How can you improve customer support for people with low literacy?

Being genuine and friendly will make the customer feel less intimidated. This will convey your willingness to assist, which, in turn, eases any tension and improves communication between you and the customer. The way a customer service representative approaches a situation greatly influences how customers see the service.

To help people who struggle with reading, we made our instructions easier and created videos to explain things visually. One customer who found it hard to read the instructions found the videos helpful, and they were happier with our support. We want to make sure everyone can understand and be satisfied with our help.

In cases of low literacy, help the customer by explaining what he or she does not understand. Assure the customer that you understand also you are there to help him or her through the process. Keep a positive attitude and open mind this could be you or someone close to you. Respect the fact that everyone is different and you yourself may need help with something you don’t understand one day. You will desire for someone with knowledge of how to help you provide you with clear understanding, communication, compassion, and someone who is nice. Yes, sometimes customers may not be nice to you, however, he or she is upset because of the issue at hand or just like to argue. Be the bigger person and let your light shine. “Less stress is best.”

Speak to them as u would speak to any other person. Don't talk to them on verbiage that doesn't make sense with people who are not in your field.

I use the "explain/show/do" approach every day, and the best thing is always doing X thing for the client. Get tutorial-y. Make a Google Doc with screenshots and step-by-step instructions. Better yet, use Loom (or an equivalent) and explain as you go. Assume nothing is obvious. You live in the product every day but the client has untrained eyes, so mimic that. Practice your concise language - directions, colors, UI/UX terms, names and tags. Ignore buzz words and company-specific terms wherever possible. This is also a great UI/UX exercise as well - is your flow intuitive as you talk through it or are there bumps in your first mile? Goal for visual aids: client w/ zero tech literacy can replicate the flow if they know how to read.

In my experience, it’s always best practice to remember that the customer or client that you are working with is a person first. Try to understand what they need from you by asking simple questions while allowing for wiggle room when confusion comes into play. Ask questions to understand, not to teach. If you are too quick to offer advice or solutions, you may be discounting their previous experience and knowledge. Displaying compassion and patience while offering assistance will always provide a more humanizing experience for both parties!

A common tool that I have used is the simple translator app. Now you can set it in front of you and speak into it, almost in real time. This shows your willingness to resolve the issue at hand.