Our Quality Assurance Specialist has begun writing a monthly newsletter that will be sent out to interpreters and also posted here on our blog, and also on our Facebook page.
Here is newsletter number one which was first sent out to interpreters in August.
“Is the interpreter on the line?”
In the first Interpreter Quality
Newsletter I thought it would be appropriate to go over introductions,
talk about why they're important and
give some basic tips on how to begin each call professionally and
according to company policy.
Below
you'll find an example introduction script.
“Hello. This is Maria, your Spanish interpreter. How
may I help you today?”
This is the standard introduction that we expect that you will be able
to provide on every call. It should not be difficult for you to give this
greeting on most of the calls that you will take for CLI. There are, however,
situations which will arise that will prevent you from being able to provide
this standard greeting. For example:
CSR: Thank
you for holding. I have Maria, your Spanish interpreter on the line. Please begin.
Interpreter: Yes,
Good morning! This is—
Customer: Yeah.
HI THERE, INTERPRETER! This is Tammy with ACME
insurance. I have a Spanish speaking member on the other line. Can you please ask them for their name, date of
birth and member ID number?
Interpreter:
I can certainly assist you with that, Tammy. Again, my name is Maria and I'll be your Spanish interpreter today.
As illustrated above, in situations
where the customer interrupts your introduction, or does not provide you with
enough of an opportunity to provide one, we ask that you respond by first
assuring the customer that you will be able to assist them and then by stating
your name and language before addressing the LEP.
I'm sure that you also noticed that
the CSR (Customer Service Representative) in the example above introduced the
interpreter, Maria, at the very beginning of the dialogue.
You might ask why
it's important to provide an introduction after you've already been introduced.
I recognize that this does seem redundant, but there are several reasons that
we ask this of you. Most importantly, a proper self-introduction gives the
customer an opportunity to become accustomed to the interpreter's vocal
register and style of speech. This aids communication. Additionally, an
introduction will give the interpreter an opportunity to ask any pertinent
questions of the customer prior to proceeding with the interpretation session,
such as
“Are you planning on using a speaker phone, Doctor, or will you be
passing the phone back and forth?” or
“If the person you are trying to reach
doesn't answer, would you like me to leave a voice mail message?”
We do ask that you provide a full
introduction to the Limited English Proficient individual
at the beginning of each call as well. Be sure to give the LEP your name and
let them know that you will be interpreting for them.
Lastly, here are some quick do's and
don'ts
·
Be sure that
you know your interpreter ID code. Some customers will ask you for this piece
of information.
·
Remember the
customer's name and use it throughout the call. This is a very easy way to give
the customer a good impression of our services and let them know that we value
their business.
·
Be sure that
you have a pen and paper handy at the very beginning of the call in order to
take notes
·
Saying “Good
Morning/Good Afternoon” or “Thank you for calling” or adding other pleasantries
to your introductions are easy ways to ensure that the customer feels
appreciated.
·
Remember,
do not ever mention Certified
Languages International by name to a customer as part of your greeting or
closing statement. The reason we do not want you to mention CLI is because we
act as back office to other language providers.
·
You are
required to introduce yourself every time you are transferred to another party,
or when another individual comes on the line.
Hello Interpreters,