With immigration levels into the United States at their highest levels since World War I and 11% of Americans naming a tongue other than English as their primary language, cultural differences are becoming an increasing concern for teleservices professionals.
Linda Stokes, president of PRISM International Inc., noted earlier this week at the ATA conference here that call center operators need to consider not only the culture of their customers but that of the center itself and the community where it is located.
Cultural differences have a definite impact on how workers interact with each other, she said. For example, various cultures have unique ways of greeting each other, and common courtesies may differ from country to country.
Call centers dealing with multicultural customer service may want to consider hiring “cultural translators,” she said, to address differences in customer expectations based on individual and family values, language differences and unique customs and rituals.
The ATA conference, which attracted about 600 attendees, concludes today.
*Live From Nashville: ATA Presents Excellence Awards LIVE FROM NASHVILLE: ATA PRESENTS EXCELLENCE AWARDS Highlights for Children received the American Teleservices Association Board of Directors Award yesterday at the ATA annual conference at the Opryland Hotel. The award recognized Highlights lobbying efforts on behalf of the industry, including its work to help defeat a “do not call list” bill in Ohio.
The ATA also presented the Telo Awards yesterday, honoring excellence in design and execution of outbound campaigns. The winning companies were: Advanced Data-Comm, Inc., Edge Teleservices, LLC, King TeleServices and TeleDevelopment Services.
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