As companies foray into the international scene, they should be ready to serve a more diverse clientele. This diversity will need them to rethink how they deliver service. Outsourcing is one of the solutions that they would want to consider. So, how does it work, and how can they take full advantage of the strategy to deliver great international customer service.
The Challenges Of Global Customer Service
The international customer service landscape can be vastly different from the local scene and brings in several challenges. These challenges will significantly affect how well you can serve your foreign clients.
The Language Challenge
For the most part, English is the main language of global customer service. However, much like in regular conversations, there are plenty of English variants; and some customers prefer to communicate in those variations. Trying to cover all these variations within your internal customer service team is harder than you might think.
And then there is the matter of providing customer service in other languages. 75% of customers are more likely to purchase a product if they engage with it in their native language. This creates a strong impetus for a multilingual service.
The Availability Challenge
Delivering global customer service also requires your team to be available around the clock. This can be more challenging than in local customer service. Different time zones will require your team to spread out more.
The problem gets magnified as you increase the number of countries you serve. Each will have its preferred service times. To address this, you need a way to scale your team and meet this demand effectively.
The Customer Expectations Challenge
Of course, meeting customer expectations is essential for effective service. And this is even more evident with a global customer base. The main challenge here lies in the fact that you now have a more diversified set of customers.
Culture becomes a significant factor. What might work for customers in one country might not with another. For instance, customers from countries like Belgium, Malaysia, and France put a high regard on “customer is king”. This results in a higher expectation for the service they receive.
How Outsourcing Can Help Deliver Global Customer Service
While there are many solutions you can use to overcome the challenges above, outsourcing stands out as one of the best options. Here are some of the benefits it can provide.
Better Scaling
The challenges above hinge on how well you can scale your operations to meet demands. But doing that through the usual recruitment process takes a lot of time. Outsourcing makes the process faster since you can get a fully-equipped team of customer service specialists right off the bat.
A Diverse Talent Pool
An essential benefit of outsourcing international customer service is access to a diverse talent pool. Here, you don’t need to figure out which agents to bring in. A provider like us at Virtua will do the work for you.
Our team is fully-equipped to find and hire highly experienced Filipino customer service agents. They are well-known for being very fluent in English. This makes them suited for handling an international customer service hub.
Filipinos also have significant exposure to different cultures. This gives them the ability to adapt to different service situations. They can quickly adapt to a language other than English for more effective communication.
Greater Flexibility
One thing that you should be aware of is that doing international customer service is not a static act. Customer preferences can change quickly, and you must be ready to adapt. Outsourcing gives you that flexibility.
With it, you don’t have to go through lengthy recruitment processes. The provider takes care of it so get the right agents immediately. Providers also continuously monitor the international customer service scene, giving you more insights on how to proactively adapt.
Creating Your Global Customer Service Team
With all that, how do you start establishing your international customer service? It all begins with getting a good understanding of the territories you are expanding to. You need to thoroughly study the customer landscape.
In particular, you would want to learn more about the nuances different international customers have. You also need to be familiar with different communication strategies that best match these nuances.
Using that information, build a customer engagement strategy for each region you want to serve.
When you sign up with us, we build a custom team that best suits these engagement strategies. We will find the best agents that would match each specific customer service role. Virtua can also help you find more specialist talent you might need.
We also can help you create a more diverse team. This is especially helpful in international customer service, where such diversity can help your team to connect with customers from different countries.
Delivering Customer Service In The Right Language
As we mentioned earlier, delivering customer service in the native language is essential for going global. But this is more than just getting someone who can speak the language.
You also want agents that can effectively converse in that language. We can readily provide that, as we have agents fluent in the most common business languages. If you are looking for someone fluent in a different language, we can help find a suitable candidate.
Embracing Cultural Sensitivity
Beyond language, you should also be aware of the cultural differences. For instance, a customer from one country might be different from another. As such, you need to be thoroughly familiar with the culture of the customers you will serve.
Your team should also share that familiarity. This is where effective employee training is useful . Virtua can provide support services that will help you conduct that training program. These include database management and employee schedule management.
Take Your Customer Service To The International Stage
Going global will certainly be a big leap for your customer service efforts. Our experts are ready to help you in delivering high quality services to more people. Enjoy the confidence of having a custom team that will keep your international customers happy.
Contact us today and let’s take your customer service to the next level.