How Do You Serve Non-English-Speaking Customers.

It's no secret that America is home to more than 33 million people with little or no English-speaking ability. Bringing that statistic closer to home, 40 percent of Los Angeles County residents were born in another country. An even more staggering statistic is: as many as 250 languages are spoken in California.

Twenty years ago, it seemed much easier and more acceptable to ignore the potential of these ethnic markets. Of course, the Internet hadn't made its way into daily business activity, so there was no threat of missing out on the global business boom. Even so, many business owners seriously questioned the purchasing power of these cultures and how aggressively they should be pursued. Today the same questions are being revisited, only on a larger scale. How much should be invested in these markets? What can be gained by 'talking one's talk' and learning more about how each culture 'walks its walk'?

Over-the-Phone Interpreting (0-P-I)

Forward thinking companies have taken the multicultural plunge and now communicate with these markets through the convenience of a telephone language service, more popularly known as over-the-phone-interpreting (O-P-I). A bona tide O-P-I company provides real-time language services that enable callers to communicate with speakers of various languages through the use of qualified interpreters, on-demand without the need for advance reservation, from anywhere in the world. By calling a toll-free 800 number, customers can access interpreters in seconds and proceed with a three-way conference call between themselves, a non-English-speaker and an interpreter.

Benefits of Lifting the Language Barriers

Multi-lingualism is rapidly evolving as a viable competitive marketing strategy. Companies that cater to the various ethnicities and their respective languages will likely reap the rewards. They will also stand a much better chance of establishing and retaining customers' loyalty. "Telephonic interpreting is an integral part of our business," says Beartriz Solis, Director of Cultural and Linguistic Services for L.A. Care, Los Angeles County's largest managed health plan. Solis explains that of their 680,000 members, 50 percent are grouped as limited English proficient "We have to be receptive to alternative modes of servicing our department," says Solis, "whether it be for member services, quality management issues or 24-hour access for emergencies that may occur."

In the health care industry, another benefit of providing multilingual services is achieving legal compliance. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 states that any doctor, hospital or clinic seeing non-English-speaking patients, through federal programs like Medicare, must provide interpreters. Recently, the federal government reminded doctors and hospitals that if providers don't comply with this ruling, they risk losing federal funding.

In addition, offering multilingual services helps define companies that are willing to go that extra step. Jeff Khoury, Director of the Global Service Center at MasterCard International, believes everything is about service in today's market "Offering multilingual services puts the 'International' in MasterCard," says Khoury. He explains how vital this service is to dealing with the emergency situations they confront, especially when customers are in vulnerable situations.

Ten Criteria to Evaluate in an O-P-I Company

As a fairly new industry, there are only a handful of O-P-I companies offering these services. Nevertheless, insist on meeting the following criteria when' making the final decision:

1. 100-language minimum: Since as many as 250 languages are used in California, a 100-language minimum is the very least a reputable service should offer.

2. Quick interpreter connect time: Expediency of connect time means a great deal more to some companies than it does to others. However, it should average no longer than 45 seconds from the moment the caller is greeted until the interpreter comes on the line.

3. Access anytime: There should never be a question about accessibility. It should be offered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

4. High Tech Call Center: Make sure the company maintains a modern, high-tech contact center with a robust phone switch (i.e. Lucent Avaya, Nortel), at least a dozen T-1s and efficient customer service reps that quickly connect callers to interpreters.

5. State-of-the-art system: Without workable computer-telephony integration systems, companies do not get maximum efficiency from their 0-P-I providers.

6. User-friendly correspondence: Phone records are already so tedious to track, which is why invoices must be made easy to understand. Also, make sure management reports are available in user-friendly formats. It will help eliminate the inevitable bottlenecks caused by ambiguities.

7. Highly reputable referrals: There's nothing like going to the horse's mouth to get an accurate, up-to-date testimonial on a company's performance. Be very wary if an O-P-I company does not service any large, well-known corporate clients.

9. Systems back-up, universal redundancy and generators: Make sure the service provider has back-up systems in order to stay operational during natural disasters.

9. Interpreter training and development: Variables to consider here include language abilities, phone demeanor, customer service skills, and industry specific knowledge. Another] consideration is the extent to which interpreters are provided with continuing education of language, cultural changes and interpreting techniques.

10. Competitive pricing: Make sure the O-P-I company doesn't charge more for interpreting the lesser-known languages or for services needed during night or weekend hours. The ideal is a service that offers one flat per-minute rate for any language, at any time with no set-up fee.

It is very important that the items on this checklist are verifiable. First, check their promotional materials to see if they cover any of these points. Whether they do or not, ask for some kind of verification. (e.g. High-usage satisfied clients, sample invoices management reports, etc.) It's also very important to have your MIS, IT and/or Telecom personnel check out the technical side of things. Ask for a test trial and, if possible, a site inspection of their call center is always a good idea.

Practicing Smart Business

As local settings continue to become international marketplaces, the need for multilingual services will continue to grow. In turn, so will the profits of those companies serving this need, whether internally or through the use of an O-P-I company. As the most culturally diverse state in America California business owners should take pride in establishing best practices in this area, regardless of their size. Historically, this decade will mark a time when global boundaries faded for the sake of smart business. Let's hope it also marks a time when business owners are wise enough to cater to these markets Accordingly.

Melanie Cola is co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Tele-lntepreters, a 24/7-telephone language service located in Glendale, California For additional