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Businesses in Bat City face pressure to keep up with national and global demands while meeting local needs. Partnering with a business process outsourcing (BPO) provider helps companies deliver exceptional bilingual customer service and reach new markets.
Among Austin’s diverse population, underserved communities with limited English proficiency exist. This untapped market can be a game-changer for local businesses. They can benefit significantly from hiring bilingual customer support agents and partnering with an Austin call center for unmatched services.
Keep reading to learn more about the competitive advantages of adopting bilingual support through a BPO partnership.
The importance of bilingual call center services in Austin
According to the American Community Survey (ACS) 2021 1-Year Estimates, Austin has a total population of 964,000. The largest groups include White Americans (47.96%), Hispanics (31.96%), Asians/Asian Americans (8.36%), and Black/African Americans (7.25%).
While diversity is ideal for economic growth, it inevitably concerns communication. The ACS report found that 10% of Austin’s population can not effectively communicate in English, and only 65.2% of those who spoke another language at home felt they spoke English “very well.” Language issues were also often present in populations aged 65 and over.
These numbers highlight the need for effective bilingual communication for businesses to improve relationships with audiences in Austin and elsewhere. Successfully bridging this gap faster and more effectively than competitors means securing loyal customers that span multiple generations.
Neighboring cities such as San Antonio (65.8%) and Waco (31%) also have sizeable Hispanic populations, so employing bilingual customer service agents is highly beneficial for growth. Here are three primary ways companies benefit from adopting bilingual Austin call center services.
Benefits of bilingual Austin call center services
The need for bilingual support extends to daily activities and support services such as medical care. A 2022 Pew study found that 44% of Hispanic Americans, for example, cited communication issues, language barriers, and cultural differences as major reasons for poor health outcomes.
Moreover, 81% of Hispanic Americans from predominantly Spanish-speaking backgrounds preferred Spanish-speaking healthcare providers. The Hispanic American experience with healthcare is just one example of the fundamental need for bilingual services and greater accessibility in the Austin business landscape.
Here are a few key takeaways to contextualize the potential benefits of using bilingual Austin call center services:
- Bilingual call center services provide equal access to support, particularly for older generations of immigrant families who struggle with speaking English. People become loyal to businesses that genuinely care for customers, so accessibility is vital.
- Bilingual support services help companies stand out in a competitive and crowded market by focusing on underserved groups. Native bilingual agents can understand cultural nuances more personally, resulting in more effective, empathetic, and concise communication with customers.
- Businesses with bilingual call centers reach a broader target market and improve customer experience (CX) by meeting local people’s needs in their native language. Austin’s culturally diverse population calls for an equally diverse approach to customers based on their language needs.
- Employing bilingual agents shows your commitment to first-class CX, providing high-quality services, and building lasting relationships. Outsourced technical support and customer service offer high-quality and cost-efficient solutions to local customer concerns.
Finding the best bilingual call center solution
Given the irrefutable value of bilingual call centers, Austin business owners must weigh the merits of building their own in-house service or outsourcing their needs to experts. The best choice depends on the intended goal, but outsourcing is generally more cost-effective.
BPO service providers enable quick launches with trained customer service agents who provide real-time support. However, in-house services are better customized to a company’s and its customers’ needs, giving them a clear advantage in terms of product knowledge.
In-house teams also enjoy direct access to company resources and personnel and can quickly elevate issues requiring more expertise. In comparison, BPO call centers provide better flexibility and availability, allowing companies to extend their customer service as needed.
Outsourcing solutions, such as targeted recruitment strategies and specialized training programs, are other ways to leverage the benefits of bilingual Austin call center services. Comprehensive support and contact center as a service (CCaaS) solutions extend the support local businesses receive.
Setting up an in-house team versus outsourcing
Part of determining the optimal solution for bilingual customer support is comparing the merits of building an in-house team from scratch versus outsourcing. Urgency and practicality are central to understanding which option can better serve companies, customers, and other stakeholders.
On the one hand, hiring and training bilingual agents is challenging despite benefits such as greater control over agent qualifications and performance. In-house teams often cost more to maintain and take longer to set up. This is especially evident when scaling up to meet increased demand.
On the other hand, third-party bilingual call center agents are carefully selected, readily available, and regularly assessed to ensure high-quality services. BPO companies are easy to integrate into any workflow. This makes them the ideal choice for businesses that need to scale rapidly.
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The bottom line
As businesses start tapping into underserved local markets, bilingual communication highlights a major and sizeable gap in how they connect with customers. With its diverse cultural landscape and continued growth as a business hub, Austin emphasizes the need to break through the language barrier.
Bilingual Austin call centers provide immediate, scalable, and reliable solutions for businesses to deepen customer relationships and strengthen community ties in a real way. Let’s connect and discuss how our bilingual agents can help sharpen your business’s competitive edge in Austin.
