How one skill can make a difference

While I was at work today I had experienced firsthand one of the many benefits of a company having a bilingual employee. A coworker and I were standing and heard someone speaking in Spanish (I knew it was Spanish because I had taken it during high school) and she is currently taking Spanish at Buff State.

She is more fluent in Spanish than I am and noticed that they had looked confused. She approached them and asked if they needed any help. As it turns out, they were looking for a specific product and weren’t sure where in the store it was located. My coworker, Heather, is not of Spanish descent so from a first glance you wouldn’t have thought that she knew Spanish.

As she talked to them more they kept thanking her for her help. The couple may have just moved here for all we know because they spoke very little broken English. Not only did Heather’s ability to understand what they were saying and being able to communicate with them help what they were looking for, but it also gave them a good impression of our store. These are the kinds of interactions that create loyal customers.

Had Heather not been working today I’m sure that the rest of us would have been able to assist them, but not nearly as smooth as she could. Having this skill had allowed for a quick and pleasant experience for both her and the customer. If this could had moved here with other family members, they may tell the others about their experience and they may come to the store themselves.

While we only have one person, to my knowledge, that can speak fluently in Spanish, she made an impact. If we had more employees that spoke a language in addition to English, it would only benefit both the customers and our company. This is one example of how something so little, Heather’s knowledge of Spanish, made for a successful and positive impact.