Building Success for Small Business Owners by Growing Diverse Customer Bases

For Ally De La Torre, business outreach specialist at the Chamber of Commerce in Oregon’s North Clackamas region, supporting the success of the local business community is no small responsibility. Every day, more than 500 local organizations and entrepreneurs count on the North Clackamas Chamber to connect them with resources that will help them tackle their challenges.

Among the most pressing is one particular challenge reflecting a nationwide trend: as America continues to diversify, many communities are finding themselves underprepared to meet the needs of their increasingly multicultural populations — especially when it comes to communication.

The North Clackamas Business Resource Center (BRC) has been a critical component of this outreach, providing free, pre-paid recovery resources for small businesses impacted by economic challenges since November 2020. Thanks to ARPA funding provided by Clackamas County, the BRC has connected hundreds of businesses to services such as:

• Assistance identifying potential sources for accessing capital
• Business mentoring and coaching
• Marketing assistance
• Technical assistance for e-commerce and web development
• Material recruitment assistance and strategies to assist with retention of employees
• Employee benefits management
• Inventory/supply chain management strategies
• Connection to one hour of free legal assistance (contractual issues only)
• Education and training on a variety of relevant topics
• Connecting businesses to other local recovery resources
• Translation services

In total, the BRC has allocated $850,000 in Small Business Recovery Grants and continues to provide $150,000 in worker retraining scholarships through partnerships with Clackamas Community College and the Small Business Development Center. These services are available to all businesses, Chamber members or not, with translation and multilingual support available.

The importance that individuals, regardless of their language, be able to communicate with businesses in their communities cannot be overstated. Not only do language barriers cost businesses new customer opportunities, but they also put diverse communities at risk for inaccessibility to key goods and services.

Traditional translation methods leave much to be desired

For De La Torre, harnessing the power of language to build a more inclusive business community was an exciting challenge to tackle head-on.

Nonetheless, the challenge was daunting. For the average business owner in North Clackamas, hiring a human interpreter, let alone one fluent in the variety of languages needed, was cost-prohibitive. Meanwhile, shortcuts like smartphone apps failed to provide the dedicated support necessary in a business setting.

“Traditional translation methods can be time-consuming, costly and sometimes ineffective, especially for smaller organizations that already possess limited resources,” De La Torre said. “Ensuring accurate and timely translations for multiple languages can be a significant burden.”

Adding to the challenge was the responsibility De La Torre and the Chamber held toward the local business community. The organization had earned itself a reputation as a trusted authority among local business owners and entrepreneurs. De La Torre knew she had a duty to ensure any resource recommended by the Chamber was a solution she and her team could fully stand behind.

Opening new business opportunities through language inclusivity

It was then that De La Torre discovered Pocketalk. The handheld device enables spontaneous conversation across more than 84 languages through two-way, real-time translation.

“Pocketalk is portable, easy to use and timely when it comes to reliable translation,” De La Torre said. “This eliminates the need for complex apps or smartphone reliance. I have also really loved Pocketalk for its variety of languages and various forms of Spanish from every country.”

Following the Chamber’s testing, Pocketalk has been implemented into dozens of businesses across the North Clackamas region. The device is currently in use by a variety of organizations, including real estate firms, law offices, industrial warehouses and more.

As a result, Pocketalk is fueling the success of North Clackamas’ local business owners and entrepreneurs, and across the community, the device is helping to close the gap in access to goods, services and jobs.

“We have several non-English-speaking employees,” said Jill Rundle, Controller, at North Clackamas’ Miles Fiberglass & Composites. “These employees used to have to rely on a bilingual team member to communicate, taking an extra person off the production floor. Pocketalk allows us to communicate safely and directly with all employees and avoid any potential intrusion of privacy.”

Improving business-critical functions through multilingual communications

With Pocketalk, multilingual communication in North Clackamas’ business and community settings is:

• Efficient: Because Pocketalk fits in the palm of your hand, it can be kept within reach to be used at a moment’s notice, unlike third-party interpreters or phone lines, which can require advance planning or inconvenient wait times.
• Affordable Starting at under $250, Pocketalk is an affordable, one-time investment to make as a business owner in enhancing your customer experience and growing your audiences served.
• Inclusive: Communication builds community. By eliminating language barriers and bridging the gap between neighbors, Pocketalk makes businesses more welcoming environments for people from all walks of life.

“The simplicity and effectiveness in breaking down language barriers made it clear that Pocketalk would be a valuable tool,” De La Torre said. “It allows businesses to communicate directly with customers through more than one way, enhancing service quality and inclusion.”

Closing communication gaps for stronger communities and healthy local economies

Through Pocketalk, North Clackamas’ local business owners and entrepreneurs are investing in the future success of their community for years to come. Strong local businesses are vital to sustaining healthy local economies, not only providing valuable jobs to residents, but also making communities vibrant places to live.

Additionally, the North Clackamas Business Resource Center continues to play a critical role in ensuring that businesses have the tools they need to succeed, allocating over $1 million in recovery resources and funding to date. However, with the program’s deadline set for December 31, 2024, the Chamber is actively seeking additional funding to sustain these efforts and continue serving the community.

“Language has the power to bring people together,” De La Torre said. “Pocketalk is a simple solution that promotes strong relationships with diverse neighbors. It’s a solution that is closely aligned with our goals as the North Clackamas Chamber of Commerce to invest in the future of our community.”

Additional information about Pocketalk’s translation technology empowering organizations and individuals to communicate seamlessly and confidently across languages is available by contacting our team.