If you’re a government, educational, or healthcare organization in the US, your community members speak hundreds of different languages. When they aren’t fluent in English, language barriers can undermine customer satisfaction and lead to fundamental communication errors.
How do you make sure they are able to get the most out of your services? More important, how do you make sure they all feel heard and understood? Over-the-phone interpretation services (OPI), also known as telephonic interpretation, provides the necessary support.
This is where a reliable OPI provider can step in, whether to provide the service for the first time, offer overflow support, and/or cover additional languages.
Let’s explore how to outsource OPI to improve your service quality, streamline your operations, and guarantee smooth and effective communication for every community member, every time.
Over-the-Phone Interpretation Basics
An over-the-phone interpreter is a professional who can help two people who don’t speak the same language understand each other. OPI services are easily accessed via a dedicated phone number or via a simple three-way call. These resources are trained bilingual professionals, often with subject matter expertise.
The Benefits of Over-the-Phone Interpretation
Incorporating over-the-phone interpretation (OPI) services into your organization will significantly enhance communication and improve service delivery. Here are the major benefits of offering OPI to your patients, community, or customers:
Better Communication
Over-the-phone interpretation (OPI) services provide an essential bridge for communication between individuals who speak different languages. This service guarantees that all parties can understand each other clearly, which is especially critical in sectors like healthcare, education, and government. It’s also important to note that the job of the interpreter is to relay the message precisely and accurately, not to summarize, and not to give advice.
Better Outcomes and Customer Experience
No matter what industry or sector you’re in, offering support in the preferred language of the people you serve results in a smoother, better experience for everyone.
- In healthcare settings, studies consistently show that the use of qualified interpreters leads to better patient compliance, reduced medical errors, and improved overall health outcomes.
- Government agencies with strong language access programs often report higher levels of satisfaction with government services, increased trust in government institutions, and improved civic engagement.
- Schools with effective interpretation services for parents of LEP students often see increased parent engagement which leads to improved student attendance, grades, and graduation rates.
Increased Convenience and Cost-Effectiveness
OPI services are easily accessible via a dedicated phone number, allowing for quick and efficient communication. This accessibility is particularly beneficial in emergency situations, when you may not have time to schedule an interpreter in advance.
By connecting with an interpreter over-the-phone, OPI also eliminates the need for travel and scheduling logistics associated with on-site interpreters, making it a flexible and economical choice.
Compliant Communications
Compliance with regulations governing language access and data security is critical in sectors such as healthcare. OPI services not only help organizations provide language access to multilingual individuals, but they also allow secure and confidential communication, reducing the risk of data breaches and potential legal liabilities.
OPI in Regulated Industries
In the United States, businesses and providers in certain industries are required to offer multilingual services, including interpretation, so that everyone receives the same quality of service even if they do not speak English fluently. These regulated industries include healthcare, government, education, and many others.
Medical OPI
Miscommunication can be deadly in healthcare situations. For example, a study on COVID-19 hospitalizations found that non-English-speaking patients had 35% higher odds of severe illness outcomes, including death, due to language barriers. These barriers can cause delays in getting care, as non-English-speaking individuals struggle to navigate the healthcare system and don’t have access to translated materials. They can also cause critical misunderstandings when communicating symptoms and implementing treatment plans.
OPI services mitigates these issues by providing timely and accurate interpretation, promoting better care, and reducing communication errors.
No matter the situation, every patient needs and deserves to understand their medical conditions and treatment options so they can make informed decisions. Having a skilled interpreter available over-the-phone to communicate back and forth between healthcare staff and the patient makes a huge difference in the quality of care and in improving patient outcomes. Using OPI can also be hugely helpful in reducing the risk of mistakes due to misunderstandings and lowering the likelihood of malpractice suits.
OPI in Government Services
In many cities and towns in the US, sizable segments of the population are not fluent English speakers, and they will benefit from phone interpretation when requesting assistance, filling out forms, or asking for information. By having phone interpretation services available for citizens who either visit the government facility in person or via the phone, public organizations guarantee equal access for everyone.
