI and ML to personalize and customize their multilingual content and communication, such as content recommendation, customer segmentation, customer data analysis, etc.
Case Studies
To illustrate the benefits and best practices of MCX, here are some examples or case studies of successful MCX programs:
- Airbnb: Airbnb is a global online marketplace that connects travellers with hosts who offer accommodation in more than 220 countries and regions. Airbnb provides MCX by offering its website and app in 62 languages, its customer support in 11 languages, and its host community in 31 languages. Airbnb uses a combination of human translators, machine translation and crowdsourcing to create and deliver multilingual content and communication. Airbnb also uses AI and ML to personalize and customize its multilingual content and communication based on customer preferences and behaviour.
- Netflix: Netflix is a global streaming service that offers movies and TV shows in more than 190 countries. Netflix provides MCX by offering its content in multiple languages, with subtitles, dubbing or original audio options. Netflix uses a network of professional translators and linguists to create and deliver multilingual content. Netflix also uses AI and ML to optimize its multilingual content production and distribution based on customer feedback and data.
- Spotify: Spotify is a global music streaming service that offers music and podcasts in more than 170 countries. Spotify provides MCX by offering its app in 60 languages, its customer support in 16 languages, and its music recommendations in 25 languages. Spotify uses a combination of human translators, machine translation and localization tools to create and deliver multilingual content and communication. Spotify also uses AI and ML to personalize and customize its multilingual content and communication based on customer preferences and behaviour.
Managed Language Case Studies
Managed Language has helped many businesses achieve their CX goals in a multilingual world. Here are some examples of successful implementations of our services for CX improvement:
- UNiDAYS: UNiDAYS is a student loyalty platform that wanted to bring more local and cultural understanding to their international marketing campaigns. They teamed up with Managed Language as their main linguistic and transcreation partner. The scope of work focused on creative translation and cultural reviews of emails, paid social campaigns and marketing messaging to be delivered in a range of file formats and languages with a maximum turnaround time of two days. As a result, UNiDAYS increased its brand awareness and engagement among its target audience across markets.
- Go Cardless: Go Cardless is a Fintech company that needed multilingual copywriting optimized for SEO. They partnered with Blue Array (a digital marketing agency) which worked with Managed Language as their multilingual content provider. The scope of work involved creating original content in different languages for their website pages based on keyword research and SEO best practices. As a result, Go Cardless improved its organic traffic and conversions across markets.
- New Balance: New Balance is a sportswear brand that required transcreation in 16 languages. They collaborated with 20 Ten (a creative agency) and relied on Managed Language as their transcreation partner. The scope of work included adapting their brand voice and tone to different cultures and languages for their website pages based on transcreation briefs and guidelines. As a result, New Balance enhanced its brand reputation and loyalty across markets.
Emerging Trends and Technologies
To anticipate the future of MCX, here are some emerging trends and technologies that are shaping this area:
- Real-time language translation: Real-time language translation is the ability or practice of translating speech or text from one language to another instantly or with minimal delay. Real-time language translation can enable seamless multilingual communication between customers and businesses across different channels and platforms. Real-time language translation can be achieved by using technology solutions such as speech recognition, machine translation, natural language processing, etc.
- Voice and chatbots: Voice and chatbots are software applications that can interact with customers using natural language through voice or text. Voice and chatbots can provide multilingual support for customers across different touchpoints, such as phone, email, chat, social media, etc. Voice and chatbots can be powered by technology solutions such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, natural language processing, natural language generation, etc.
- Personalization and customer data analysis: Personalization is the ability or practice of tailoring content or communication to suit the individual needs or preferences of customers. Customer data analysis is the ability or practice of collecting, processing and interpreting data about customers’ behaviour or feedback. Personalization and customer data analysis can enhance MCX by providing relevant, engaging and consistent content or communication for customers across different markets and languages. Personalization and customer data analysis can be enabled by technology solutions such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, analytics, etc.
Predictions and Insights
Customer experience (CX) is the sum of all the interactions and emotions that customers have with a business, from the first contact to the post-purchase support. CX is a key factor that influences customer satisfaction, loyalty and advocacy. In today’s globalized and digitalized world, CX is becoming more complex and challenging, as customers have more choices, expectations and voices than ever before. One of the main challenges that businesses face is how to deliver a consistent and personalized CX across different languages and cultures.
Based on these trends and technologies, we can make some predictions and insights about the future of CX in a multilingual world:
- CX will become more global and local. Businesses will need to communicate with customers across borders and continents, but they will also need to localize their products and services to meet the needs and expectations of each market. Language will be a key element of globalization and localization, as it reflects the culture, values and identity of customers.
- CX will become more multilingual and multicultural. Customers will become more multilingual themselves, as they learn new languages or use translation tools to access information and services in different languages. They will also become more aware and appreciative of the diversity and richness of different cultures, and expect businesses to respect and celebrate that diversity. Language will be a key element of multilingualism and multiculturalism, as it enables communication, understanding and empathy among customers.
CX will become more human and digital. Businesses will need to leverage the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to automate and optimize their CX processes, such as chatbots, voice assistants, sentiment analysis, personalization, etc. But they will also need to maintain a human touch and connection with their customers, by using natural language processing (NLP), speech recognition, emotion detection, etc. Language will be a key element of humanization and digitalization, as it conveys the tone, mood and personality of customers.
Actionable Steps for Companies
To succeed in the future of CX in a multilingual world, businesses will need to take some actionable steps to improve their language capabilities and strategies:
- Invest in language learning and training for their employees, especially those who interact directly with customers or work in cross-cultural teams. This will help them to communicate effectively, respectfully and confidently with customers in different languages and cultures.
- Adopt language technology solutions that can help them to translate, transcribe, analyze and generate content in multiple languages. This will help them to provide accurate, timely and relevant information and services to customers in their preferred languages.
- Implement language quality standards and best practices that can ensure the consistency, clarity and correctness of their language use across different channels, platforms and devices. This will help them to avoid confusion, misunderstanding and errors that can damage their reputation and trust with customers.
- Monitor and measure their language performance and impact on CX using data-driven metrics and feedback. This will help them to identify their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in their language management, and make informed decisions to improve their CX outcomes.
Working with Managed Language
Managed Language can bring many benefits for businesses that want to improve their CX in a multilingual world. Some of these benefits include:
- Quality: We ensure the quality of multilingual content and communication by using professional linguists, quality assurance processes and quality certifications. Quality also means accuracy, consistency and cultural relevance of the content.
- Speed: We deliver multilingual content and communication faster by using technology, automation and optimisation to streamline the workflow and reduce turnaround times. Speed also means availability, responsiveness and agility of the service.
- Scalability: We can handle any type of content, format and volume by using technology, automation and optimization to adapt to changing needs and demands. Scalability also means flexibility, customization and diversity of the service.
- Security: We protect the confidentiality and integrity of multilingual content and communication by using technology, automation and optimization to ensure data privacy and compliance. Security also means reliability, trustworthiness and professionalism of the service.
- Cost-effectiveness: Our services reduce the costs of multilingual content and communication by using technology, automation and optimisation to eliminate errors, delays and expenses. Cost-effectiveness also means value proposition, return on investment and customer satisfaction with the service.
Conclusion
Language is not only a tool for communication, but also a source of value creation for businesses in the future of CX in a multilingual world. By enhancing their language skills, technologies, quality and analytics, businesses can deliver a better CX that can meet the needs, expectations and emotions of their diverse and demanding customers. This can lead to higher customer satisfaction, loyalty and advocacy, as well as increased revenue, growth and competitiveness for businesses.
