Deliver Great Service in any Language: Lessons from Walsall Council and CX Translate

Published 02/11/26

Every contact centre wants to consistently deliver exceptional service to all customers, regardless of the language they speak. For many, however, that ambition’s hard to achieve. At the same time, organisations are investing heavily in omnichannel operating models but don’t always see the full return those investments promise. 

Now, CX and contact centre leaders no longer have to compromise – on language, service levels or satisfaction ratings. See how CX Translate is constantly evolving and ensuring organisations, including Walsall Council, overcome its daily challenges.  

Multilingual support is not support when it’s costly, slow and hard to scale

Hiring and retaining multilingual agents is expensive, while supporting multiple languages adds complexity to workflows, scheduling and staffing.  

Consequently, agents often end up toggling between conversations and translation apps, adding precious seconds to every interaction and frustration for everyone involved. When demand peaks, that pressure increases, making it even harder to maintain service levels when customers need help most. 

Making every conversation feel natural

Thankfully, with CX Translate, language no longer has to be a barrier to excellent customer service.  

The Kerv solution automatically detects the customer’s language and translates voice and digital conversations in real time, allowing agents and customers to communicate naturally in the way they’re most comfortable with – all within the Genesys Cloud interface. 

Powered by constantly evolving DeepL neural networks and deep learning models, it supports over 110 languages and translates more than six million messages a month on average for our customers, with 99.95% translation accuracy. 

CX Translate isn’t just limited to webchat and email. Low latency helps maintain the flow of voice conversations, while tone and dialect preservation retain more of the meaning, emotion and personality behind them. This is particularly important when translating speech, where how something is said can matter just as much as what is actually said. 

Customers on a call experience two audio streams. They hear the translated speech clearly, while the adviser’s natural voice and delivery remain audible underneath. This means the warmth, reassurance and emotion in the original conversation aren’t stripped away by the translation process. 

Embedding smarter translation within existing service controls

Walsall Council shows what’s possible when real-time translation is built directly into contact centre infrastructure, rather than added as an afterthought. 

The Council was already well underway with an ambitious omnichannel and AI strategy to modernise its Customer Experience Centre. However, with minority ethnic groups making up 32% of the local population, delivering on that ambition meant ensuring language was never a barrier to great service – for every resident, in every conversation. 

There were four main requirements and reasons for choosing CX Translate: 

1. Easy access Many customers are vulnerable and don’t use English as their first language (Punjabi, Urdu and Eastern community languages feature highly).  
2. Continuity Keeping the journey within an existing Genesys flow, rather than a separate queue.
3. Human ownership Advisers should remain responsible for decisions, escalation and policy.  
4. Public value Balancing cost with inclusive access and smoother routing.

Purpose-built for simple integration with the Genesys Cloud platform, CX Translate now allows residents and businesses to communicate comfortably – via Genesys Webchat in their language of choice – while reducing the Council’s reliance on costly third-party interpreters and resolving queries faster. 

Advisers also appreciate smoother journeys with CX Translate working alongside Genesys Copilot and Knowledge to automatically surface helpful articles, which are rated to drive continuous improvement.  

School admissions provide a good case in point. A parent was struggling to complete a primary school application. They understood some English, but not enough to feel confident. Previously, getting the right support would have meant arranging a translator and calling them back. 

Instead, the adviser opened Genesys Webchat. The conversation continued in Persian/Farsi. There was no separate queue, no appointment and no interpreter waiting on the end of the phone. Just a parent getting the help they needed. 

For another resident, the issue was much more everyday: a missed bin collection. The adviser quickly understood the problem and resolved it entirely in Spanish, without either person having to switch languages or bring in an interpreter. 

This is what inclusive customer service can look like when translation becomes part of the conversation, rather than an extra step around it. 

Working alongside Kerv specialists, the Council also addressed critical concerns around compliance, governance, case sensitivity, and safeguarding – ensuring the technology was as trusted as it was transformative. 

See CX Translate in action

Watch the webinar to hear Walsall Council’s story firsthand and see a live demonstration, showcasing both digital (webchat) and voice interactions, translated in real time within Genesys Cloud.

 

We combine AI‑powered innovation with flexible CX solutions to create customer journeys that are smarter, faster and more effortless. With deep CX expertise and technology that delivers measurable outcomes, we help organisations reduce effort, improve performance and unlock real business value.

Customers choose us for our expertise, 24/7 helpdesk, customer success practice and our flexible and friendly approach. Ready to elevate your customer experience? Get in touch with our team to start your transformation.