When a company finds themselves with the capability of globally expanding their operations, it typically indicates they are successfully servicing their customer base. While this signals business accomplishments, moving forward with expansion can complicate the customer’s experience it has with the company. Broadening company operations on a global scale is one thing. Creating a global customer experience is another.
As a company figures out the inner-workings of international operations, it must remain mindful of how it interacts with its customers, a demographic that has now increased. Creating a global customer experience can be a daunting task, which is why it is important for a company begin developing a customer experience strategy in a timely manner, simultaneous with developing business strategies.
To begin developing a global customer experience, a company should first define the various touchpoints customers have with the company. While expanding operations to fit a global market is exciting for a company, it must remain attentive to their existing customer base while acquiring new customers. Developing strategies to determine how to connect with customers is essential for expansion. As a company enters a global market, it is in the best interest for a company to optimize all communicational channels and platforms for customers. Whether it be through call handling, live online chat, email and physical mail correspondence, or social media posts, all communicational platforms should be operational and tactful to meet customer needs. After all, these are some of the first–and, many times, only–interactions customers have with a company. By developing accessible and user-friendly communicational platforms, companies also create a universal experience for their customers, no matter where they are located. All communicational channels and platforms should be designed to
Aside from communicational platforms, providing customers with informational content also enhances a global customer experience. Customers are habitually inquisitive. They want to know all about the companies that they do business with. From company history and company news to explanatory content, a company should find means of which to communicate these topics and ideas with their customer base. Typically, this can be done so on a company website. When designed to be user-friendly, a company website can single-handedly create the customer experience. Because it can be accessed from virtually anywhere, a company’s website can serve as meeting grounds for a company and their customer base.
To augment the reachability of the content itself, companies can establish a substantial social media presence. Having social media accounts-i.e. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn-can amplify content readership and website interaction. Through social media posts, customers can engage with a company from anywhere at any time, truly defining a global customer reach.
This is all integrated, essentially, as part of company’s global marketing strategy. Companies who operate globally should invest in multiple marketing strategies that function on a local and global scale, meaning some marketing efforts are geared toward customers who live around the operational region while some efforts are meant for a global demographic. In doing so, a company should clearly define who their target audience is. This might include determining which language to utilize, depending on location.
All of these efforts in establishing a global customer experience will further excel a company into a more productive and profitable business stance.
