Challenges of Managing a Bilingual Call Center
by Randy Harmat
The Spanish-speaking population in the world exceeds that of English-speaking and their buying power has a significant impact on the global economy. Businesses that manage advertising campaigns to generate interest in what they produce must have a collection center or information contact center to mange customer requests. This applies to organizations; financial services, banks, technology companies, hotels etc. and they are increasingly relying on the expertise of bilingual call centers. Some of the largest corporations employ bilingual call center facilities to manage the workflow of the internal communication as well.
Professionals involved in managing bilingual call center staffs would agree that they are faced with many challenges. Perhaps, their greatest challenge is managing the workforce. Ensuring efficiency, training employees and having a good turnaround rate requires professionals who are skilled. Attaining this objective requires good planning and skilled execution in all kinds of services.
1. Hiring Spanish staff for bilingual call centers can be more challenging than it appears since most Spanish speakers in U.S are immigrants or first, second or third generation Americans. The challenge this provides in the workplace is that conversations at home are generally colloquial. Speaking to family and friends is very different from conducting a telephonic conversation with a customer. Language and accent problems greatly affect bilingual call center’s success.
2. Bilingual customer service representatives also encounter other problems in their work environment like use of accurate terminology and phrasing to describe new product features, describe payment options, cross-sell another product etc. Without appropriate training, they often make errors and become frustrated in their conversation with customers. This negatively affects customer’s perception of your company and brand.
3. Spanish conversation between people from different backgrounds sometimes complicates business communication. More than 20 countries in the world speak Spanish using a wide variety of pronunciation, accents, dialects and vocabulary. Often employees and customers misunderstood each other on a certain point.
4. Bilingual employees who interact with Spanish speaking customers must be able to communicate in business Spanish as well as understand the geo-demographic diversity of Hispanics in U.S. Unfortunately, many call centers train their bilingual personnel in English and then require their employees to ‘translate that into Spanish’. Without appropriate in-language training in the specialized vocabulary, these employees are at a disadvantage in communicating with their customers.
Tips
1. Provide your staff/employees with a better understanding of the culture and the geo-demographic diversity of US Hispanics by-
Improving the understanding of the Hispanic culture for those who interact with Spanish-speaking customers
Increasing the appreciation of Spanish-speaking people, their roots, tradition, history, cultures and languages
Becoming more aware of how the Spanish language is used by US Hispanics.
2. The best way of hiring the qualified Spanish candidates for bilingual call centers is by using language proficiency assessments that tests verbal communication, reading comprehension, writing skills to evaluate the competency of the Spanish speaker.
3. Provide the bilingual employees Business Spanish in-language training serving Hispanic consumers such as vocabulary and industry specific terms and phrases, how to handle difficult customers and techniques to handle the cultural diversity of Spanish speakers in the U.S.
4. It is important for bilingual call center management to stay current on call center news and trends to improve performance. This helps them to plan a customer service program that works for both their employees and customers.
Spanish speakers are becoming a very significant part of workforce and they need to be trained properly in their native language. Providing and achieving quality customer service through bilingual call centers requires a plan, adequate budget, fully trained staffs and appropriate Spanish language training.
Randall J. Harmat is the President of Ansafone Communications a full state of art Call Center Company located in downtown Santa Ana, CA. During his tenure, Ansafone has succeeded in its quest to recruit and retain a premier management team making it one of the fastest growing companies in California.
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Bluetooth Headset with your PC
by cell phones
For those of you not familiar with the term, Bluetooth refers to a wireless protocol (or set of rules) designed for short range electronic applications (usually less than 30 feet in distance). Although the technology has been around for several years, Bluetooth support for PC users has been limited due to hardware manufacturers focusing on the more traditional 802.11 wireless network protocols (wifi). In reality, Bluetooth and wifi achieve different purposes and each has its pros and cons.
Cellular Telephone Bluetooth Headsets
The cellular telephone community has long embraced Bluetooth technology, developing and refining numerous wireless devices. One of the more popular Bluetooth applications for cellular telephones has been cordless headsets which enable users to leave their telephone in their bag or pocket while still being able to make and receive calls. Bluetooth headsets are generally very lightweight, worn over one ear and achieve talk times from 1-4 hours before needing a recharge.
