4 Benefits of using a multilingual chatbot for eCommerce

Lost in Translation is a film that is a cult favourite from 2003. However, it is a very real experience that retailers should avoid when communicating with customers at any cost. This is true for in-person interactions, but it also applies online, where brands are seeing their eCommerce businesses grow and customers are turning to them for support. The multilingual chatbot is here.

Merchants now deal with more website traffic than ever before and are looking for better ways to engage and serve a larger number of online customers.

This is where multilingual chatbots are useful. They allow merchants to interact with customers online using personalized, contextually relevant conversations in almost any language.

Let’s explore why it’s important that merchants offer personalized customer experiences online. We’ll also discuss how multi-language AI chatbots can help.

What is a multilingual chatbot and how does it work?

Chatbots in multiple languages provide online shoppers with chat and automated support via messaging apps such Facebook Messenger or on the websites. It uses artificial intelligence to answer customer questions and perform simple tasks in the customer’s preferred language. Multilingual chat capabilities are essential for brands operating in multiple regions or geographies with many spoken languages.

Multilingual chatbots can be implemented by brands in a variety of ways. They can either create a chatbot for each language, use Google Translate, or partner with an AI chatbot platform such as Heyday that has multilingual capabilities. Customers such as Merci Handy can use Heyday’s chatbot to communicate with customers in English and French, without the need for a translator.

Instead of creating a new-net chatbot in each region you sell to, a single chatbot with multilingual capabilities will be easier to deploy and easier to scale if you expand into new markets. Multilingual chat is a foundation for scalable, effective social commerce strategies.

How do multilingual chatbots function?

Multilingual chatbots can detect language to better serve customers. Chatbots can detect language and provide customer support in their native language. For example, chatbots will respond to customers who speak French if they are contacted by the chatbot. However, if the chatbot’s next customer asks a question that is in English, the chatbot will respond in English.

A multilingual bot can be built to provide multilingual support for customers around the world.

There are 4 benefits to using a multilingual chatbot

There are many reasons your team should consider using an AI chatbot that speaks multiple languages, especially if they have an international presence.

Multilingual chat is more than just a great way to improve customer satisfaction and scale your business. We’ve broken down four benefits of multilingual chatbots to make it easier:

• Customer engagement
• Sales potential
• Customer loyalty
• Competitive edge

1. Boost customer engagement

What chance do you have of engaging with someone if you don’t speak the same languages?

Exactly.

The same applies to potential customers and brands.

Multilingual live chat has the number one benefit: it improves customer experience and increases engagement. Customers can access the information they need faster if they communicate in their preferred language, which results in a better shopping experience.

It’s easy to see how it works: if a customer submits a question in French and your chatbot replies in English, it shows that the customer is the one who must compromise.

This is not customer-centric.

You can eliminate any friction in your customer experience by communicating on their terms in their preferred language. It is obvious that customers communicate more effectively with sales and support agents, which is a benefit for both time-strapped shoppers as well as sales and support agents.

2. Increase sales potential

Retailers and their marketing teams know that personalization is a key factor in retaining and winning customers. A whopping 80% of shoppers will make a purchase from brands that provide a personalized online or in-store experience.

You and your team can make the most out of multilingual chat technology by integrating it into your customer communication strategy. This will allow you to respond to customers’ questions in their native language, as well as offer them relevant product recommendations.

72% of shoppers will buy a product if it’s presented in their mother tongue.

Some chatbots that use AI can integrate with your inventory catalog automatically and help customers find the product they want. The chatbot uses natural language understanding to identify keywords customers use in conversations and then offers them products or services that are related.

Dynamite example using a Heyday chatbot for showing a customer black blazers written in English.

eCommerce merchants can use AI to improve their self-serve capabilities. This AI has deep knowledge of many languages and makes it easier for customers get what they want fast.

3. Customer loyalty can be increased

Your team and you know that while attracting new clients is a top priority, it’s equally important to maintain good relationships with your existing clients.

Multilingual chat can increase customer loyalty by creating richer connections between customers and local stores as well as their support and sales staff.

DECATHLON is an example of a sporting goods retailer that has outlets around the globe and uses Heyday. DECATHLON’s chatbot was adapted to each market it serves. DECATHLON’s chatbot can communicate in any language that is most appropriate, regardless of whether a customer is shopping in Singapore or the UK.

Heyday is one the few AI chatbots that offers a multilingual feature. This allows you and your team not only to reap the benefits but also to make it more customer-centric.

Heyday’s chatbot technology is powered by state of the art AI machine translation. It supports English and French across all channels (including Facebook and Instagram Google), and integrates with popular eCommerce platforms such as Shopify, Salesforce and Magento. It can adapt to your customer’s language preferences in real time.

Check out the integrations directory to see a complete list.

Conversation with customers in their preferred language leads to clearer communication. This is the foundation of conversational commerce strategies.

4. Secure your competitive edge

Retailers across the spectrum are increasing their eCommerce platforms in order to meet growing demand for online shopping. This is also to ensure that they remain profitable in the “new norm” created by COVID-19.

It is becoming more important for merchants to stand out from their competitors as the eCommerce landscape becomes more complex. A retailer can give customers instant service in their preferred language to enhance their customer experience and give them an advantage over the rest.

Multilingual chat can also save money.

Integration of a chatbot with an automatic translation feature is much cheaper than adding bilingual or multilingual agents to your customer service team. Automating the translation process saves time and gives customers more options to ask high-value questions.

Multilingual chatbots can be scaled. If your brand is looking to expand internationally, it is essential that you can serve customers in their native language. Each new retail location with a designated website domain, Google My Business or Facebook page can easily be integrated with an AI platform.

A personalized customer experience is crucial

The importance and benefits of prioritizing customer experiences (CX) are clear today. Retailers have seen increased sales and customer loyalty through tailoring messaging and outreach to customers. Personalized experiences can influence whether or not a consumer will purchase a product or how much they spend.

A personalized CX can be defined as many things. Retailers are using personalized email marketing to increase customer satisfaction. Every customer interaction has a fundamental aspect. It’s language, you have guessed.

Language barriers can be broken

Language barriers are well-known, both in business and social life. It is a common occurrence in bilingual cities like Montreal, Canada. It can be confusing to know where to go next.

Multilingual customer service is essential in a retail environment. With today’s translation technologies, AI-powered multilingual chatbots, and other AI-powered tools, language barriers that customers face while shopping online are not insurmountable.

A multilingual chatbot can be a great option if your brand is transactional in North America and Europe. It will ensure that customers receive support in the language they prefer, regardless of whether they are in Canada, Spain, Germany, Canada or anywhere else. Although it may seem obvious, English is still the default language for many global chatbot services. This can be restrictive at best and alienating at worse.

Merchants can enhance their relationship with customers by using contextually relevant chat in the customer’s preferred language, thanks to platforms like Facebook Messenger and Google Business Messages.

Heyday, our chatbot for retailers that uses conversational AI to make sales, allows you to engage with shoppers in English and French.

Request a Heyday Demo

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