Companies are increasingly going global. Most competitive brands do not just set their sights on local markets but multiple international markets. As a result, interacting with customers of different cultural backgrounds also known as Cultural Sensitivity has become a part of the customer agents’ job.
Customer agents who interact with the customers through a live chat website plugin are more likely to come across culturally diverse customers. Cultural Sensitivity will help avoid negative impact on international customers.
Five Tips to Enhance Cultural Sensitivity
Here are five tips for live chat agents to become more aware when interacting with customers from different countries and cultures.
1. Understand the Cultural Background
Customer agents should study the culture of their geographical target market. They need to orient themselves about unique communication nuances related to a particular culture. Consider knowing about the smallest of cultural details and understanding the lifestyles. This information will help in better personalizing the customer service experience.
2. Know about the Communication Styles
Another tip to improve cultural sensitivity is to know about the different communication styles. For example, most Asians value politeness as opposed to the straightforwardness that is appreciated in the west. While this principle does not apply to every individual, it gives an idea of how to interact appropriately with the general public. More importantly, it allows the customer agent using the live chat website plugin to remain flexible and adjust the communication style according to the perceived cultural expectation of the customers.
3. Remain Sensitive to Gender Interactions
Most Arab countries, in general, believe in gender segregation. As a result, they have difficulty in interacting with a call center agent of an opposite gender. If a lot of your clients are from conservative countries, it’s important to respect their cultural beliefs and provide gender-appropriate customer service.
4. Remain Courteous
Whatever the country from which the customers belong, it’s important to show them proper respect. Avoid judging a person based on their belief or culture. A customer agent’s role is to show courtesy and respect to every customer regardless of their cultural background. Therefore, you must always remain courteous of the Cultural Sensitivity.
5. Avoid Talking about Conflicting Subjects
Customer service agents should remain professional at all times. They should avoid making small talk with customers that could result in conflict. Avoid at all cost, conversations regarding controversial topics such as religion, politics, and social issues. If a person tries to speak on a political or any other controversial topic while using the live chat website plugin, the customer service agent should guide the conversation to a different and less conflicting topic.
In this era of global commerce, customer service agents should be aware of the Cultural Sensitivity. The advancement of internet technologies has made this world a global village. It’s not uncommon for a company to have customers from different parts of the world. Just as customer service quality is important, understanding cultural nuances is essential to provide excellent customer service.
