Of all the AI tools transforming the customer experience (CX) landscape, real-time translation may be the most disruptive. It’s revolutionising the traditional contact centre model, so if you’re clinging to outdated notions about voice translation it’s time to take another look.
Consider this: 75% of consumers globally say they’re more likely to buy from the same brand again if customer care is in their preferred language. And native-language CX is tied to improved CSAT, shorter handle times, and better associate experience. When customers and associates can understand each other easily, issues get resolved faster and frustration is less common.
So why are so many brands hesitating to provide real-time translation?
Voice translation tools of the past were plagued by shortcomings. They took too long to translate, caused frustrating lag times, couldn’t support many languages, and were awkward to use. Instead of helping customers, they just aggravated them. CX outsourcers have been experimenting with them for years and found hit-or-miss results at best.
But AI has changed the game. Today’s cutting-edge tools are bi-directional, let participants speak naturally in their native languages, and translate conversations nearly instantly. In an increasingly competitive CX landscape, the benefits of AI-powered voice translation have become impossible to ignore.
Transcend geographic barriers
For too long, brands have had to choose their support teams’ location based on the language. It’s a time-consuming and expensive approach that forces companies to forego preferred geographies simply because they need to satisfy language requirements.
But AI-powered translation tools are rapidly opening up the world. AI can instantly translate dialogue between customers and associates, no matter where in the world they’re located, which means brands suddenly can deliver exceptional CX from anywhere across the globe.
With real-time translation tools, like TTEC’s award-winning ADDI, brands can tap into the cost savings and other benefits of emerging CX hubs like Philippines, Colombia, Egypt, and South Africa. When language requirements no longer drive decisions about contact centre locations, you can choose geographies that expand your talent pool of highly skilled associates.
Reduce cost to serve
Saving money in the contact centre is on everyone’s to-do list, but it can’t come at the expense of CX. With real-time voice translation, you can uncover savings without sacrificing customer experience along the way.
Translation tools let brands hire from lower-cost talent pools like India without worrying that language and accent barriers will hinder CX. They also eliminate the need for costly external translators.
All the money saved on these labor costs can be invested in other parts of the business.
Make interactions better, faster
As cool as these new translation capabilities are, no one wants to adopt technology simply for technology’s sake. Tools are only valuable if they’re easing pain points and making teams more efficient.
Real-time translation is already proving its worth here, too. Clear communication that’s instantly translated during interactions is directly tied to higher NPS and CSAT. Customers perceive these types of interactions as seamless and personalised, since they’re getting the information or help they need faster.
There are benefits on the associate side as well. Associates feel more comfortable and empowered in their jobs when they don’t struggle with communication issues. They stay longer and perform better. They even become more likely to uncover and capitalise on upsell and cross-sell opportunities during service interactions.
The future of voice translation is here
At TTEC we’re seeing the potential of AI-powered translation in action. Our ADDI solution takes real-time translation to the next level.
ADDI supports more than 30 languages and translates speech in less than a second. It provides natural-sounding AI voices and lets brands access flexible support options for genders, languages, and regional accents.
See it in action here:
In pilots, ADDI has reduced wait times, decreased frustration, and improved efficiency. We project ADDI can reduce spending on human interpreters by more than 80% and reduce spending on challenging language support by up to $30,000 per full-time equivalent (FTE) annually. That’s real money that can be reinvested in other parts of business – or be trimmed from a bottom line entirely.
But we know you serve customers across many channels, not just voice. While ADDI is particularly revolutionary in the voice space, it also works well via chat, messaging, and other channels.
And beyond the translation benefits brands realise in real time, the tool also generates transcripts of every conversation. This provides a wealth of data that brands can use to cull actionable insights to guide future business decisions.
The next generation of real-time translation is here. If you’re still plagued by language barriers in your contact centre, it’s never been easier to tear them down.
