claudiaIn a global economy, investment and marketing opportunities continue to expand, providing competitive product and services to meet business needs around the world. Add the ever-changing whirlwind of modern technology to the mix, and an undeniable momentum continues to reshape the landscape of how we see our world. Some businesses find global outsourcing as a viable customer service solution, while others maintain a desire to partner with other local businesses to create new marketing and investment opportunities for stakeholders. As one of those partners, AnswerFirst actively recruits superior, diverse candidates who own a wealth of skills, knowledge and experiences to proudly brand the AnswerFirst customer service experience. Whether it be a telephone call, scheduled appointment, processed email or order, our ability to overcome language barriers is crucial to our success. For that reason, we highly value the multilingual skills of our collective staff, who are on standby to help remove communication obstacles whenever necessary. We’d like to introduce to you one of our staff members who makes this possible.

Claudia is an AnswerFirst customer service professional (and mother of two), born and raised in Colombia. (She would also want you to know that she feels very strongly that this from where you can expect great coffee!). She has a degree in modern languages, to include English, French and German, all of which supplement her native language, Spanish. She has also worked for an Italian company, which has afforded her the opportunity to learn a bit of Italian, too. While many thought Claudia was pursuing an unwise career path, her interest in other cultures coupled with a sincere desire to help connect others with her skills led her to AnswerFirst. Says Claudia, “The best way to get to know someone is by speaking their language.” We’d like to share some of her perspectives.

“I have partnered with AnswerFirst for three years and I’m often asked exactly what it is that I like about my job. One reason that comes to mind is it is a lot of fun! I like talking to people from all over. You never know who you are going to receive–and I like to think of every call as a new adventure. Do I receive difficult calls? Absolutely, but I view those as a challenge. I think of my work as an opportunity to make someone’s day…an opportunity to create an experience. I try to give all of my callers what they need and more, by making a connection. I believe the best way to maintain a loyal customer relationship is by providing them an experience that they will remember.”
But is it always easy?

“Every once in awhile I may encounter someone who is uncomfortable with the fact that I have a foreign accent. Yes, I may sound a bit different, however that doesn’t make me less capable in my work. For those experiences, the challenge is to demonstrate that I can create an experience better than any other they have encountered before. What do I ask in return? Nothing! It’s all about making a difference is someone’s day–and gaining trust because of my efforts. On the other hand, I encounter callers who are so happy that I can speak their language, which provides the assurance that I can relate and make the experience even better. I remember one time when I receive a call from a Spanish speaker who received a letter from our client and she had no idea what to do because she could not interpret the letter. I called our client, who in turn was unable to communicate in Spanish, so I offered to translate. It was great. I was the bridge that made the communication between them possible. That was one of the moments when I confirmed once more, that everything you learn in your life has a purpose–and in this case, my ability to communicate in several languages was the key to make the solution possible for both the caller and our client.”

Regardless of language, our goal at AnswerFirst is to establish emotional connections with callers, which make our branded experiences stand out from all the rest in our field.

“In a nutshell, it is all about the attitude you take with each call and how you use your strengths and opportunities for improvement to create a unique experience. That’s what I like to think I do. I create an individualized experience for all of my callers by simply reinforcing who I am. And in return, I get to learn a little about them and their culture, resulting in a “win win” situation for the caller, our customer and myself.”