So if cellular telephone users have warmly embraced Bluetooth headsets, why not the PC community? At the time of writing, this author knows of no PC hardware manufacturer who has designed a Bluetooth Headset primarily for use with a PC. However, there is nothing to prevent a PC user from using a cellular phone Bluetooth Headset with their PC. Keep in mind though, these headsets were originally envisioned for cellular phone use and may need a bit of ‘tweaking’ before they’ll perform as well as ‘corded’ headsets on your computer.
USB Bluetooth Adapter
Unless you own a relatively expensive notebook PC, odds are that your computer doesn’t natively support the Bluetooth protocol. If this is the case, you’ll need an ‘Adapter’ or ‘Dongle’ in order to make your computer ‘Bluetooth enabled’. Bluetooth adapters are generally very small (a few inches long) and insert into a vacant USB port on your computer. When purchasing an adapter it’s critical that you buy one that supports the ‘headset protocol’. The headset protocol is merely a set of rules which enables your Bluetooth adapter to communicate with and make use of Bluetooth headsets in its vicinity. If your adapter does not support the headset protocol, no amount of ‘tweaking’ will get your headset working with your PC. Adapters generally run between $20 - $80 USD and can be purchased at most PC retailers.
Buying a Bluetooth Headset
Bluetooth headsets for cellular phones are generally very expensive when compared with conventional ‘corded’ PC headsets. Depending on where you buy your headset, you could spend anywhere from $20 to $200+ USD. If you’re looking for a relatively inexpensive headset that’ll simply enable you to make wireless VoIP calls using your PC, I recommend looking on Ebay. Although prices vary considerably on Ebay between merchants for similar products, overall they are considerably less expensive than purchasing the same headset from a telephone store. A word of caution about Ebay though; ensure that you read the fine print associated with shipping costs. Some Ebay merchants advertise Bluetooth Headsets for $5 USD however the real cost quickly rises to $35+ when you account for their often exorbitant shipping charges.
‘Pairing’ the Headset with your PC
Once your computer is ‘Bluetooth enabled’ and you’ve obtained a Bluetooth headset, you’ll need to ‘pair’ the headset with your computer in order to use it for VoIP applications. This is usually just a matter of setting your headset in ‘discovery mode’ and allowing your PC to ‘search’ or ‘discover’ Bluetooth devices. The steps needed to enable discovery mode on your headset and adapter will vary between devices and should be clearly explained in the documentation accompanying your devices.
Adjusting your Audio Settings
Depending on your hardware and operating system, you may need to make adjustments to your audio settings after the headset is ‘paired’ with your PC. In the Windows operating system, this will involve accessing ‘Audio Properties’ through the ‘Control Panel’ and setting the audio and voice devices to your newly paired Bluetooth headset. Again, adjusting these settings should be covered in the documentation accompanying both your headset and Bluetooth adapter.
for more info.visit our website at www.cellxpo.com we are Bluetooth Headsets Suppliers
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How does Wireless affect people health
by Travis Olague
Some fears and concerns have arisen in people’s heads whether WI-FI is safe or not when is used in connection for a human being’s health. Also these thoughts are stirred up by a recent BBC programme Panorama. At the same time some scientists have declared that they could not find any evidence proving that WI-FI causes any harm or damage to health. Well, we can now investigate this tricky topic in order to find out these proven and those unproven arguments.
Some experiments were undertaken to clear up this situation. Experiment with pupils` reading was performed in one of British schools. The BBC programme Panorama maintains that readings were 600 times below the government’s safety limits due to WI-FI radiation. Also the BBC declares that a wireless networks radiation is three times higher than that of a mobile one. From the other side, authorities from scientific society say that the radiation from the laptops is very small. However, better not to encourage children use laptops in their laps when they go online for a long period of time. There is a hot scientific debate with arguments. But, as you know right though thrives on conflict. Now we see that though there is a small radiation from laptops. Then the investigation goes further and Panorama visited one school in Norwich. The experimentation conducted in that school revealed the difference between the WI-FI and mobile radiation. That means that WI-FI signal is three times higher than the beam of mobile radiation.
