Asian markets are flourishing and Western companies are looking to take advantage of this fact. But how do you secure top-notch, native Customer Support for Asian languages?
Asian markets are flourishing and Western companies are looking to take advantage of this fact. But how do you secure top-notch, native Customer Support for Asian languages? In 2025, 40% of the world’s spending on luxury goods will be done by the Chinese market. Let’s take a look at how a budding Western brand can grow its customer base to Asian markets, and what challenges await them.
The rise of the internet makes it possible for all companies, from mom and pop stores to big international brands, to offer their products on the international market. Although expanding markets is easier for international brands with a bigger budget, it is not impossible for SME companies. If you are a small or medium-sized enterprise producing unique, high-quality or luxury items, then the Asian markets are an exceptional rewarding possibility. However, there are some things to keep in mind when you are turning to look to the East as a potential market.
Japan has a long history of preferring quality, artisanal products over mass-market products, which makes it an appealing market. Especially for SME businesses offering these types of products. However there are some caveats to this attractive market – cultural differences make Japan a market to expand to with caution. It is common knowledge that Japanese have high standards when it comes to the quality of the product. This extends to service during the sales process and after-sales service, like customer support options.
This means that businesses that want to offer their product in the Japanese market need high-quality and exceptional customer service. Google Translate, Western business hours, and English support are not accepted. But how do you find a reliable company for Customer Support in a language that you do not speak?
One of the biggest challenges when looking for business partners for foreign operations is sourcing a trustworthy, respectable contact center. Especially in countries like China and Japan, it’s hard to find a contact center without intermediaries who know the market. This process takes time, money and effort that can be otherwise used for other business operations and optimizations.
But even when a dependable contact center has been found, there are still many hurdles to overcome – transparency for one. If the contact center doesn’t have English speaking employees, information like Customer Satisfaction and other metrics are difficult to obtain. Furthermore, you will always have to do rolling quality checks until trust is established. And we haven’t even talked about time zones, which always make direct communication harder.
But there is a solution for SMEs who want to expand and seek Customer Support in Asian languages. Instead of contracting with local contact centers in a different timezone, there are cloud-based Customer Support companies. These companies have their headquarters in Western countries, and always have English speaking account managers overseeing the Agents. With Western and local Customer Service standards, you know that your Customer Service in Asian languages will be superb.
Thinking of expanding to Asia? Looking for Customer Support in Asian languages like Mandarin, Japanese or Korean? Contact us now for a quote!
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