{"id":21793,"date":"2021-11-04T08:15:25","date_gmt":"2021-11-04T08:15:25","guid":{"rendered":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/?p=21793"},"modified":"2023-01-16T11:42:43","modified_gmt":"2023-01-16T11:42:43","slug":"8-ideas-for-a-successful-global-support-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/8-ideas-for-a-successful-global-support-strategy\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Ideas For a Successful Global Support Strategy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Great customer experience<\/a> (CX) comes from delivering seamless, consistent interactions at every step. It\u2019s how businesses can stand out from the competition to build brand loyalty and win new customers. In fact, <\/span>two thirds of companies <\/span><\/a>compete mostly on the basis of CX.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is equally important at the support stage, which involves numerous touchpoints across multiple platforms and channels. Your customers expect\u2014and may have paid for\u2014immediate access to information to help them solve problems with your product or service.<\/span><\/p>\n

When this assistance is unavailable, customer satisfaction quickly deteriorates, potentially having a big impact on your business.<\/span> Research<\/span><\/a> shows that one in three customers would leave a brand after a single bad experience, and 92% would do so after two or more instances.<\/span><\/p>\n

So when you also add multiple markets into the mix, things can get complicated. That\u2019s why an effective <\/span>global support strategy<\/span> is crucial for meeting customers\u2019 needs, wherever they are in the world, whenever they need support, and whatever language they need it in.<\/span><\/p>\n

A solid plan will help your business grow by giving it access to more markets, improving customer retention, boosting revenue, and ensuring a cohesive, consistent CX. To get you started, we\u2019ve pulled together eight ideas for effectively scaling customer support across different countries and regions.<\/span><\/p>\n

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1. Localise and adapt support content\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

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Use their native language to improve satisfaction and build loyalty<\/b><\/h3>\n

Surveys show<\/span><\/a> that 76% of consumers prefer buying products with information in their first language, and 40% would never purchase via a website that does not cater for this. Likewise, 75% are more likely to buy again from the same brand if support is offered in their preferred language.<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s clear is that however information is provided\u2014whether via an online knowledge centre, a help section on the corporate website, or an automated tool like a chatbot\u2014your support content must be localised or adapted to a high standard for your various global markets.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to understand the specific cultural and linguistic differences between the regions in which your business operates, as well as each target audience\u2019s needs and expectations. Content that reflects this understanding has the best chance of building brand loyalty and engaging new customers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Prioritise languages and content types<\/b><\/h3>\n

While an obvious need is to localise help documents from one language into another, there may also be a requirement to carry out intralingual localisation within a single language. For example, English content written for US customers might need adapting for the UK, or Spanish content for Spain could be localised for Mexico.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you can\u2019t translate everything at the start, simply decide which languages you need to support most. For example, those for markets with the greatest potential<\/span> return on investment (ROI)<\/span><\/a>. Likewise, consider localising high-priority content initially and address low-priority information at the next stage.<\/span><\/p>\n

Leverage translation tools for on-the-spot interaction<\/b><\/h3>\n

Localisation is worth the investment, but it takes time to do it well. When this is in short supply and you need the content immediately, another option is to use machine translation for communicating urgent information. Agents should be shown how to get the most out of these tools to reduce the risk of inaccurate translations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Real-time translation tools are handy when team members need to interact with customers in a language that isn\u2019t currently supported, or when an agent who speaks that language isn\u2019t available. These tools are a great solution for quickly translating messages written in almost any language, and then for replying in the same language.<\/span><\/p>\n

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2. Offer omnichannel customer support<\/b><\/h2>\n

Many businesses offer a multichannel experience by making support available across various online and offline channels so that customers can use their preferred method of communication. In fact,<\/span> the number of companies investing in the multichannel approach has grown from <\/span>20% to a whopping 80%<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to provide a range of options, including taking advantage of automated and self-service tools that sync with various content sources and which are cost-efficient. This is because customers in different regions have different preferences for contacting companies when they need help.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example,<\/span> research shows<\/span><\/a> that end-users in Germany overwhelmingly prefer to call (the top choice in most regions), whereas UK customers also highly rate email and live chat. Brazilians value social media and people in Japan often use online self-service channels as their first choice.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some firms are now taking this a step further with<\/span> omnichannel support<\/span><\/a> to provide a seamless experience. This is when all channels are fully integrated within a unified system to give customers consistent support, even when they switch between channels.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Harness online self-service tools<\/b><\/h2>\n

Customers want to help themselves<\/b><\/h3>\n

In most cases, customers are willing to try to find the answers they\u2019re looking for themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n

A<\/span> knowledge centre<\/span><\/a> is an ideal self-service tool for offering scalable global support in multiple languages. Customers can easily find and immediately access information, such as frequently asked questions, product details, and troubleshooting options.<\/span><\/p>\n

This kind of online tool is also available 24 hours a day, any day of the week, wherever your customers are in the world. Even better, all of this content can be indexed by search engines, which is the starting point for many customers when they try to solve a problem themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unlock support agents\u2019 potential<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

By centralising and organising all of your business\u2019s content and expertise in a single, accessible knowledge management system, your agents across the world benefit, too. They can provide better support because they can quickly and easily find up-to-date, accurate information.<\/span><\/p>\n

The tool also gathers data on what customers are searching for to help businesses get to know them better and improve the content available. And with customers getting instant, relevant answers to their questions, this drastically reduces the number of incoming support queries.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Implement multilingual automation<\/b><\/h2>\n

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Instant global support at any time<\/b><\/h3>\n

Another way to reach a wider audience, boost self-service (but without end-users necessarily being aware of this), and significantly reduce support enquiries is to add an automated online tool that can interact convincingly with customers in their chosen language.<\/span><\/p>\n

Multilingual chatbots<\/span> provide effective support when agents are unavailable, such as during off-hours and weekends. They make sure customers can still reach your business when they need to, taking care of simple queries, reducing support tickets, and escalating complex issues (along with background details) to the most appropriate agent.<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, chatbots can connect to a wide range of content sources, such as:<\/span><\/p>\n