How machine translation enhances customer support

The festive period is one of the busiest times for customer support teams due to the surge in demand from holiday shopping and festive activities, where customer service enquiries can increase by 110%. To meet this demand, businesses must ensure their customer service is not only responsive but also accessible to a multilingual audience.

 

Today machine translation has emerged as a powerful tool in bridging language gaps, enabling businesses to reach out to customers across various languages and cultures. But, how can machine translation help businesses to provide better customer support in multiple languages - not just in the festive period but all year round?

In today's globalized market, consumers expect real-time customer service to guide them through their buying journey and post-purchase experience. Our RWS Unlocked 2023 report overwhelmingly supports this with 89% saying it’s important to be able to deal with companies online in their own language.

 

Whilst relationships with local partners can help solve some of your basic logistical issues, going the extra mile to provide robust and easily accessible multilingual customer support that addresses customer needs is now essential to doing business. Machine translation (MT), which automatically translates one text from another, can provide instant translations for customer or user enquiries, enabling support teams to deliver quick and satisfying customer solutions.

In customer support, timely responses are crucial. Machine translation enables businesses to provide quick answers to customer queries, regardless of the language. This speed improves customer satisfaction and helps resolve issues more efficiently. Machine translation can automate the entire process – and free up your customer care agents’  time to handle more complex tasks.

 

Customers prefer real-time interaction channels such as chat and virtual assistants. MT already allows for every customer service and support agent to handle inquiries from global customers in real-time, independently from the language they speak. In addition to providing real-time translation to agents, MT can be integrated into emerging real-time channels directly. 

 

Hiring human translators or maintaining a multilingual support team can be expensive. Machine translation offers a cost-effective alternative. It reduces the need for extensive human resources while still providing reliable translations. This cost efficiency is particularly beneficial for small businesses or startups operating on limited budgets.

 

Machine translation ensures consistency in messaging, reducing the risk of miscommunication. This consistency is vital for maintaining brand voice and customer trust.

In the e-commerce industry, machine translation can play a crucial role in product descriptions, reviews, and customer inquiries. It allows businesses to expand their reach to non-native speakers and cater to a diverse customer base.

 

For travel and hospitality companies, machine translation facilitates seamless communication with international travellers. From booking confirmations to customer inquiries, translations help create a positive experience for guests.

 

In the tech industry, machine translation assists in providing technical support to global customers. It enables quick troubleshooting and ensures that users receive accurate guidance in their language. In addition, automatic translation of documentation reduces the number of requests to support teams.

To make the most of machine translation in customer support, businesses should consider the following best practices:

 

Businesses can improve translation accuracy by customizing models to suit their specific industry or niche. Training models with industry-specific terminology and content can result in more precise translations.

 

Regularly monitoring the performance of machine translation systems helps identify areas for improvement. Businesses should gather feedback from customers to assess the effectiveness of translations and make necessary adjustments.

 

Free online translation tools may be convenient for casual use by consumers—such as translating a restaurant menu in a foreign country—but they are not fit for business purposes because they lack the all-important security and privacy of data that is legally required when handling sensitive or privileged information.

 

A standard off-the-shelf public cloud MT system and its underlying security options may not suffice. What is required is an MT system that not only provides robust translation capabilities but also incorporates security as a core fundamental principle of its design and function at all levels to protect sensitive customer information.

Machine translation is a valuable tool for businesses seeking to provide effective customer support in multiple languages. By breaking language barriers, offering cost-effective solutions, and ensuring quick response times, it enhances the customer experience. With ongoing improvements in adaptive MT and automatic post-editing, translations will become more accurate and contextually aware.

 

Moreover, the integration of machine translation with chatbots and virtual assistants will revolutionize customer interactions. Businesses will be able to offer multilingual support through automated systems, further enhancing customer satisfaction.

 

Explore more about our AI-powered secure and adaptable machine translation from Language Weaver.