GAS ENGINEERS CAN NOW SPEAK 100 LANGUAGES
(9 December 2004)

A ground-breaking new initiative - which enables engineers to 'speak' in over 100 different languages - aims to boost home safety among Britain's non-English speaking households. British Gas has announced a new "Language Line" translation service for households visited by its 8,000 strong engineering workforce. The service enables engineers to better communicate vital safety advice to customers who do not speak English fluently - such as the need for a CORGI registered engineer to service appliances annually, and raise awareness of the perils of carbon monoxide, which kills around 50 people each year.

"Language Line" is also a deterrent against 'cowboy' traders who could exploit confusion among householders whose first language is not English, and carry out substandard work or inflate costs beyond their value. With "Language Line", British Gas is setting a new standard of customer service for ALL householders, which boosts doorstep confidence for anyone who is not fluent in English.

The British Gas "Language Line" service has been warmly welcomed by Parmjit Singh Gill MP (Lib Dem), who was elected in a by-election in Leicester South in July. In Mr Singh Gill's constituency, some 30 per cent of the population are Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, or Somali.

Mr Singh Gill said: "British Gas is to be congratulated for developing its 'Language Line' service, which will benefit people in my constituency and right across Britain. It recognises the diverse needs of many of our country's ethnic minority citizens, and is a positive contribution to the cause of social inclusion. I hope that other service providers will follow this excellent lead."

The Trading Standards Institute also applauded the introduction of "Language Line". Its Chief Executive Ron Gainsford said: "Anything which helps consumers to better understand their position and the range of services which are available can only raise standards. For both economic and safety reasons, this is especially important with gas and electricity supplies. We very much welcome this initiative."

The system works by the engineer showing the customer a printed card which states: "Point to your language. We will get an interpreter on the telephone", in a variety of different languages - including Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Hindi, Portuguese, Punjabi, Somali, Spanish, Turkish and Urdu. The engineer then phones the service provider, Comunicado, in order to secure a three-way conversation with the customer in the required language. Where necessary, a male or female interpreter can be requested. The system operates in over 100 languages.

Engineers enjoy the greatest level of face to face contact with the company's customers - dealing with 8 million heating, electrical and plumbing calls a year through service visits and emergency call-outs.

Earlier this year, British Gas successfully piloted its "Language Line" service in Mitcham, and it has now been rolled out across the country. The system also operates in the company's contact centres, where all agents have the facility to hold three-way communications with customers in their own language.

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