Advisers can refer clients to the interpreting service
Westpac NZ is the first bank in New Zealand to introduce the LanguageLoop interpreting service, enabling its employees to support customers in more than 190 languages.
New Zealand advisers that sign clients onto a Westpac NZ mortgage product will have access to the LanguageLoop interpreting service.
“Any Westpac customer can connect with our teams to access the interpreting service,” a Westpac NZ spokesperson told NZ Adviser.
Helen Ryder (pictured above), Westpac acting general manager of consumer banking and wealth, said the service compliments the help the bank already provides.
“We’re really lucky that many of our people are multilingual – more than 50 different languages are spoken by employees throughout the bank. We regularly see those with language skills jumping in to support our frontline staff who need assistance with interpreting for a customer,” Ryder said.
“However, we want to make sure we’re able to support customers with as many languages as possible, as quickly as possible – partnering with LanguageLoop gives us that confidence in the service we’re providing.”
How will LanguageLoop work?
If a customer calls Westpac and seems to be having difficulties using English, the employee they’re talking to can quickly dial in an interpreter.
Similarly, if a query comes in via email and it transpires the customer isn’t confident using English, Westpac employees can offer to call them with an interpreter.
Support in branch is also available, with employees able to call interpreters when required. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and calls are answered within one minute.
Westpac piloted the interpreting service last year and Ryder said the feedback was overwhelmingly positive.
“We’ve seen examples of our people connecting with interpreters to talk customers through everything from setting up a bank account to dealing with the complexities of a deceased estate. Engaging an interpreter through LanguageLoop is a very straightforward, simple process which is great for everyone involved,” Ryder said.
Languages that LanguageLoop can help with include Samoan, Tagalog, Mandarin, Hindi and many others – more than 190 languages are supported.
“We want to make sure customers are aware that we can support them in a huge range of languages so that they don’t feel any hesitation about connecting with us,” Ryder said.
“Our bankers have all been provided with information about the service so that they’re able to quickly connect with LanguageLoop as soon as it becomes apparent that assistance is required.”
Improving banking access for all
The interpreter news was developed after recommendations from the Westpac NZ Access to Banking in Aotearoa Report. released last year, investigated the barriers to obtaining a bank account in Aotearoa New Zealand, as well as the impact of being excluded.
One group identified by the report was people who are unable to understand or speak English fluently, and who therefore can’t engage in the services that are available to them.
The recommendation called for banking to be accessible for everyone so that everyone can bank with confidence. This went beyond an interpreter service and called for translated documents, particularly those of a contractual nature.
“Until we have everything available in 160 languages, we are not going to be an equal society,” a participant in the report said.
Westpac NZ took this advice onboard, updating its general terms and conditions to make sure they used everyday English and were clearer and easier to understand.
The bank also created flyers about our Westpac Everyday account and other basic banking services in a number of different languages, including English, French, Bislama, Samoan and Tongan.
A Westpac NZ spokesperson also said the bank would continue to regularly review all communications to make sure they’re easy to understand and to remove unnecessary jargon.
“Making sure everyone in our communities can understand the banking products and tools we have available and how they can access them is really important,” Ryder said.
Westpac’s Extra Care programme
The introduction of the interpreting service is the latest initiative in Westpac’s Extra Care programme of work.
Earlier this year, Westpac NZ updated its bankruptcy policy to improve access to basic banking services for Kiwis going through tough times.
The bank has also worked with the Department of Corrections to make it possible for prisoners nearing their release date to open bank accounts, as well as partnered with Oranga Tamariki and advocacy organisation VOYCE - Whakarongo Mai to help young people in state care to get a bank account and access financial education.
“These might all seem like small things, but they’re things that can make a real difference for people who are having difficulty accessing banking services,” Ryder said.
“We’re committed to improving access to banking in Aotearoa.”
Will Westpac NZ’s interpreter service help your clients? Comment below.
