Matt
Job title
Service Leader – Integrated Multilingual Services
Company and location
Manpower at IBM. Sale, Cheshire
Industry Sector
Technology
Background
Degree in French and Geography
Spent a year in France working as a teacher
Joined IBM as a French Helpdesk Analyst, now promoted to Service Leader
What are your main responsibilities at work?
I am responsible for the delivery of IT Helpdesk Services to 36 commercial customers across Europe. Everyday tasks involve talking to customers over the phone in French, writing and reading e-mails in French and talking to people on my team who come from French-speaking countries all over the world like Cameroon, Martinique, Belgium and Switzerland, as well as France of course.
How do languages help in getting the job done?
They are of particular value in the frontline positions. When I joined IBM, my job involved taking the call, explaining the fix to the problem and translating what they were saying to me from French into English which is written down on a problem ticket. I would then call an engineer in France and liaise with him to solve the user’s problem if I was unable to fix it over the ‘phone.
IBM is a global company and I come into contact every day with people who speak French and are either still based in France (Paris is IBM’s European HQ) or have moved to other countries. Although many of them speak good English, I find that they warm to you much more once they realise that you can speak French.
How was your past experience helped?
Being a teacher helps you to express what you want to tell someone in simple terms, which is handy when communicating fixes for PCs. Because I had travelled a lot around France and Europe when I lived there, I could picture places where people were calling from quite easily, making silences in conversations easy to fill – what’s the weather like is always a good one – especially when they’re calling from Normandy and you know it’s probably raining!
What do you enjoy most?
I enjoy interacting with customers, and motivating and coaching my team. The job is very challenging and every day is different. My customers range from bakers to baked bean manufacturers and from rubber glove makers to large supermarkets – it is very varied.
What skills and qualities are necessary, apart from language?
Organisation skills
Communication skills and a good people manner
Experience with IT and just plain common sense
Any tips?
Be confident – you won’t always know how to say everything in the foreign language you speak and no matter what your ability – very often you will get stuck. What’s French for Motherboard for example? If you are confident and enthusiastic you can often get away with “Carte à Mère” and a quick description – they will believe you!