Languages
Language detection and preference
How the agent works out which language a customer is using, remembers their preference, and uses it in every later conversation and outbound message.
On this page
Nobody should have to press one for English. The agent works out which language a customer is using from their first few words and replies in it. It then keeps the customer's preferred language on their customer record, so the next conversation starts in the right language on any channel, and the reminders and updates you send reach them in it too. This page explains how the language is detected, how the preference is kept and changed, and how outbound messages use it.
How the agent detects the language
On a call from a new customer, the agent opens with a greeting in Arabic and English, then continues in the language the caller answers in. On WhatsApp, SMS, email and web chat, it replies in the language of the customer's first message. Either way, the language is identified from the first few words, including which Arabic dialect the customer speaks.
When a returning customer is recognised from the phone number or address they are using, the agent opens in their preferred language from the first word.
How the preference is kept
The preferred language is stored on the customer record, alongside the customer's contact details and history. Because every channel reads the same record, a preference set on a call applies on WhatsApp and email too.
A customer's preference is set from the language they use in their first conversation. When they ask for a different language, that request becomes their preference. The preference and every change to it are visible in the customer's record in the console (the Telonic web application your team uses).
How a customer switches language
A customer can switch at any point, simply by speaking or writing in another language, and the agent follows straight away. A switch within one conversation does not change the saved preference on its own. A customer who reads out a booking reference in English, or mixes Arabic and English in one sentence, keeps Arabic as their preference. See Switching languages mid-sentence.
To change the preference, the customer asks. "Please use English from now on" is enough, and the agent confirms the change.
How outbound messages and calls use the preference
Everything the agent sends first, rather than in reply, uses the customer's preferred language.
| Outbound contact | How the preferred language is used |
|---|---|
| WhatsApp message templates (pre-written messages that Meta has approved, used to start a conversation) | Each template has a version in every language you use. The agent sends the version in the customer's preferred language |
| Outbound calls | The agent opens the call in the customer's preferred language |
| SMS and email | The message is written in the customer's preferred language |
| A customer with no preference on record | The agent uses the default language you set for that channel |
Meta reviews and approves every template in each language before the agent can send it. Telonic writes and submits each language version with your team. See WhatsApp: message templates and outbound messages.
The technical detail
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How is the language detected? | From the first few words of the conversation, spoken or written, without the customer being asked |
| Where is the preference stored? | On the customer record, in your deployment, in the region you chose |
| Is it written back to my CRM? | It can be written back to your CRM (the system that holds your customer records) with the other conversation details, where you choose |
| How long is it kept? | For as long as your retention settings keep the customer record. See Storage, retention and deletion |
| Is a change of preference logged? | Yes. Each change is recorded with the conversation in which the customer asked for it |
In practice
A Dubai property developer uses the agent for post-sale questions and payment reminders.
- Salma, a buyer, calls for the first time and answers the greeting in Levantine Arabic. The agent continues in Arabic and saves Arabic as her preferred language.
- Before her next instalment, the developer's payment system triggers a reminder. The agent sends the approved Arabic version of the template, with her unit, the amount and the due date.
- Salma replies in English: "Please use English from now on, my husband handles the payments." The agent confirms in English and updates her preference.
- The following week, Salma calls to ask about her handover date. The agent recognises her number and opens in English.
- Her record shows the preference, the date it changed and the message in which she asked for it.
What your team controls
- The greeting on each line, such as Arabic and English together, or one language.
- The default language for customers with no preference on record, on each channel.
- The wording of every template and message in each language.
- Whether the preferred language is written back to your CRM.
Related
- Supported languages and Arabic dialectsLanguages
- Switching languages mid-sentenceLanguages
- The customer record: overviewCustomer record
- WhatsApp: message templates and outbound messagesChannels
- Memory and contextAgents
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