Language Testing for Customer Service Professionals
ALTA Language Services has over 20 years of experience in providing foreign language testing services to a diverse range of organizations employing customer service providers. Because of this experience, we have an in-depth understanding of the language tasks that customer service professionals face, from the routine tasks of explaining products and services, to special situations requiring the ability to use the language with finesse, such as when dealing with complex customer issues. We also understand the logistics of integrating a language testing program into your human resources policies and the hiring process, and can use our know-how to help you seamlessly incorporate one into yours.
Valid and Reliable Testing
When it comes to target language testing for customer service professionals, whether it is for bilingual incentives or to determine whether or not they can do the job in the language at hand, you want to be certain that the testing you use is valid and reliable. ALTA offers a job analysis to help you determine the requisite level of language skill required for your customer service positions according to our 12-level protocol, and will identify the tasks in which the customer service professional will need to use the target language. This gives you a basis for deciding which type of testing is appropriate as well as what your cut-score will be for determining who among your candidates has the required level of language skill to do the job.
Test Types
When deciding which type of testing to use, it is important to match it to how the foreign language will be used on the job. Do your customer service agents converse with your clients in the language? Do they prepare written communication? Perhaps they utilize advanced skills, such as interpretation or translation. Through the many test types we offer, ALTA can help you verify proficiency so that you can be confident that your customer service represents your company no matter the language. The following test types are the most commonly used for customer service positions:
- The Speaking and Listening Assessment: This test measures how well candidates can speak and understand the language when spoken.
- The Written Assessment: This test measures the candidate’s ability to write in the target language.
- The Reading Assessment: This test verifies whether or not the candidate can read the language at the required skill level.
In addition to the standard tests that ALTA offers, your assessments can also be customized to target the specific tasks and terminology that your customer service professionals use on the job. ALTA has experience modifying our regular test types, and has even created specialized exams such as online listening comprehension and vocabulary tests to be used in call centers and other customer service environments.
Our Clients
ALTA has helped many of our clients introduce language testing as part of their incentive and new-hire programs. Click here to take a look at some of the companies and organizations that look to ALTA for their customer service language testing needs.
