Chatbot and Localization—Is It Right For Your Company?

What if you had a way to convert more leads right now?

Consider this finding from CSA Research: 75% of consumers prefer to purchase products in their own language.

You simply can’t ignore data like this. But with over 6,900 languages in the world, how do you offer multilingual customer service in a manner that’s affordable yet effective?

Enter multilingual chatbots—your way to connect on a more personal level with consumers around the globe.

Is building a multilingual chatbot worth it?

Many experts advise analyzing if you have the scale that makes building a multilingual chatbot worthwhile. After all, it can get costly, and you want to see a return on your investment.

As an HBR article notes, “Deployments are most likely to pay off in companies fielding thousands of customer chats or calls via contact centers with hundreds of agents.” A multilingual chatbot works best in this environment for two reasons:

1. Such contact centers have masses of transcripts, and therefore masses of data, to train a multilingual chatbot. This makes it easier for the chatbot to solve customer needs.
2. Developing a multilingual chatbot and then deploying it takes months. It pays off best for companies with large-scale operations, and they can reap the benefits more quickly.

Ultimately, weigh your investment to see if it’s a smart decision for your business. Ask yourself:

• Is a multilingual chatbot better for your company than website translation or localization services? Can you afford to do both?
• Is finding bilingual customer service staff too difficult or costly?
• Does the scale of your customer service operations necessitate automation? If you serve lots of customers across the world, a multilingual chatbot could reduce operational costs significantly.

What can multilingual chatbots automate for your business?

Each year, companies spend $1.3 trillion on 265 billion customer service calls, according to IBM. That’s incredible, right?

What’s even more incredible is that IBM estimates chatbots can reduce customer service costs by 30%. They can achieve that by:

• Answering up to 80% routine questions and issues
• Freeing up customer service agents for more complex tasks
• Improving to deal with more and more issues (analysis firm Juniper Research predicts between 75-90% of customer queries will be handled by chatbots by the early- to mid-2020s)

37% of Americans already use chatbots to get a quick answer and do a task quickly. Your business could certainly benefit from such a tool.

For instance, if you have a healthcare facility, having a chatbot for booking appointments and relaying basic information could reduce administrative burden. Or if you run an online fashion store, a multilingual chatbot could provide a personalized way to gather customer info and answer questions about clothing (better than a message box).

What other benefits do multilingual chatbots offer?

Multilingual chatbots offer more than just lower labor expenses and greater efficiency. They give you 24/7 support around the world. And, as the data shows, multilingual chatbots can generate more revenue for your business, as customers are more likely to purchase in their own language.

When customers get support in their native language, that doesn’t just increase the likelihood of a one-time purchase. It leads to higher client satisfaction and the potential for a lifetime customer.

Bain & Company research shows that a 5% increase in retention rate can increase your profits between 25-95%. So, it makes sense to invest in the tools that will boost customer satisfaction.

Getting started with chatbots and localization

Localization services, like multilingual chatbot localization, can be an invaluable asset for your company. If localizing your website pages is not capturing all potential leads, you will need more multilingual customer service help, and/or your English-only chatbot is not giving enough customer support, it’s probably time to learn how to localize your chatbot.

Before building a chatbot, consider the kinds of questions your customers typically have. To have an idea of how to localize your chatbot, segment those questions by language and market. This way, you can address unique needs in each country.

When building the chatbot, begin with routine queries. Your multilingual chatbot will deliver value more quickly by automating standard issues. Once the system proves it can handle routine customer needs, train for more complex interactions.

Ultimately, a multilingual chatbot can be an integral part of any localization strategy. And you can benefit in the long run from an increased ability to handle customer needs across all sorts of languages.