3 Areas to Include in Your Cultural Awareness Training

Faith Ocampo Published on May 26, 2016 Last updated on June 3, 2022

For call centers, the key to global dominance is multiculturalism.

Our modern world, one wherein distance and time gaps are becoming irrelevant, empowers global brands. Largely aided by technology, globalization provides businesses a rich array of opportunities—from far-reaching influence to stronger branding. It’s safe to say, therefore, that entrepreneurs are in a niche conducive for building a globally recognized legacy.

What the Training Must Cover

cultural awareness training with diverse call center team

These brands, however, don’t work alone. Most of them commonly offshore their customer service to a contact center. For this partnership to be successful, call centers and brands must set their sights on the same business goals, among the most important of which is cultural awareness.

Brands can no longer ignore the fact that they must embrace diversity now that the web allows people from all backgrounds to meet and interact. And it’s good that most businesses are already thinking along these lines. They’re starting to breed a culture out of cultural sensitivity, and that’s a big leap forward. But are their call centers able to do the same?

Call centers must always be able to make good impressions, being the frontline organization that directly caters to customers. Even one mistake can be costly, so promoting multiculturalism must be their top priority. Most outsourcing companies start by conducting a cultural awareness training among employees. This way, their agents know what’s expected of them from the moment they become part of the contact center.

  • The Basics

    cultural awareness training with trainer in multilingual call center

    Customer centricity dictates that brands and their call centers know who the target customer is. Understanding the customer, however, isn’t limited to knowing their basic demographic traits like age, gender, or employment background.

    To personalize your services, you must appreciate the culture the customer is part of. Identify the customer’s location as well as the common practices that are unique to their area. You may not think these things matter at first, but this would help brands and customers find a common ground.

  • Language

    cultural awareness discussion in diverse call center team

    There’s a reason why multilingual call centers rose to popularity: they empower global brands by allowing them to connect to multiple market sectors. Aside from this, the highly diverse environment in these organizations is a big advantage.

    Operating in such a dynamic environment, agents gain instant exposure to a hodgepodge of cultures. Their everyday interactions thus become a form of practice, shaping their intercultural communication skills and their ability to relate to others.

  • Unacceptable Expressions

    cultural awareness trainer looking at notes during call center training

    Your cultural awareness training should cover the common expressions, gestures, or terms that may be acceptable for some groups but are offensive to others. That said, comparing cultural values is also a must. This is one way to communicate effectively and overcome language barriers.


Establish a strong foothold in your global markets with Open Access BPO’s business solutions. Our programs support over 30 languages, manned by our talented multilingual teams of professionals whose cultural awareness goes way beyond language proficiency.

Contact us today and tell us your business needs and goals and we’ll craft the operations just for you.

 

Read More

Faith is a digital media enthusiast aiming to become an active part of the tech world by sharing her insights. She likes to blog about everything digimarketing, technology, and social media.
Join us on facebook
Open Access BPO 13 hours ago
Embrace the power of #diversity and drive positive change with #InclusiveHiring practices!

Our new blog post explores the transformative impact of inclusive hiring, providing insights and strategies to build a stronger, more inclusive workforce: https://buff.ly/3uHQV7c

----------
Our recruitment & training practices are meticulously designed to ensure exceptional #CX: OpenAccessBPO.com/get-started

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#DiversityandInclusion
#inclusivity
Open Access BPO 16 hours ago
When it comes to #CustomerService, every ounce of effort—both tiny and grand—counts.

Here's a list of 10 modest gestures your #CallCenter agents can do to build meaningful customer relationships: https://buff.ly/3Rc0wdZ

----------
Elevate #CustomerExperience by #outsourcing to a trusted 24/7 multilingual #BPO: OpenAccessBPO.com/get-started

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#outsourcing #CX #CSat
#CustomerSatisfaction
Open Access BPO Yesterday
Ensuring memorable #CustomerExperience by providing high quality #CustomerSupport means two things:
• brands need to gain a 360-degree view of their customers; and
• brands need to satisfy a large part, if not all, of their customers' needs.

Do both by implementing a multichannel #CX management strategy: https://buff.ly/418ASeP

----------
Give your customers an unforgettable customer experience with multichannel #CustomerService: OpenAccessBPO.com/get-started

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#outsourcing #CX
#CustomerSatisfaction #CSat
Open Access BPO 11 days ago
Aside from the location advantage, the 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐮𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 in Southeast Asia because of these Filipino qualities:
• neutral accent;
• multilingual proficiency;
• dedicated work ethics;
• resilience and adaptability; and
• close affinity with Western cultures.

Read: https://buff.ly/47sGAKD

----------
Partner with a #CallCenter with strong #CustomerExperience expertise: OpenAccessBPO.com/get-started

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerSupport #CustomerService
#CustomerSatisfaction #CSat #CX
Open Access BPO 11 days ago
𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆 is a valuable metric to determine the challenges your #CustomerSupport team will face.
It allows you to manage your team and distribute the workload accordingly, paving the way for an efficient operational output.

Read: https://buff.ly/3R0VCk2

----------
Effective employee and ops management ensure high #productivity for optimal 24/7 coverage.

So, only partner with an #outsourcing specialist with robust and foolproof ops strategies that will make your brand soar: OpenAccessBPO.com/get-started

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#CustomerExperience #CustomerService
Open Access BPO 12 days ago
Creating culturally diverse teams in #CallCenters is not just a moral imperative but a strategic advantage.

Here are 6 more compelling reasons for ensuring #CulturalDiversity in the workplace: https://buff.ly/3MYaCO6

----------
Choose an #outsourcing partner with diverse teams and cultures:
OpenAccessBPO.com/get-started

#WeSpeakYourLanguage
#diversity #inclusitivity
Open Access BPO