Summary: the fact that an assistant «speaks English» does not guarantee they can serve your customers, write commercial emails, or hold their own in meetings with ease. At AVO we treat English as a professional competency: one that is validated during selection, practiced in real business contexts, specialized by industry, and supported through continuous follow-up. Here is how that process works, step by step.
Why professional English is a different thing entirely
Many companies have lived through the same disappointment: they hire someone with «advanced English» on their résumé and discover, on the very first call with a customer, that making conversation is one thing and working in English is quite another. Holding a negotiation together, writing an email with exactly the right tone, understanding a customer from Texas who talks fast and leans on idioms: that is professional English, and it does not show up on a generic certificate.
That is why, when we built our bilingual modality (available across all six AVO service grades), we decided that language could not be a box you tick once. It had to be a process with several layers: validation, practice, specialization, and follow-up.
Level validation during selection: oral and written, no shortcuts
Everything begins before the candidate ever meets a client. In our selection process, English level is assessed on two mandatory fronts:
- Oral assessment: a real conversation with our team, not a multiple-choice questionnaire. We evaluate listening comprehension, fluency, clear pronunciation and, above all, the ability to resolve situations: explaining a delay, asking for clarification, handling an objection.
- Written assessment: drafting business emails and messages. We look at grammar, clarity, and tone, because a large share of remote work happens in writing.
This language validation comes on top of the psychometric testing we apply to every candidate. Only those who pass both filters can be presented to clients in the bilingual modality, and it is the client who interviews and chooses, so you can verify the level for yourself before making any decision.
Practice in real business contexts
A language becomes solid when you use it where it matters. That is why the preparation of our bilingual assistants is built on simulations of the work they will actually do: customer service calls, sales follow-up emails, meeting minutes, coordination messages with internal teams.
The logic is simple: we do not train for an exam, we train for Tuesday at 9 a.m., when the client in Chicago calls with a question about their order. That practical orientation makes the transition into real work far less stressful, both for the assistant and for the company welcoming them.
Industry vocabulary: speaking the language of the client’s business
Professional English is not one single thing. The vocabulary of a real estate firm (listing, escrow, closing) is not the vocabulary of a logistics company (freight, customs clearance, lead time), nor that of a medical practice. When an assistant joins a new client, part of their preparation is immersing themselves in the terminology of that industry: the terms used by their customers, their suppliers, and their tools.
This fine-tuning happens during onboarding and the first weeks of work, with the support of our team. It is one of the reasons we prefer to talk about human talent rather than «resources»: each assistant builds a command of the business that no generic glossary can replace.
Ongoing follow-up: language needs support too
AVO’s support does not end when the assistant starts working. In our monthly performance follow-up, English communication is one of the aspects we review with the client: are emails going out with the right tone? Do calls flow naturally? Are there situations where the assistant feels less confident?
When we detect an area for improvement, we work on it in a targeted way: more call practice, reinforcement of business writing, or specific vocabulary. Professional English is not a level you reach and freeze; it is a skill that grows along with the operation, just like the rest of our support methodology.
Conversational vs professional English: the difference in practice
To close the central idea with clarity: conversational English lets you order a coffee and chat about the weather; professional English lets you represent a company. The difference shows up in concrete things: knowing how to soften a «no» for a customer, telling a formal email apart from a friendly one, summarizing a meeting in five useful lines, or picking up on the real urgency behind a short message.
When you evaluate bilingual talent, do not just ask «what level do you have?». Ask for a call in English; ask for a sample email. The difference between the two kinds of English becomes obvious within the first five minutes.
What this means for your company
If your company serves customers in the United States, Canada, or Europe, your assistant’s English is not a nice-to-have: it is your brand’s voice in another language. Our process exists so that voice is professional from day one and gets better every month. And, as with everything in our model, you interview and you choose: you can verify each candidate’s level yourself before making any decision.
Need an assistant who can serve your customers in English at a professional level? We present validated candidates so you can verify their level yourself. Request a profile →
