Short answer
Punjabi is the most common language after English in Surrey, based on Census data, and many callers prefer Punjabi, Hindi or Urdu for important calls. A multilingual AI receptionist detects the caller's language, switches mid-call, and books them just like an English call.Walk down 128th Street in Newton and you'll hear three or four languages before you reach the next light. Based on Census data, Punjabi is the most common language in Surrey after English. Hindi, Urdu, Tagalog and Mandarin are all part of daily life too.
So why does almost every business phone in Surrey only answer in English?
Why language matters on the phone
Lots of your callers speak English fine. That's not the point. When someone calls about a visa refusal, a wedding or a home purchase, they want to explain it properly. Most people do that best in the language they think in.
And it's often not the client who calls. It's a son calling for his mother, or a daughter putting her dad on speaker. Halfway through, the phone gets passed to someone who'd rather speak Punjabi.
What happens when nobody can switch
The caller gets polite and short. Details get lost. Or they just say "okay, I'll call back" and call the place down the road where the person at the desk speaks Punjabi. In the Lead Connect survey, 78% of customers went with the business that answered first. Answering first in the right language is even better.
How an AI receptionist handles it
A good multilingual AI receptionist doesn't make callers pick a language from a menu. It listens and answers in the language they use. If the caller starts in English and switches to Punjabi mid-sentence, it switches with them.
Two things make it work in real life:
- Testing in every language. Before we launch a client, we test their script in each language their callers use. A greeting that's perfect in English can sound stiff in Hindi.
- Your words, not a dictionary's. Venue names, visa programs and street names get trained in, so "Fraser Highway" doesn't come out mangled.
The summary you get afterwards is in English, with the original transcript kept, so your whole team can follow it.
One more thing we've learned: respect matters as much as grammar. An elder calling a banquet hall expects "ji" in the right places. We tune the tone for each language as well as the words, and we check it with native speakers before launch.
Who benefits most in Surrey
Banquet halls are the obvious one. Families plan weddings together, and the parents often lead the calls. Our banquet hall page shows how a date check and a tour booking work in Punjabi. Immigration consultants are another, since many callers are relatives calling from India or Pakistan, often at night. And realtors in Fleetwood, Guildford and South Surrey get plenty of buyers who'd rather talk numbers in their own language.
Getting started
You keep your number and forward the calls you want covered. Every language is included, so you don't pay extra for Punjabi. See how it works for local businesses on our Surrey page, or call the demo line and try it. Start in English, switch halfway. It doesn't mind. Bring your mom, too. She'll have opinions about the Punjabi.
Quick questions
Can an AI receptionist really speak Punjabi?
Yes. Modern voice AI understands and speaks Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu, and it can switch between languages during one call.
Do callers have to choose a language from a menu?
No. The AI detects the language the caller speaks and answers in it.
Will I understand the call summary?
Yes. You get the summary in English, with the original transcript kept for your records.