Canada has 1.3 million small businesses employing over 11 million individuals. Most of these small businesses can be found in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, and Alberta—four of Canada’s most populous provinces.

However, small businesses in Canada often struggle to provide consistent and effective customer service.

Staff shortages, decreased revenue, low sales, and limited resources pose significant challenges to Canadian SMBs when scaling their customer service efforts. This inability to meet customer expectations can lead to missed opportunities.

Canada is a bilingual country, with French and English as its official languages. In Q3 2023, 15.7% of private businesses in Canada required bilingualism for at least one position. However, businesses are facing challenges when recruiting bilingual employees.

In today’s globalized market, being accessible to a diverse customer base is more important than ever. However, only 16.2% of Canadian businesses that provide customer service offer such services in French and English.

By providing your customers with bilingual answering services, you’re better equipped to communicate effectively with customers in the language they’re most comfortable in.

When you work with reliable and affordable answering services for small businesses, you get access to professionals who can handle calls in French and English. These services come at a fraction of the cost of hiring full-time multilingual staff and eliminate the need for extensive training and onboarding.

Finding Bilingual and Affordable Answering Services for Small Businesses

These tips will help you find high-quality yet affordable answering services for small businesses offering bilingual support.

Audit Past Customer Interactions

Analyze current communication patterns and common issues faced by your customers. This helps you identify key areas where bilingual answering services can add value.

Find Tailored Industry Solutions

Look for providers experienced in handling industry-specific queries. At On Call Centre, we use our experience with Canadian businesses across industries like health, government, tech, and more to develop tailored solutions for your business.

Check for Regional Fluency

Ensure that your service provider’s agents are also fluent in the dialects or regional variations common among Canadian customers.

Assess the Provider’s Crisis Management Capabilities

How does the service provider handle escalations, technical issues, and high call volumes?

Evaluate Metrics for Transparency

Check if the service provider can give regular performance reports, including metrics like first-call resolution rates, average handling times, and customer satisfaction scores.

Below are more actionable steps to help you scale customer service effectively:

Train your bilingual customer service representatives (CSRs).

CSRs from your service provider might not be familiar with your brand and customers. Train your bilingual agents to provide personalized responses based on previous customer interactions. Give them access to resources like brand books to familiarize them with your brand, including your messaging, tone of voice, and vision.

Leverage technology.

Adopt new solutions like AI-driven bots to help your CSRs handle routine queries. Some solutions can provide proactive interactions and predictive analytics, allowing you to anticipate customers’ needs.

Investing in an affordable answering service with bilingual support is a strategic move for small businesses. This improves customer satisfaction and grows your business by reaching a broader audience. By offering inclusive and efficient service, you can enhance your reputation and stand out in Canada’s competitive market.

Invest in your business’s future. Focus on providing your customers with high-quality bilingual answering services. At On Call Centre, we provide tailored solutions designed to help your business grow, from customized scripting to omnichannel services.

Contact us today to learn how we can help you scale your customer service efforts.