What is the cultural background of your call center employee... And why is this important? It is not always important, but imagine that you live in Spain. Then agents with an Argentinean background have a competitive advantage.
The Spanish country is quite diverse; they have this unique item called "autonomous communities." Examples are: Catalonia, Andalusia, Madrid, Valencia, Aragon, which are regions with limited autonomy.
Do all people in these communities speak Spanish (or the Castilian language as it would be more correct to say)?
No, they do not. I think that most people do speak Spanish, but many communities promote their own language; Catalan, Valencian, are examples of different languages but in Andalusia they speak a dialect with some minor differences in pronunciation and meaning.
Yet the Spanish language has for long been an export product. Most people in South American speak the language, and one country is especially important in this context: Argentina.
There is something unique about the Argentinean dialect which is the original Spanish but adapted to the Argentinean environment. Many words have different meanings, but more important the Argentinean uses a different harmony when speaking the language.
I personally think this has to do with the Italian and Spanish background that is rooted in the Argentinean language. And the Italian voice is the voice of a salesperson; Italian itself is very suitable as language in sales because of its swift and harmonious rhythm. The Argentineans have adopted this sense for beauty.
When you hear a Spanish voice on the phone, you can immediately recognize when the speaker is Argentinean. It has this special voice where the phrases are more than simply uttered but escape as a song.
This singing voice is unique for a call center agent that is dedicated also to sales.
Another benefit of the Argentinean call center agent in Spain is that it is neutral to the complexity of the Spanish divided map in communities. One recognizes the Andalusian voice from the Catalonians and when hearing it may have the person on the other side decides not to listen.
But as the Argentinean voice is unique, some push their luck too much in overdoing this unique language feature, yet the authentic voice is a welcome guest for most listeners.
At last, as call centers can be allocated around a virtual organization, companies wouldn't have to depend on Argentineans who live in Spain. A connection to Buenos Aires or Cordoba is enough.
Isn't there any problem with recruiting call center agents. There may be of course, but that is another topic Competition.
H.J.B.
© 2008 Hans Bool
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