OPI in Education
Parent and guardian engagement can make a big difference in a child’s success in school—as long as there are no language barriers. Over-the-phone interpretation is a convenient tool in any administrator’s toolbox. It can be made available for parent-teacher conferences, PTA meetings, special education programs, and many other scenarios.
Deciding When to Outsource OPI
If your organization struggles to handle high volumes and needs multiple languages, engaging with an over-the-phone interpretation vendor can improve your program.
Are you experiencing any of the below?
- You’re overwhelmed with calls. If your team can’t keep up with the call volume, outsourcing can handle the load without missing a beat.
- Your wait times are too long, or calls get dropped or missed. This causes frustration and a terrible user experience.
- Your clients speak a wide range of languages. Having interpreters on staff for every possible language is impractical. A professional OPI provider can give you complete coverage.
- You are struggling to hire enough bilingual staff to handle growing call volumes.
- You need a cost-effective solution. In-house interpreters can be expensive. Outsourcing allows you to scale services as needed, saving money and resources.
- You have compliance and quality concerns with your current processes. Meeting industry standards and keeping up with regulations can be tough. OPI providers have strict processes to keep you compliant and reduce legal risks.
Whether you are providing interpretation via in-house resources or if your current OPI vendor isn’t delivering on quality, reliability, or flexibility, then it might be time to explore other options. Switching OPI vendors can help you improve the level of service you provide and guarantee language access for the people you serve.
What To Look for in an Interpretation Vendor
The following criteria will help you find the best OPI vendor for your organization, get the most out of your interpretation budget, and provide the highest-quality services to your customers.
Dependable Infrastructure
The best phone interpretation companies invest in dependable telephony infrastructure to guarantee availability, service quality, and fast call routing. Dropped calls and poor call quality are avoidable with the right technology in place.
Breadth of Services
Major players in the industry offer a wide range of languages and keep professional interpreters on standby at all times of the day or night, with no service interruptions.
At BIG Language Solutions, we have interpreters available in over 300 languages, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our average connect time for all languages is only 20 seconds, and our system has 99.999% uptime, so we’re always there when you need us.
Rigorous Vetting and Training of Professional Interpreters
Accuracy is crucial, and we engage only the most qualified and experienced professional interpreters. Once we onboard them, they receive ongoing training to keep their skills sharp. Regulated industries like healthcare, government, and the legal field usually require industry-specific certifications and in-depth topic knowledge, and sometimes industry-specific certifications and/or advanced degrees.
BIG offers professional interpreters who hold a wide range of industry specializations and qualifications.
Experience in Your Industry
Each industry has its own needs and requirements for on-the-phone interpretation services. The best OPI vendor for you will have experience serving your sector along with a large pool of interpreting talent experienced in your industry to draw from. Experienced interpreters understand industry-specific vocabulary, regulations, and the types of situations your callers are likely to be experiencing. Beyond just interpreters, your provider’s project managers, account representatives, and quality control professionals also need to be knowledgeable about your industry to serve you effectively.
BIG has access to a global network of language professionals in various industries, including government, healthcare, education, legal, and financial services.
Customer Support
Your OPI provider should be available to support you when you need it, whether you’re on a call with a customer who needs language assistance, having technical difficulties, or just have questions.
At BIG, we offer live operators 24/7 to support you during calls. Our client relations team is also available to you during business hours. You can expect a response within 24 hours and a solution within 72 hours.
Compliance and Security
No matter the subject, professional interpreters are held to a high standard of confidentiality and quality. This is especially true in healthcare, where patient confidentiality laws apply, but it extends anywhere any type of personal information is being exchanged. From reliable protocols for discarding private data to ensuring confidentiality, professional interpreting service providers like BIG Language Solutions know how important it is to safeguard our customers’ trust.
Explore the Possibilities of OPI Outsourcing with BIG Language Solutions
Partnering with BIG Language Solutions for your over-the-phone interpretation needs gives you access to over 300 languages, allowing clear communication for every client. Our highly trained interpreters are available 24/7, reducing wait times and improving customer satisfaction.
By outsourcing to BIG, you free up internal resources, cut down on operational costs, and benefit from our reliable, cutting-edge technology. Contact us to explore the advantages of professional OPI services tailored to your needs.
