How a translation agency takes orders by phone and promises deadlines
Sado AI team · · 4 min read
In short
A customer calling a translation agency usually asks two things: how much, and when will it be ready. To answer both you need five questions: which document, how many pages, which language pair, whether it needs notarisation, and the deadline. Don’t promise a deadline before checking the translator is free: “a manager will confirm within an hour” is better. When the translation is ready, call the customer yourself. An AI voice operator can take these calls in Uzbek and Russian.
5 questions to quote a price
- Which document: passport, diploma, certificate, contract or a long text.
- Volume: how many pages or documents. If the customer doesn’t know, check from the file.
- Language pair: for example, Uzbek to German or Russian to English.
- Is notarisation or an apostille needed? If they don’t know, ask where the document goes: an embassy, a university, a court.
- When it’s needed, and whether that date is fixed.
With these five answers, quoting from the price list is easy. For a rare language or a large volume, the manager gives the exact price.
Who calls and what they need
- Students going abroad: diploma, transcript, school certificate, often notarised and with a fixed deadline.
- People preparing work or visa papers: passport, certificates, marriage certificate.
- Companies: contracts, manuals, website text; large volumes, deadline agreed.
- Documents for a court or notary: the customer should check the translation requirements there first.
Once you know which group a caller is in, you ask the right question faster.
How to promise a deadline
| Situation | What to say |
|---|---|
| Ordinary document, common language, enough time | Give the usual turnaround from the price list |
| “I need it by tomorrow” | “Urgent translation is on our price list. The manager will check the translator is free and confirm within an hour” |
| With notarisation | Allow for the notary’s hours: it can add a day |
| Rare language | Promise nothing: the manager will find a translator and call back |
Better to tell the truth than promise a date you can’t meet. A translation that’s late on embassy day wrecks the customer’s plans.
Sample call
Sado: Assalomu alaykum, Ko‘prik translation agency, this is Malika.
Caller: Hello. I’d like my diploma and its transcript translated into German, notarised.
Sado: Fine. How many pages is the transcript, and when do you need it?
Caller: Four pages. I have to hand in documents at the embassy on Thursday.
Sado: I see. Please send the files on Telegram to this same number. Our manager will look and confirm the price, and whether we can make Thursday, within an hour.
Caller: Good, I’ll send them now.
Sado: Add your name there too. When the translation is ready, we’ll call you.
The operator didn’t guess the price or promise Thursday. But the order is recorded and the customer knows the next step.
The “your translation is ready” call
A text about a finished translation often goes unread. A short call settles several things at once:
- The customer says when they’ll collect it, and you expect them.
- You remind them of the address, hours and which ID to bring.
- You ask whether they need extra copies or other documents.
- If you deliver, you agree the address and time.
An AI operator at a translation agency
An AI operator for incoming calls answers every call at once, at night and on weekends too. Students and people preparing applications often call in the evening. The operator answers from the agency’s price list and rules, asks the five questions above and records the order in the portal. When it doesn’t know the exact deadline or price, it says a manager will call and creates a task.
Note: Sado’s operator speaks only Uzbek and Russian. A foreign customer speaking another language can be transferred to staff by your rule.
For “ready” calls, upload a list to the Auto-calls section: Sado’s outbound calls phone each customer and note when they’ll collect. You pay only for talked minutes, 800 so‘m each. Try it live or call 78 778 01 23.
Questions
Can the operator receive a file?
No, it talks by phone. It tells the caller where to send files by the agency’s rule, for example Telegram or email.
What if a foreign customer speaks English?
Sado’s operator speaks Uzbek and Russian. A call in another language can be transferred to staff by your rule.
Should we give an exact price on the phone?
For ordinary documents, yes, from the price list. For large volumes, rare languages or rush orders, don’t quote exactly without seeing the file.