Bilingual Employees Key to Fast Response to Natural Disasters

Insurance and power companies should not overlook needs of Spanish-speaking consumers in flood and storm hit areas.

COLUMBIA, S.C., July 14 /PRNewswire/ — In the United States, Fortune 500 employers are faced with rapidly responding to the growing number of natural disasters. In the process of responding to immediate needs, certain employers are at-risk for failing to properly respond to the language needs of their consumers. Over the next decade, the U.S. Hispanic population is expected to grow 118% with a purchasing power of $1 trillion.

FEMA has declared disasters in five states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska and Wisconsin. California is also addressing the spread of fires. All six states have large Hispanic populations.

“Employers are struggling to meet the needs of their non-English speaking customers,” says Ken Carey, owner of Agil Staff, Inc. “Companies are responding to the lessons learned after Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma. In 2002 an ice storm ravaged North Carolina. The state’s power companies were criticized for the lack of Spanish-speaking employees.

“Agil staff has tremendous success recruiting Spanish-speaking staff in response to natural disasters,” says Mr. Carey. “Our work with insurance and power companies has provided a track record of success for companies seeking to ensure quality bilingual service year-round.” Molly Hinrichs, a human resources assistant at The Seibels Bruce Group, stated that she turned to Agil Staff when the insurance company needed bilingual staff to process insurance claims from the 2005 hurricane season. Agil Staff was able to help them hire 30 bilingual call center staff.

As the Hispanic population and its purchasing power continue to grow, U.S. companies are beginning to recognize that they must have a workforce that can communicate with their customers. One way that companies are successfully responding to the growing demand is by engaging bilingual recruiters like Agil Staff, Inc.

About Agil Staff, Inc.

Agil Staff, Inc. connects employers to bilingual professionals and other hard-to-find people. More information about Agil Staff, Inc. is available at http://www.agilstaff.com/ or by calling Ken Carey or Ana Drummond at 803-771-4289.

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Source: Agil Staff, Inc.