Let us identify what WI-FI actually means. WI-FI is such a system that uses radio waves of a very low intensity. In comparison with the just common microwave oven that every family has in their houses, the WI-FI radiation intensity is 100,000 times less than that of an oven. Furthermore, if you sit in front of your lap top and receive network by wireless connection for a year then you will have received the same amount of radio waves as that of talking on mobile phone for 20 minutes. So, there is no any evidence what type of radiation has more influence over people’s health and life. But, we understand that the radiation does exist and we are curious to discover the way to calculate it.
This is rather a new area for scientists` investigation. That is why research in this particular direction is still proceeding. Taking into account that radio waves or WI-FI have been part of our lives for more than a century then we should already have found some notes or records with regard to any cases of harm, damage or any other negative effects that WI - FI can provoke. Here are some examples that have been represented to the public. The first person who suggested that low-level radiation has an effect on chromosomes or genetic material was a Professor Olle Johansson from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. However, Professor Will J Stewart from the Royal Academy of Engineering added that science explored that mobile phones` influence over health was negligible and thus assured that people should be calm. Regarding WI-FI, they work on another radio frequencies but the power is very low.
In conclusion, UK Telecom can suggest that opinions are divided into two opposite sides. One side is pro, another is contra. The truth is somewhere in the middle. But, alongside with this delicate issue there are many advantages of using WiMAX connection. This of course is another story and will need to be discussed some other time.
MLL Telecom the top UK Telecom company specializes in providing and managing wireless broadband networks. Our services are of wide range from end-to-end, wide area network, wire and wireless networks to voice over IP or wireless telephony connection and the other. We build networks for more than 175 companies in the UK. Just few of them are BT, Affiniti, Telewest and Government as well as Emergency organizations.
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Learn A Foreign Language.Learn the Chinese Language.
by topgear
Learn A Foreign Language.Learn the chinese language.
Do you find yourself saying “I want to learn the chinese language.” However, once you take a look at all the programs out there, you possibly have second thoughts. It can be pretty hard to figure out what the best way to learn chinese is when there are so many options! Let’s take a look at the reasons you might say “I want to learn the chinese language” and help you decide how to do it.In this article I will illustrate the importance of learning a second language for the broadening of your lifestyle and also how it helps your opportunities.Knowing a second language has it’s benefits and the importance of learning a second language is vastly underestimated by many of us today.
China is an old country, with a long history dating back centuries. It is full of fascinating people,cultural artifacts, literature, poetry, theater and art. Of course, without learning the chinese language, you won’t understand or be able to appreciate a lot of it. After all, relying on translations stops you from understanding the beauty of the original composition. Even if you’d like to check out the art and architecture of this great country, relying on others to speak Chinese for you puts you at a real disadvantage.How do you start to set about learning the chinese language?
Here are some tips.
1. Make sure you enjoy it. Make it a fun learning exercise. It will make the learning process easier for your brain and easier for you.
2. Don’t get stressed out if you have problems remembering words or phrases. Slowly it will all begin to fall into place.
3. Allow regular time for study. Promise yourself you will study for “x” hours per week. If you are a student, or you work, don’t put too much pressure on yourself by thinking you will be able to study more than you actually find comfortable. This will be counter
productive because you won’t enjoy it and you will become stressed (see points 1 and 2 above)
4.Study with another person. It will be easier, and you will each have a “practice partner”
Learning the chinese language has some real benefits, no matter what it is:Thats why I want to learn the chinese language. You’ll be able to communicate with many other people, you’ll find out about things you never would have encountered before, and you could even learn a little about your own language, too. A second language can open up new opportunities for friendships, and even expand your employment options. People who speak more than one language are almost always more employable than people who only know their native tongue.Just another reason why I want to learn the chinese language.
The importance of learning the chinese language is greater today than ever. As the world keeps shrinking with greater advances in communications technology and modes of travel, people are moving around both physically and on the web at an ever increasing rate. Immigration and tourism are growing rapidly for many countries. You may live in a country with one “official” language but chances are that many other languages will be spoken in that same country.
