Most large corporations have targeted marketing efforts towards the Latino community as a way to increase revenue. The Latino population is currently the fastest growing ethnic group with 25 percent of all births in the U.S. being of Hispanic/Latino origin. Buying power of Latinos already exceeds 1.2 trillion dollars with both brick and mortar and online sales increasing exponentially, indicating that companies are wise to “follow the money”.
But, there is a large disconnect between the efforts and dollars being spent marketing to Latinos versus those being allocated to serving the community. Too many companies think that having an option to press 2 for Spanish is enough.
For those Latinos who do prefer and feel more comfortable speaking Spanish, the customer service experience may hold unpleasant surprises. Some of these include messages and menu options in English even after they press 2, being connected to English speaking representatives who don’t understand enough Spanish to know where to transfer the call, email replies that have the body of the messaging in Spanish but the salutation in English and translation services that totally miscommunicate the intent of the caller.
Research has shown that Latinos are the most loyal brand advocates of all ethnic groups. Those companies that focus on both marketing to and effectively serving Latinos will have the winning combination.
How is your company ensuring that when a Spanish-speaking customer calls, emails or posts a comment to a social media site that your company is providing a welcoming message?
