It’s good to have foreign or overseas clients as it means you’re branching out to new territories. This is a fantastic way for a business to grow its client base as you don’t restrict yourself to one specific area.
With that being said, working with foreign clients presents a series of challenges that domestic ones might not bring. Therefore, you need to find the best ways of dealing with them to ensure you keep up an excellent level of customer service.
Research their cultural background
Different cultures have different ways of perceiving things. A foreign client may react differently to the things that you do when compared to a domestic one. This old HSBC advert is the perfect example of this point:
You can see how English people think it’s rude to not eat all of the food offered to you, while Chinese people think you’re questioning their generosity if you do. This can happen in so many different scenarios when you deal with foreign clients. As such, you need to research any cultural differences to be sure that you don’t offend them, and that you understand what they’re trying to convey to you.
Use professional translators
It’s never a good idea to try and converse with a foreign client in your own language – unless they explicitly tell you that it’s okay. Instead, it’s much more professional if you speak in their native tongue. They will appreciate this a lot, holding your business in high regard. The obvious excuse here is that you don’t know the language you’re dealing with. Okay, but that’s why translators exist!
Don’t go to Google translate and use that to type up an email to a client. Instead, you need professional translation services. Companies like Architekst will provide various translation services for businesses. This can include translating emails, providing voice translations during meetings, and so on. If you have professional translators helping you out, then nothing gets lost in translation.
Adhere to their schedule
Finally, scheduling is a key concern with foreign clients. Depending on who they are, this can vary in severity. For example, if your company is based in Europe – and you’re dealing with another European company – then the time differences are minimal. However, if you’re working with a client in Australia, then it’s totally different.
Regardless, be sure that you work around their schedule. Arrange meetings at their convenience, no matter how inconvenient it is to you. This might mean you have to prepare for late-night meetings, but so be it. It shows excellent customer service that you’re willing to change your schedule to suit their needs. Think about it from the other perspective – what would a client think if you force them to have a meeting at 10 pm at night?! You need them, they don’t really need you. So, be sure you keep them happy.
Grow your business by reaching out to new clients in different countries. Technology has allowed businesses to go global with ease, and you’d be a fool to ignore this opportunity. Just be sure that you know how to deal with overseas clients to keep them satisfied with your service.
- Please note that this post has been written by an outside source – See Disclosure Policy