What opportunities are there for someone who also speaks Chinese? Companies in China in your specialty may be interested in hiring you, especially if you can provide good customer service. You can also work in areas where customers and clients speak mostly Chinese or have imperfect English. They’ll be happy to see someone they can speak to and understand them more clearly. There’s also always translation work.If you own a business or work in sales, the importance of learning the chinese language should be evident.
As I mentioned previously, it’s important to find a site that you can trust. In a later article, I’ve reviewed a resource that is excellent for learning Chinese online. I think you will find it most helpful and the resource itself, excellent. Chinese is a beautiful language. Once you are able to speak it fluently, or at least close to fluently, you will achieve a feeling of satisfaction the likes of which you have never experienced in your life..
The author contributes regularly to the popular blog Best-Language-Learning.Com. You want to learn Chinese but you don’t know where to start.Read this and ACT now.The Rocket people are the market leaders in language tuition.Proven success rate and money back guarantee. So, get the best advice on Learn the Chinese language when you check this site TODAY!
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Why Wirelesses Internet Connection is so Attractive Nowadays?
by Travis Olague
Some time ago people had no idea about the internet and wireless networks. At which time people could not even imagine that latterly advanced mankind would invent something like it. Nowadays civilization cannot imagine itself without the internet: emails, letters, messengers, sites’ navigation, chats etc. This is a modern style of communication. Within the last 10 years the internet probably became the second most interesting thing after sex. The Internet is the most popular thing amongst people. More and more people are being involved in internet using. Internet services are trendy because each person can find particular sorts of information regarding his or her demands. And this kind of information in an immense amount is offered with the high speed and arranged as well classified in directories and categories.
Then network by wireless comes onto the internet stage. Today WiMAX is easily reached in all distant places. By the way, in some situations wireless networks are more useful as it can penetrate into the locations where wired internet is not accessible. Thus it can help to save somebody’s life, inform about a fire or transfer other vital information. The device that is used in wireless broadband internet is a satellite dish. Yes, you are absolutely right. Satellite dish can provide a wide range of channels as well as offer wireless networks. Especially, for people living in rural areas network by wireless can be the only opportunity to get internet access. Of course, wireless broadband internet service is an expensive treat. On the other hand, if you live in the countryside and run your own home business, then WiMAX is a considered necessary service for you.
Services are differing. It can be just a satellite bond or a combined connection. For example, downloads are dispatched via satellite and uploads are performed through phone lines. Even in practically impossible internet access locations people are able to take advantage of surfing cyber space. Wireless Ethernet allows people to enjoy benefits of using the internet out of their own homes. Originally, wireless ethernet was set up and widely used in internet- cafes. With the lapse of time it became available in libraries, coffee shops, restaurants, hotels, airports and even in some snack food places. Also this kind of wireless ethernet is available at college/ university campuses, business conferences etc. Hence, mobility means contacting and productivity. What do you need? Just a wireless card is needed inside your laptop. And then you can have fun navigating internet waters! Usually some companies offer free wireless internet services, but in some places you can find a cost per minute. I have made an observation that recently many young people use their mobiles to access the internet. Cellular is a practical and possible mean to connect to the internet. Sure, that download speed is rather slower but you can read your email or connect in an urgent case. Particularly, it really helps when you need to manage your business and sort some issues when you are away from your desk.
UK Telecom can assure you that wireless networks are becoming more and more widespread. Why do we think so? The most important feature is your ability to stay connected to the information you need. Only wireless service can provide you with such an opportunity to get internet in any circumstances whether it is a connection through a mobile phone, a card inside your PC or satellite. Network by wireless cares about your needs.
Whether you are a network operator or just a simply looking for wireless networks, we are glad to offer to you our services. Having the breadth of know-how and experience the biggest UK Telecom company meets your requirements. MLL Telecom is the primary broadband provider of hybrid and wireless network. Our honourable and respectable partners include BT, Affiniti, and Telewest as well as public sector organizations like North Yorkshire County Council, East Sussex County Council, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service etc.
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