Does the assistant understand Swiss German?

"Does it understand Swiss German?" is the question we hear most often. The short answer: yes. Swiss German is one of the languages your assistant can speak — and it speaks genuine dialect, not High German with an accent.

In short: In your voice configuration, set Default Language to "Swiss German". Your assistant then speaks natural, broadly intelligible Swiss German, addresses callers with the formal "Sie" throughout, and switches automatically if a caller speaks German, French, Italian, English, Spanish or Catalan. You choose the voice independently.

Why it matters: To many callers, Swiss German feels more familiar and personal than High German — a real advantage for a local SME. The person on the line senses: this is someone from here.

How to switch on Swiss German

• Open your voice configuration in the dashboard.
• In the Default Language field, select Swiss German.
• Choose a voice independently — every voice works in every language.
• Save and make a test call.

You can choose from: German, Swiss German, French, Italian, English, Spanish and Catalan.

How the assistant speaks Swiss German

With Swiss German as the default language, your assistant sounds like a calm, friendly receptionist:

• Genuine dialect — broadly intelligible Swiss German (leaning towards Züridütsch), not High German.
• Consistently formal address — the Swiss German "Sie" form throughout ("Sie", "Ihne", "Ihri"). Never the informal "Du".
• Swiss conversational markers such as „Grüezi" (hello), „Merci vilmal" (thank you very much), „Wie chan ich Ihne hälfe?" (how can I help you?) and „Adee" (goodbye).
• Clearly understandable — the assistant favours widely understood Swiss German over heavy dialect, unless a caller clearly signals otherwise.

The post-call summary is written in standard German — so it reads well.

Multilingual calls

Your assistant isn't locked to one language. If a caller speaks clearly in another supported language, the assistant switches along of its own accord — regardless of which default language you've set. A call in French or English stays just as natural as one in Swiss German.

Good to know

• Dialects are demanding. Swiss German has many sub-dialects. The assistant copes very well with broadly intelligible Swiss German; with a very pronounced local dialect (say Bernese or Valais German), a test call is worth it to check the result.
• High German on request. If a caller prefers High German, the assistant switches over naturally.
• Always High German? This is possible too. Choose Deutsch as the default language and add a clear instruction in the Instructions tab, for example: "Always speak Standard German, even when the caller speaks Swiss German." Check the result with a test call. This is an instruction to the assistant, not a guarantee. If you want us to set it up for you, write to info@rednea.ch.

Before going live: a test call

Best to convince yourself: use the test call in your configuration and speak Swiss German with your assistant. That way you hear exactly how it sounds before real callers do.

Frequently asked questions

Does the assistant really speak dialect, or just High German?

Genuine dialect. With Swiss German as the default language, the assistant speaks natural, broadly intelligible Swiss German and uses the formal address throughout.

Does it understand Bernese or Valais German too?

The assistant copes very well with broadly intelligible Swiss German. Very pronounced local sub-dialects are more demanding — we recommend a test call. If a caller switches to High German, the assistant follows.

Can I combine Swiss German with any voice?

Yes. Language and voice are independent. Every voice works with Swiss German — see choosing the right voice.

What happens if someone calls in French or English?

The assistant switches automatically to the caller's language, as long as it's one of the supported languages.