...answer the phone in ENGLISH!
By Elias Ek

Something that most people have in common is some level of fear for the unknown. This means that experiencing knew cultures is both exciting and scary at the same time. One of the most hands-on examples of this has to do with languages. In Taiwan, people have to study English from early childhood until they graduate from highschool, and many also attend nightschool and read bi-lingual magazines to better their English. In a matter of fact, teaching English as a second language is a huge business in Taiwan. But despite this massive education effort many people don't dare to open their mouth if they meet a foreigner. It's not only the fear of saying something weird, but there is also the possibility of embarrassing misunderstandings as well.

As I a Swedish person who have in my life studied 5 different languages, lived in 4 countries and visited nearly 40 countries I have experienced and observed this fear a lot, both in myself and in others.

If you are a business manager for a company involved in international trade, this fear becomes a very important factor. It is every company's task to make it as easy and pleasent as possible for customers to contact them. But often when I call Taiwanese companies I hear a voicemail saying something like "For English Press 2" and when I do I expect the next person who picks up the phone to answer in English, because the voice said so. But 9 times out of 10 the person who picks up the phone still answers with "Weeeiii?"

Now this may seem like a small problem, especially if the person who just answered in Chinese can switch to perfect English as soon as they notice that the caller prefers to speak English. But remember that fear of the unknown most of us. I have experienced it myself many times when I am calling someone in a foreign country. I wonder who will pick up the phone and if I will be able to speak to that person. If I have a choice I might choose to minimize my exposure to this stress. I might not even be aware of it but the next time I need something I will call someone I KNOW speak English or at least try somewhere else. So if I were your customer you just lost me.

The good news is of course that it is extremely easy to solve this problem. The absolute easiest and cheapest is to look within your organization and find a couple of people who speak good English and always have one of them to answer the English line. Another option is to train your receptionist in handling English calls. It can be something extremely simple like practicing how to say "Please hold a moment" as soon as they hear someone not speaking Chinese and then they transfer it to someone who speaks good English.

The next option is obviously to hire someone new who speak good English. This of course turns out to cost a bit of money and you will have look at what other tasks this person can do and how many calls you get each month from foreigners.

If your call volume does not warrant a fulltime receptionist, the best option is to outsource your English Customer Service. Business Process Outsourcing firms like Enspyre offer this service and can do anything from just answering, transfering the call or taking a message to full-fledge Customer Service with order taking and problem solving.

Whichever solution you choose, do you yourself and your customers a favor and don't scare them away with "Weeeeiii?"