ENGLISH LANGUAGE TRAINING FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE TEAMS
Resources for HR Professionals
Tools for Improving Customer Service
No matter what business you’re in, improving your customer service is one of the most reliable ways to enhance the bottom line. Great customer service can strengthen loyalty and reduce churn, increase order size and generate referrals. It can even help you build trust and goodwill with customers that will carry you through difficult times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Attaining those benefits requires prioritizing and investing in creating awesome experiences. That’s even more true when you serve predominantly English-speaking customers, but have many employees whose first language is not English. As a language training firm with a long track record, we’ve seen firsthand how English language training for customer service teams can have a big payoff.
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What Kind of English Training Improves Customer Service?
Not just any English language training program will elevate the customer service experience that your employees can provide. If English classes focus on boring vocabulary lists that aren’t relevant to employees’ interactions with customers, that isn’t going to support your business goals. Instead, English training should be customized to your employees’ needs and goals, and specifically, the conversations that they are having with customers.
English language training also needs a human touch to be truly effective. You learned your first language because you wanted to communicate with the people around you. Learning another language is no different. The best English language training programs include lots of conversational practice and role play specific to your business. This is one reason that apps alone aren’t enough to make your employees fluent in the English used at your company.
What Our English Training for Customer Service Covers
At Fluency Corp, we’ve honed our approach to English language training for customer service through work with some of the world’s top companies. While we customize each engagement according to our clients’ needs, our English training package for improving customer service typically covers topics like these:
- Our English language coaches will provide comprehensive instruction in phonetics, focusing on pronunciation and enunciation techniques. Not only that, but general communication tips for improved phone calls, even if strong accents are in play.
- They’ll also delve into the distinctions between informal and formal communication, covering both written and verbal forms to enhance overall proficiency.
- Your employees will become better able to speak English on phone calls, which can often be one of the biggest challenges for non-native English speakers. They’ll receive targeted training on commonly used phrases in your industry, concise questions and answers, effective message-taking, and the skillful redirection of calls and correspondence.
- Our program meticulously defines business grammar and provides practical guidance on its appropriate application in various communication contexts.
- To improve presentations, your employees will learn techniques, skills, and valuable tips to enhance their ability to convey information effectively in English.
- Addressing language barriers is a crucial aspect of our training; language coaches cover both cultural nuances and competency levels to bridge gaps and promote seamless communication.
- Business jargon can be difficult for non-native English speakers, so we help your employees understand the specialized vocabulary of your industry, learn when to use acronyms, and master the easy-to-understand pronunciation of industry-specific terms.
- Our training helps employees identify and rectify common communication and grammar errors, ensuring polished and smooth interactions.
- To foster smoother customer interactions, employees will master the art of engaging in appropriate small talk.
- Finally, your English learners will fine-tune their grammar skills, including modal verbs, phrasal verbs, prepositions, articles, and other essential linguistic elements.
10 Secrets to Managing your Multilingual / Global Workforce
What About Customer Service Employees with Accents?
Even if you have global employees who have studied English extensively, they may still have heavy accents that make their interactions with customers more difficult. Why does this happen? An employee who has experienced English mostly through textbooks may have proficiency in reading and writing the language. However, if they haven’t heard or spoken English enough, they haven’t mastered the sounds that might not exist in their native language or the subtle differences in pronunciation that can change the meaning of what they are saying. Or, they have an English accent that is not as common for your customers to hear. As a result, they are left with a heavy “accent” when speaking, and this impedes their communication with other English speakers.
Fluency Corp language training is designed to help your customer service employees with heavy accents be understood better by native English speakers. Not only that, we give your employees the confidence they need to speak up at meetings and more fully contribute to their teams. The emphasis is on the relevant conversational practice that’s all too often missing in the classroom. Our coaches and our management team take the time to get to know your company, your goals and your employees’ specific challenges so that we can offer valuable, personalized feedback.
Case Study: English Training Improves Customer Service
Middlesex Bank faced a significant customer exodus. The bank’s diverse workforce, composed of immigrants from around the world, struggled to communicate effectively due to language barriers, hindering client interactions and eroding customer loyalty. Despite having worked in English for more than 10 years, the employees lacked some formal English education.
Conventional language programs proved inadequate, with off-the-shelf models failing to address individualized challenges. Recognizing the need for a tailored approach, Middlesex Bank enlisted Fluency Corp. We initiated a comprehensive strategy, including regular group English lessons, small group formal writing classes, and 50 hours of personalized one-on-one coaching for high-potential employees. The focus was not solely on language, but also on bridging cultural and speech delivery gaps.
Fluency Corp’s impact was profound. The bank’s customer retention strategy, previously marred by time-consuming call monitoring, was transformed. Our custom-designed courses addressed cultural and speech delivery issues, not just language proficiency.
Individualized training plans were formulated after thorough interviews with both management and employees, ensuring a tactful and culturally sensitive approach.
How Fluency Corp Language Classes Work
Fluency Corp has a long track record of helping companies improve their customer service through the benefits of language training. We know how to work with customer-facing employees at all levels and in a variety of fields. Because we have a deep understanding of business needs, we have established courses that you can customize for your organization.
We know you and your employees value flexibility. That’s why we offer English language classes for individuals and small groups in person around the world. Classes are also available online.
No matter the format, though, all of our English classes are taught by live instructors who are native English speakers. And your employees will get plenty of conversational practice.
You can learn more about Fluency Corp by reading our client testimonials and case studies, or exploring what makes our proprietary Bellieu Method unique and effective. We’d also love to talk with you about how English language training can support customer service and your other business goals. To open the conversation, get in touch with us now.
Get More Info About Our Language Training Resources
We’d love to talk with you more about how we can support your work with global relocations and international collaboration. To get additional information about how Fluency Corp works with HR professionals seeking language training resources, call us for a free consultation at (800) 401-3159 or fill out the form below.
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