AI-powered language platform Unbabel announced a new integration with customer service software company Zendesk that provides translations so agents can provide service to customers who speak in another language.
The integration adds value to Zendesk’s CX capabilities. Last month, the company was acquired by an investor group for approximately $10.2 billion.
What it does. Unbabel connects with Zendesk’s messaging solution so consumers using messaging platforms to get service can communicate with agents, even if they speak different languages.
Unbabel uses a hybrid approach to language translation combining AI with human editors who update translation algorithms to match the language preferences for specific countries and markets, and ensure overall quality in the messages.
Read next: JANA Partners issues new public criticism of Zendesk
The Unbabel integration make multilingual customer conversations possible across Zendesk’s omnichannel reach, including social media, websites, emails and WhatsApp.
Why we care. The Unbabel integration fills in the gaps for brands expanding reach globally and takes the pressure off staffing for new markets. As with the Unbabel technology, customer service works best when both automation and human agents work in tandem. Automation scales for common service issues, while humans can jump in and take care of more complicated calls or messages.
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About The Author
Chris Wood draws on over 15 years of reporting experience as a B2B editor and journalist. At DMN, he served as associate editor, offering original analysis on the evolving marketing tech landscape. He has interviewed leaders in tech and policy, from Canva CEO Melanie Perkins, to former Cisco CEO John Chambers, and Vivek Kundra, appointed by Barack Obama as the country’s first federal CIO. He is especially interested in how new technologies, including voice and blockchain, are disrupting the marketing world as we know it. In 2019, he moderated a panel on “innovation theater” at Fintech Inn, in Vilnius. In addition to his marketing-focused reporting in industry trades like Robotics Trends, Modern Brewery Age and AdNation News, Wood has also written for KIRKUS, and contributes fiction, criticism and poetry to several leading book blogs. He studied English at Fairfield University, and was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. He lives in New York.
