Succeed abroad blog

The power of localised customer service in cross-border e-commerce

Written by Søren Kjær Nielsen | Feb 12, 2013

The power of localised customer service in cross-border e-commerce

Written by Søren Kjær Nielsen

 

When you start selling in a new country, it is neither payment methods, trust marks, nor a specific way of shipping your products that will win customers for you.

Trust, on the other hand, will. Visitors will convert if they find you trustworthy. 

Availability is a key component of trust building and one way to be available. There are many ways to be available, but we always recommend offering native-speaking customer service 

Localised customer service has several advantages. 

  • It is easier for a local person to establish a friendly relationship with your international customers. 

  • Important discussions will not be “lost in translation” lead to frustrated customers

  • The people in the country can understand and share insights from the customer dialogue with your marketing people

  • You will have local people available to do minor translations and localisation in line with expectations in the country

All this helps you not only get your foot in the door but to plant it firmly in a new country. 

It can improve key parameters like conversion rate, returning customers and webshop reputation.

The benefits are obvious!