UK Call Centres... Multilingual Capabilities?
Freedom of movement within Europe is resulting in the migration of labour to the UK. In 2005, net migration into the UK was 185,000*. Almost 85 per cent of those from central and eastern European countries that joined the EU on 1 May 2004, came to Britain with intention of working*.
A UK bank account is essential for these workers and many of them will need to purchase and insure a vehicle. Increased pressure is now mounting on the public and private sectors to ensure equal access to individuals irrespective of language.
thebigwordGroup's recent report, 'Banking on speaking English', shows that the limited English speaking population is poorly served by the UK's banking and insurance companies' telephone services.
Speaking their own language, researchers called advertised phone numbers for the UK's leading financial services providers, to open a current account and arrange car insurance. Of the 180 calls made only 3 successfully resulted in information being obtained over the phone.
The results of this report show that leading financial services companies are failing to deliver high levels of customer service to the increasing number of limited English speakers living and working in the UK.
Without access to interpreting services, financial call centres are putting language barriers between the customer and the bank or insurance company. In turn, they are failing to make their products available to a large number of potential new customers.
Telephone Interpreting from thebigwordGroup
Telephone Interpreting from thebigwordGroup is readily available in the UK and can be fully integrated into a contact centre environment. Telephone Interpreting from thebigwordGroup gives you:
- No appointment is needed. Simply call our dedicated number when you need an interpreter
- 24/7 access, 365 days per year
- Connection to an interpreter in seconds
- Access to over 150 languages
- Complete confidentiality
- Skilled Interpreters, trained in specialist financial vocabulary
- Charges by the second; no rounding-up
- Access to real-time management information
- Awareness materials to help user take up and understanding
- Easy to use, convenient and cost effective
To find out more about thebigwordGroup's Telephone Interpreting Service, contact Achille Traore, Business Development Manager, on +44 (0)113 389 4718 or email achille.traore@thebigword.com .
Download "Banking on Speaking English", a report into the accessibility of the UK's leading telephone banking and insurance services to limited-English speakers.
* Source: Office of National Statistics