LANGUAGE & TRUST
Offer Icelandic. Let the customer choose.
Offering a familiar language is thoughtful. Assuming you know which language someone wants can be less so.
A well-meant switch can backfire
Five studies published in 2019 explored situations where customers began an interaction in a second language. An employee switching to the customer’s first language could threaten the customer’s sense of identity and reduce satisfaction. The findings included a real retail setting, as well as other study contexts.
A helpful intention can become an assumption
Imagine a customer starts in English and an agent switches to Icelandic after recognising the name. The customer may welcome it, or may wonder why the agent changed languages. This is an illustrative scenario, not an Icelandic result from the studies.
An invitation, not an assumption
Our recommendation is to make the Icelandic option visible and follow the customer’s stated preference. When that preference is unclear, an opening such as “Would you prefer Icelandic or English?” offers a choice without making a judgement about ability.
Where your systems allow it, keep the preference available when a conversation moves between phone, chat, email or another team. Treat it as a preference the customer can change. If the next team cannot provide the chosen language, explain the options before handing over.
Planning language coverage is a business decision; choosing between the available languages belongs to the customer. A name, accent or location is not a substitute for asking, including when someone actively chooses English.
A PRACTICAL TAKEAWAY
Good language coverage gives customers agency over the conversation.
Context and limits
The research does not argue against first-language support. Our suggested opening and handover practice are applications of the finding, not scripts tested by the researchers.