Do Montreal businesses need a
bilingual answering service?

In Quebec, French is the language of welcome.

Quebec is a French-language jurisdiction, and for a large share of the population French is the language of daily life and of doing business. When a caller reaches a Montreal business and is greeted in French, the message is immediate and unspoken: you belong here, and we are ready to serve you properly. Greeting in French first is a sign of respect for the linguistic reality of the province, and it sets the tone before a single question is asked.

At the same time, Montreal is genuinely bilingual. Many customers, newcomers, and visitors are more comfortable in English. The goal, then, is not French instead of English — it is French first, with a seamless switch to English the moment a caller prefers it. A front desk that does both well serves the whole city.

Law 96, in plain language.

Quebec's Law 96 is legislation that strengthens the place of the French language across the province, including in many business and consumer communications. In broad terms, it reinforces the long-standing expectation that customers in Quebec can interact with businesses in French. For most Montreal owners, the practical takeaway is simple and not new: French should be available and front-and-centre in how you communicate with customers.

We are deliberately keeping this general. The specifics of what any individual business must do — and how the rules apply to your situation — depend on your activities and should be confirmed with a qualified professional. This article is general information and does not constitute legal advice. What we can say with confidence is that being ready to serve callers in French is both customer-friendly and consistent with the direction Quebec has set.

Language is the first impression.

Set the rules aside for a moment and the business case stands on its own. A caller met in their own language relaxes immediately — they trust that they will be understood, that nothing will get lost, and that the business takes them seriously. A caller met in the wrong language, or shuffled through an awkward "press 1 for French," often does the opposite: hesitates, repeats themselves, or simply hangs up and tries somewhere else.

Natively bilingual, on every call.

Traditional answering services often solve bilingualism with menus, callbacks, or a scramble to find someone who speaks the other language. An AI agent handles it natively. Every Anova agent speaks both English and Quebec French and follows your configured language-priority rule — for most Montreal businesses, that means greeting in French first and switching to English instantly and seamlessly the moment a caller responds in English, with no menu, no hold, and no awkward handoff.

Because the same agent handles both languages, the quality is consistent at 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., on a quiet Tuesday and a packed Saturday. And bilingual handling is not a premium add-on at Anova — it is built into every tier, starting at $699/month, so French and English capability comes standard rather than as a line item.

Getting bilingual service right.

A few small choices make a large difference. Decide your default greeting language — in Quebec, French first is the safe and respectful choice — and make the switch to English effortless rather than something the caller has to request twice. Keep your written touchpoints (voicemail, texts, confirmations) consistent with how you answer the phone, so the experience feels coherent across channels. And test your own line in both languages from time to time; the fastest way to find a rough edge is to be the caller.

If you serve specific industries — clinics, law and accounting firms, real estate, home services — the same bilingual standard applies, and the right setup depends on your workflows. You can see how this plays out by industry, or talk it through with us directly.

See it by industry

Bilingual service, answered.