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Video Jan 23, 2025

Integrating Translation Technologies – with Anna Leikas

Welcome to three questions with MotionPoint. I'm your host, Dominic Ditervay, and I have the absolute pleasure of being here with Anna Leicas. Anna is the head of marketing for Fluentech.

Fluentech supercharges her customer service with AI powered real time translation applications for customer service automation.

Anna, how are you doing today?

I’m really good. Thank you. How are you?

I’m doing great. Happy to be here with you and very excited to talk about localization, the customer experience, and integrating translation technologies into, you know, complex softwares.

Well, I guess that kicks it off. And if you if you don't mind, tell me, when integrating translation applications into complex software systems like a CRM, like Salesforce, like, what do you think are the biggest complications? What are the biggest challenges, hurdles?

Part about that.

Mhmm.

I think the the biggest challenge is or where when it gets complicated to integrate, translation software is, when, companies are using systems that are outdated or not integratable.

So, unlike Salesforce, for example, which is very, in in integratable. But, the more you need to do any kind of custom solutions or special coding for just a single use case, the more expensive and less sustainable the solution also becomes.

So I think the, the complexities lie in not being able to kind of plug the software in by having this kind of, either outdated or really, like, complex systems that make it make it difficult. So if, I think if businesses want to stay competitive and make sure that the solutions are sustainable in the long term, they should invest in modern platforms that make it easy to integrate different systems and applications to them, like Yeah. Like, Fluentic yeah. Sorry.

Because, like, Fluentic, for example, is purpose built for Salesforce, so it's really easy. It's just the, ready built one click integration. So it there's really no complexities there. And then you can make it more if you want to make it more custom solution, there's also options to do that, but it doesn't need to be complicated if if you have system and the compatible compatible compatible, software that goes with it.

Yeah. So it's like there seems to be a dependency in a lot of these technologies. Right? Not Salesforce, but where if the application and the, you know, system are not both to their latest versions, then the integration becomes more of a custom, you know, architecture and and and process than it is just a one click, we're done, you know, type of thing.

Mhmm. And and and that's actually very interesting. We see that a lot with multiple different, industries and use cases, not only just on the CRM level, but it does seem so that when, for example, you have a translation connector for your CMS, if your translation connector is not updated to the latest CMS version, right, for example, Drupal seven point o versus nine point o or, you know what I mean. Mhmm.

It it it can be full friction. And, you know, it sounds like so with Fluentech and and Salesforce, this isn't the case. You know? And and and it's very interesting, but, absolutely, integrating software has always been a challenge, hasn't it?

Yes.

Well, that that that's great. So I love that answer.

So tell me more about how translation can enhance the customer service experience specifically, within a system like a a a CRM or an online portal, you know, from an online or digital point of view?

Mhmm.

Yeah. So, translation software can can enhance the customer experience by removing language barriers, basically, so that of course, every everyone prefers to consume content and, do their business and get service in their own language or in the language that they’re most comfortable in. So, their translation software can, of course, make sense sure that all their customers get the content in their own language or surveys, any kind of customer feedback surveys, and self-service content is provided in multiple different languages.

But then also the best, customer experience is when the customers can also get help, to the, customer inquiries.

So so get, like, for example, the support in a chat or any Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp or whatever channels the the business uses so that they can get all that service in their own language as well or in the language that they’re most comfortable with so that they feel like they are important and they listen to and they’re understood in the language that they speak.

So You’re Yeah.

You're you're so right, Anna. It's just I I see a lot of times company, they'll translate their website. They'll translate some PDF documents, a brochure.

But, really, you know, then they they sign up. They become a customer. There's some sort of online portal. There's some sort of, like, experience that they have to engage with the brand, on, and then that's not translated.

So, like Yeah. You're you're from Finland. Right? Imagine you're Finnish. You go through a buyer's journey on the website, and it's all in Finnish.

You're feeling special. You're feeling great. And then you're trying to, engage with the customer success or customer support application, or maybe you're even trying to log in to your own portal to see your own information. Right?

And suddenly now this is just only in English. And you're like, wait. But, like, the whole sign up experience at the beginning when you when I first trusted you, it was all in Finnish. Why is it not in Finnish anymore?

And I think you just nailed it on the head. It's like, you wanna make them feel special, but it's also maybe even more like you wanna continue to make them feel special post purchase. Right? Now it's about, like, customer retention.

