How to Address Language Issues

In this line of business, everything relies on communication. Language issues, are translated into stats, by poor QA scores, low CSAT, low FCR and high ATT. Being a QA for 4 years, I have experienced working with agents who went live, had difficulties communicating, and as a result, had low morale. This is because they are often at the end of customer abuse. They have issues completing resolution because the customer's can't understand the steps. They have long calls because it takes a lot of effort on their part just to discuss a simple point. It was a challenging task at first. I know that the conventional way of coaching won't work. By going through a series of trial and errors (with emphasis on errors), I was able to find a series of steps that worked with most of the agents I have handled. This is a tried and tested formula.

1. Motivate- Excite.Brainwash. Attitude Transplant. They're all the same.

The first issue I have experienced is coaching agents with bleak outlook on self improvement. After all, they spent 14 years, at least, of education trying to work on their ps and fs, th, vs and bs, to no avail. Some of them already accepted the fact that it is impossible to learn. There are different ways to motivate people, but the first step is to let the agent know that there is a NEED for improvement, and that it's not too late to learn a new skill. And that need is supposed to be addressed to as soon as possible.You have to build the confidence.This is because effective communication requires confidence. Without doing this, we can't go to the next steps.

2. Minimize Word Count- Most agents with this problem, fall into a trap. Wherein, to compensate for this perceived flaw, an agent talks more, sometimes out of control, drowning the customer with details, circling around different topics. Sometimes this can be due to enthusiasm of being in a new environment. Or simply because of a notion, that maybe by speaking more, they are practicing more. But this is a common sight. However, what this does is that it makes matters worse, because the language issues have now become more obvious. And sometimes by over talking they find themselves, hitting communication walls. The first thing that we should do is to HIDE the flaw. After all, when it comes to communication, less is more.

Coach agents on:

a. Being clear, concise, and direct to the point. Take note of common sentences that are wordy and come up with modifications.
b. Minimizing fillers.
c. Avoiding run on sentences.
d. Planning the call ahead of time, anticipating possible discussion points.
e. Organizing thoughts and focusing on one topic at a time.
f. Using transition phrases to direct call flow.
g. Being in control of their emotions during the call


This step alone can make a huge difference. In fact, for most agents, I only did this step, and they figured out the rest.

3. Create Audio Scripts- Scripting makes it easier for new agents to handle certain situations like referrals, closing, handling an irate customer, etc. By constantly rehearsing the lines, agents can say it with more confidence in time. The problem is , can they say it correctly?

As people grow old, they become accustomed to their native speech sound, and can find it hard to retain the correct way of pronouncing particular words/phrases. Communication is 100% mental, because when we speak, we retrieve a memory of words into our head before putting it in a sentence.Sometimes, if our mind is cluttered with an abyss of thoughts, our speech is, well, cluttered. If we hear our neighbors, talking in bad English for years, we unconciously retain it. When we retain it, it manifests itself when we speak.

To create audio recorded scripts, we must write down the scripts that the agent frequently uses during the course of a call. Record it using windows recorder, and have the agents listen to it before shift and even at home. By doing this, we are re programming their memory, and this time with the correct data.


4. Improve Speech Techniques-Intonation is the speech music. Each language a genre. Even if we pronounce all the words correctly, we would still sound awful if the intonation is incorrect. For example, in our native tongue, every syllable is pronounced, whereas in the American Language, sentences are treated like sound groups. This contrasting characteristic is one of the challenges when coaching these agents. Voice modulation exercises can be beneficial in terms of sounding clearer, more confident and more mature.

5. Think in English- When we think in Tagalog, we find it hard to construct sentences in the middle of a conversation. By thinking in English before shift, we are conditioning our mind for this activity.Thus, we are avoiding incorrect transliterations and will sound more spontaneous, less strenuous when we talk.

6. Speak English-

Exaggerate.

Most often, even if agents have the skill, they are often shy to display it. We must exaggerate , stressing on twangs, intonations, inflections, etc. Even if it sounds embarrassing at first, this is an essential part of this development. Through this way, we are conditioning our mindset that speaking English is something that comes naturally. And it will.

Agents should listen to their call recordings and must take notes of commonly mispronounced words. There are a lot of websites that can be used as a reference. (i.e., encarta.msn.com, then go to dictionary, etc.)

I'm not a big fan of English only Policies because it can be compared to forcing a basketball player to keep on shooting even if his mechanics are wrong. It lacks creativity and displays short understanding of the agent's psyche. The previous 5 steps must be achieved FIRST before enforcing such policy.

7. Improve on Grammar- Agents should notice patterns between correct grammar usages. Most often, the same rules apply. There is lot of grammar related sites. The best one for me is Englishpage.com.

8.Develop Conversational Skills- Cultivate good phone savvy/personality by listening, turn taking, avoiding dead air, building rapport, spontaneity, and expressing one's point with clarity.

Overall, this completes the package.