Recognizing the costs of missing customer calls and the growing capacities of agentic AI, many businesses are taking on virtual receptionists. These voice agents can answer questions, book reservations, resolve issues, and capture leads.
Organizations looking to reach a wide array of customers are using tools that speak multiple languages. A newly published study finds that businesses should go further, and use AI receptionists trained in specific dialects. It’s not just about ensuring clear understandings; it runs deeper.
A newly published study shows why businesses should go further, and use AI receptionists trained in specific dialects. It’s not just about ensuring clear understandings; it runs deeper.
The exceptional power of dialects
The most important goal of any communication platform is to deliver the best customer experience (CX) possible. That means tailoring the experience in ways that work best for each individual.
A team of researchers wondered whether AI tools provide better CX when they’re trained in specific dialects. So they conducted a series of experiments. The answer was a resounding yes. “As social cues, dialects can enhance cultural connection, reinforce social identity, and bridge the emotional divide between users and chatbots, making interactions feel more natural,” they wrote in a study published this year.
Various “human-like” traits can enhance a sense of “social presence,” they explained. “Dialect, as a distinct form of human language with rich social attributes, holds a distinctive position in this context. When a chatbot uses dialect during conversations, it can appear more ‘human-like’ and ‘approachable’ thereby strengthening the user’s social presence.” Dialects help users feel that the tool understands not only their language, but also their cultural background, fostering “a sense of intimacy,” they added.
The study used a 7-point Likert scale — a system often used in social science and customer experience measurement — to gauge the impact a dialect can have. It found that when the AI tool spoke with a dialect, customers gave it substantially higher ratings. On “perceived warmth,” the figure jumped from 4.86 for “standard” language to 5.42 when the dialect was used. Perceived competence jumped from 4.66 to 5.05, and social presence jumped from 4.65 to 5.15.
There’s also a broader lesson in this; one that gets at the relationship between a customer and the business.
Customer as value co-creator
The researchers found that using the right dialect often changes how a customer approaches an entire interaction. “Dialects, as opposed to standard language, considerably enhance users’ value co-creation intention,” the study says.
That discovery opens a door into the psychology of a customer. A lot of research indicates that the customer experience is best when it’s framed as a collaborative process, with the company and the customer working together to achieve value. “Intention” refers to the extent to which a customer becomes an active, willing participant in that process. The “value” lies not just in a purchase, but in the successful completion of the task, which benefits the organization’s relationship with that customer.
Any tactic that can improve CX can also backfire in certain situations. This study found that if an AI receptionist uses the wrong dialect, the experience may worsen. And some dialects may even trigger biases.
The key is to determine what’s right for each customer. The region where the person lives can provide some guidance. But dialectical preferences differ within regions as well. They’re affected by numerous factors, including where a person grew up.
Putting customers in control
Letting customers decide is key. Other studies make similar recommendations. Research on the fashion industry, for example, says retailers should “enable ethnic consumers to personalise VAs (voice assistants) by choosing various voice personas that match their fashion shopping preferences, such as regional dialects or tones that are culturally familiar.”
Once a customer has made clear which dialect works best for them, the business should ensure that the change shows up across every platform — including in written exchanges through chatbots, texting, emails, and more. One way to ensure this is through unified customer experience management (UCXM), which pulls together all customer data into a single record. A voice agent powered by UCXM has this functionality built in. And over time, it can extend to more of the countless dialects people use worldwide.
The more a brand does to achieve hyper-personalization, the stronger its bonds with each customer. When it comes to CX, every step to improve communication is one worth taking.