Now it’s about customer satisfaction.

Absolutely. I agree.

Yeah.

And, also, especially in industries like travel industry or banking industry Mhmm.

Where the customers for global businesses that have customers all around the world, they want to make, be able to make changes to their booking or contact the airline in the middle of the night.

And then or, like, their card gets locked when they're traveling, and they want to get support, and they want to Oh, wow. Like, really it's stressful if you have to wait long, for example, to get support or when you do get it, then it's not necessarily the language that you're comfortable with.

Then it’s really but, yeah, it’s really, in in France, it’s really like the experiences, those kinds of cases and creates trust and the sense of inclusivity also that every that that that the business cares about people who speak my language, and they want to provide service in my language as well.

I love that paint that that that painting that you just that you just portrayed because you're right. Like, it doesn't get dirty or or hard or ugly until it really does. Right? Like, that situation that you just described, you're in another country.

Your car just got blocked. You try and figure it out. You wanna do it in language.

Being able to do so easily, such a difference. Right? Such a difference to the consumer.

Mhmm. Well, that's wonderful. And listen, we're both in the translation and localization industry. Tell me, like, how has the influence of AI, especially recently? I I feel like everything's about AI these days.

You know, boosted the the the customer experience in terms of translation, and maybe you can give us an example of how AI is impacting, flow intake specifically or or or your customers.

Yeah. So, yeah, with, rise of AI and every every company wants to learn about the different different ways of using AI and what AI could you do for their business is that, it really allows or kind of even forces companies to rethink what are the actual tasks where humans bring value and what humans actually do better and what what tasks and what, what processes can be made more efficient with AI and being taken care of by AI. And also in customer service, it makes, also the the service much faster, makes it easier, or can make it easier for customers to find, self self-service content or, like, find solutions to their questions themselves so they don't even need to talk to a a person.

But when there's, of course, many situations where they need to or they prefer to talk to a person, then as many as possible of those interactions are made digital instead of the phone, which is really inefficient and expensive line of customer communication because no one wants to wait on the phone for hours to get service. So when more of the tasks, and the customer, touch points are, in the are digitalized, then that also gives a huge, like, huge opportunity for translation software to to make it even better in terms of the customer experience so that, everyone can get service in their language when they want and also, so make it the service, like I said, faster and more accessible, but also, make, make it more personal.

That's, like, that's the key in, customer experience that it's more personable that, like, it's like a unique you actually when you talk to a human, instead of a chatbot, there's still, this well, with Fluentic, this translation software that still uses AI to make it possible for any customer service person to communicate with any customer in the customer's language, and tailor those those, conversations really for that specific company's tone of voice and make sure that the customer experience is consistent in different languages also, which is often a challenge. So that, like because there's different teams taking care of the different language interactions.

So when there's no need to break that, process into different, teams based on the language, but anyone can help any customer at any any point, it also makes it possible to have a more consistent customer experience that that doesn't depend on what language you're using. Yeah.

And, again, making the customer feel more special and heard in their own language.

Like, their own like, their personal preferences are taken into account, whether it’s language, but also, with with the help of AI, of course, also, like, things like, product recommendations, test testing every way to kind of make using the data and the automation and the AI cap capabilities to, to enrich the customer interaction, the customer experience.

Absolutely. I mean, at at the end of the day, you know, what what AI is is able to do is fit in of the customer experience that, you know, maybe two or three years ago were not thought about as, as much.

Maybe they have been, but and then really, truly doing something that's what translation's always done, right, which is let you speak to somebody when you don't even know how to speak that language. And at the end of the day, being able to do so in an authentic way that does not take away from the, I would say, the integrity of your relationship with that person where, like, maybe they they they you would like them to think or experience that you are also fluent in that language, not for your sake, but providing a really good experience for them in their onboarding journey or their customer success journey.

That's really the point. And, of course, the whole world doesn't speak the same language yet. And because of that, like, these types of technologies really help you build relationships in any language. And I think that's really the core of what you and I have been talking today, Anna.

And I really appreciate it. So that does it for three questions with MotionPoint.

Anna, thank you so much. I really hope that we can get you on again soon. I appreciate it. And until next time, I'm your host, Dominic. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much. It’s been a pleasure.