Most most brands today need to offer support that feels personal, relevant and easy to access, no matter where the customer is or what language they speak.
This is why multilingual customer support has become a critical part of delivering a seamless customer experience. Being able to serve customers in their native language is a must-have.
At Foundever, we’ve seen firsthand how a strong multilingual strategy can transform CX, drive loyalty and create new opportunities for growth. Let’s take a closer look at why mastering multilingual matters and how brands can do it right.
Customers expect support in their own language
When a customer reaches out for help, they’re often already facing a challenge. The last thing they want is the added stress of struggling to communicate. Research shows that customers are more likely to stay loyal to a brand that offers support in their preferred language — and just as importantly, they’re more likely to leave if that support isn’t available. In fact, 70% of customers expect anyone they interact with to have a full context of the issue.
Language is deeply tied to emotion. When customers can communicate comfortably, they feel heard and respected. That emotional connection helps build trust, improve satisfaction scores and strengthen relationships over the long term.
Simply put, language matters, and meeting customers where they are can have a direct impact on your bottom line.
The challenges of managing multilingual support in CX
Of course, offering multilingual support isn’t as simple as flipping a switch. It comes with real challenges, especially for global brands trying to serve customers across countries and regions.
One common challenge is consistency. Managing multiple language teams can lead to variations in service quality, tone and even policy enforcement. Without the right processes and tools, delivering a consistent experience across languages can feel impossible.
Cost efficiency is another concern. Building out in-house multilingual support for every potential language can be expensive, and it can be hard to scale up or down based on fluctuating demand. Finally, brands often struggle with scalability. As markets grow and change, the need for language support evolves, too. Companies need solutions that can flex with their business, not hold them back.
A strategic approach to multilingual CX
So how can brands overcome these hurdles and build multilingual customer support that’s consistent, cost-effective and scalable?
It starts with a strategic approach to consolidation and optimisation. Instead of running multiple language teams independently, brands can centralise support operations and apply consistent processes and quality standards across languages. This improves not only efficiency but also service quality.
This is where technology plays a major role. Solutions like AI-powered translation tools, multilingual chatbots and intelligent routing help brands manage customer enquiries more effectively and reduce reliance on large, language-specific teams. But technology is only part of the answer — the human touch is still critical, especially for complex or sensitive interactions.
Working with an experienced CX partner that understands the nuances of multilingual support can make a huge difference. With the right partner, brands can tap into a global talent pool, access best-in-class technology and processes, and scale their multilingual operations up or down as needed, all while keeping costs in check.
Multilingual support in CX drives loyalty and growth
Offering multilingual support can also open up new opportunities. When customers feel understood and valued, they’re more likely to stick with a brand, recommend it to others and spend more over time.
Strong multilingual CX also helps brands break into new markets with confidence. Instead of seeing language as a barrier, it becomes a competitive advantage. Companies that invest in multilingual support signal that they are global, customer-centric and forward-thinking.
And in a crowded market, that kind of differentiation matters. Brands that can deliver consistent, high-quality support across languages stand out and win more customer loyalty in the process.
How one global food brand scaled CX in 80 languages with AI translation
A leading multinational food brand faced a unique challenge: delivering consistent, multilingual customer support across Europe with high-quality products that rarely generated contact volume, especially in smaller markets. While great for brand perception, the low interaction volume made it tough to justify the cost and left agents disengaged, with attrition at 6.5% and occupancy rates at just 29%.
To tackle this, the brand partnered with Foundever to explore a more scalable, tech-enabled solution. After testing various options, they co-developed a real-time AI-powered translation tool integrated with the client’s email system. Native-speaking agents evaluated responses during a four-month pilot, ensuring brand tone and accuracy.
The result: CSAT rose from 94% to 96%, and the brand expanded support to 80 languages. Agent occupancy doubled and attrition dropped by 81%. The team was streamlined to 13 experienced agents, many of whom were redeployed to more engaging roles, improving both CX and employee experience.
The solution was so effective that the brand is now exploring similar applications for live chat, proving that AI can enhance — not dilute — human-centred service.
Ready to take your multilingual CX to the next level?
Learn more in our whitepaper Mastering multilingual: A guide to consolidation, consistency, cost efficiency and scalability to learn how to build a multilingual strategy that drives results.