The growing Importance of Language, And How To Assess It in Recruitment

Defining excellent communication in the workplace

According to Salesforce, there are several data-backed attributes that make a good communicator in business. These are as follows:

• Clear language

Clarity is important across the board - whether you are hiring customer service representatives, salespeople, medical personnel or consultants. When it comes to customer facing roles, clarity is especially crucial. In one study, 33% of customers said that the ability to answer questions efficiently and clearly is the most important skill a customer service representative can have. To achieve this, the representative must a) know what they are selling and to who, b) be able to speak fluently in the customer’s language and use words and sentences that are clear and concise, and c) avoid jargon, mumbling or speaking too quickly. In other roles, clarity is part of the framework for teamwork, supervising others, and general business operations.

• Self control

No matter which role you are hiring for, it is important that the candidate can work well under pressure and present good self control. Part of this process is regulating language and dealing with emotions. They should be able to speak to team members, managers, stakeholders and customers in a fair, cool, polite manner, even when facing great challenges. 

• The human touch

Your candidates should have excellent interpersonal skills and know how to converse on a human level. This is especially important if they are in a customer facing role, because Salesforce study has shown that for customers the representative ‘acting and speaking in a human way’ was in the top5 most important quality they can possess. 

• Positivity

The ability to use positive language is of vital importance in business. This involves using high emotional intelligence and excellent language skills to identify problems and redirect the narrative towards a positive solution. Positivity also boosts team morale and productivity. Studies have shown (source: Proofhub) that positive and empathic management styles are preferred by employees, helping them to work harder and stay in their jobs longer. Knowing how to speak and write using positive language is a key factor in that. 

• Courtesy 

Being polite in the workplace is always appreciated. But what constitutes politeness? Cultural constructs tend to determine how and what differentiates bad manners from good ones. Language plays a particularly big part in this, as well as a commitment to inclusivity and religious and cultural sensitivity. Excellent training packages for staff should consider the various ways customers can experience particular phrases or words, especially those that don’t cross-cultural barriers. 

The importance of language in customer facing roles

We have discussed why language plays an important part in all roles. But in customer facing roles, it is particularly important because it directly affects customer purchase and retention rates. 

Having a good grasp of the native language of the customers can ensure communication is polite, effective, clear, human and positive. At some point in our lives, all of us have received a cold call from a customer representative with a poor grasp of language, making it difficult and undesirable to engage, respond or take action. 

Conversely, a person with excellent English, cultural sensitivity and the ability to converse freely and politely is more likely to retain customer interest and fulfill their brief, whether it be selling a product, completing a questionnaire or informing a customer of an update. 

Shopify realized how important language assessment is for their customer service.

The benefits of multilingual staff

We live in a globalized society. In the United Kingdom, more than 300 languages are spoken  by residents, including Polish, Punjabi, Arabic, Bengali and French. In France, there are also a wide range of languages spoken, often originating from neighboring countries (such as German, Flemish, Basque, and Italian). And in the United States, there are more than 350 languages spoken with an enormous 12% speaking Spanish.

Given that many organizations have offices, staff and customers in multiple countries, it only makes sense that employees can speak the native language, as well as some of the other common languages spoken in that region. This ensures optimal communication at all times, without the language barriers.

It makes sense, therefore, that assessing language during the recruitment process should take priority. This is where pre-employment testing can help. 

Pipplet for language assessment

When hiring candidates for your available  roles, it is vital that you can properly assess their understanding of written and verbal language, and demonstrate excellent communication skills in realistic scenarios. 

Pipplet allows you to do this. Pipplet is an innovative language assessment solution that enables you to assess the language capabilities of future employees. Whether you are hiring for 1 role or 100, Pipplet makes it easy. After the assessment, Pipplet gives you accurate, meaningful data on each candidate, so that you can pick the best of the best for each position. 

To find out more about Pipplet, just click here, or contact us for any question.