| Why You Need To Know Your Clients | | | | - Many companies are finding they can provide a |
| Expectations Before You Outsource Your | | | | better experience by only using call center |
| Customer Support Overseas | | | | personnel from the same country as the buyer. It |
| Clients from different cultures have different | | | | is often easier to open a call center in a local area |
| expectations on the type of service you provide | | | | with high unemployment than to risk outsourcing |
| them. And when you outsource your customer | | | | to a different culture. |
| support to another country you may open your | | | | - If the online ticket ordering process had been |
| company's communication up to a whole new set | | | | totally online and able to answer my two |
| of cultural blunders. | | | | questions on prices, my bad experience would not |
| My own cultural expectations, living in one country, | | | | have happened. |
| buying something from a company based in a | | | | How To Get Beyond Frustration |
| second country I'm very familiar with, were | | | | But I wanted to get beyond my own frustrations. |
| frustrated because this company had a call center | | | | I understand companies who take decisions based |
| in a third country with different cultural habits and | | | | purely on their ROI. As a small company owner I |
| a totally different outlook on my own client | | | | have to do the same thing. |
| expectations. | | | | How can companies create a better match |
| And I was not expecting to have to adapt to this | | | | between differences in their clients' expectations |
| third country's cultural values. Here's what | | | | and the low cost labor markets with different |
| happened: | | | | cultures where their customer support is |
| The Scenario: | | | | outsourced? |
| - I am North American and I live in France. | | | | The choice in the right country to outsource your |
| - I wanted to buy an airplane ticket from a North | | | | customer support involves a lot more than cost. |
| American airline company for my 18 year old | | | | Good prior evaluation reduces the cost of losing |
| daughter. | | | | clients through what boils down to very bad |
| - My two major purchase factors were that I | | | | international communication. |
| wanted an inexpensive ticket. I wanted to see if | | | | The Answer Lies In The Differences In Cultural |
| there were any deals for young people. | | | | Behavioral Values |
| - This company did not have any sales offices in | | | | A study of the different behavioral values of |
| France. | | | | different countries involved provides some clues |
| - I had to go online and find the deal I wanted and | | | | as to why this situation happened in the first |
| then call a customer support person to make the | | | | place. |
| purchase. This customer support person was | | | | What Are Behavioral Values? |
| located in India. | | | | Cross cultural communication experts define |
| - I spent half an hour on the phone asking my | | | | different cultures as having different ways of |
| questions and sorting details out. During this half | | | | behaving along 5 different scales: |
| hour the price of the ticket increased 3 times to | | | | - High Individualism versus High Collectivism |
| well over 20% the price indicated online just | | | | Behavior |
| before I called. | | | | - High versus Low Uncertainty Avoidance |
| The Cultural Difference | | | | Behavior |
| - The person on the other end of the phone just | | | | - High versus Low Power Distance Behavior |
| could not understand my frustration at having | | | | - High Masculinity versus High Femininity Behavior |
| gone through all of the hoops I was asked to, and | | | | - High versus Low Context Behavior |
| being penalized for it. | | | | How To Interpret Cultural Behavioral Values |
| - I was given incorrect information concerning the | | | | Looking at the results of research done on these |
| prices. The prices indicated online were changing | | | | different behavioral values does not give you |
| regularly. This feeling was not acknowledged or | | | | absolute certainties. |
| considered in any way appropriate by the | | | | Cultural generalizations are not always 100% |
| customer support personnel. | | | | accurate. Your market may have other |
| - I was spoken to as if I should accept any large | | | | determining factors. But cultural behavioral values |
| increase in price now because I was European, | | | | do give a very clear indication to why cultural |
| therefore rich, and therefore could afford any | | | | miscommunication happens when it actually does. |
| price increase as well as any further price | | | | Studying and simply being aware of the |
| increases. The differences between my culture | | | | differences in cultural behavioral values can help |
| and any form of North American "political | | | | you to come up with solutions and work around |
| correctness" and this person's cultural background | | | | the communication barriers. |
| were huge. | | | | The Cultures You Need To Look At |
| This is not the only cultural conflict I have | | | | It is important to look at the cultural behavioral |
| experienced with call centers outsourced to | | | | values in your own country compared to those in |
| countries with totally different cultural values to | | | | the country doing your outsourced work. |
| the company selling to me and myself. | | | | Your international clients will come from all over |
| It is obvious that some companies are setting | | | | the world. But you should be able to identify |
| themselves up for constant communication issues | | | | strong client bases. And you might want to look |
| by outsourcing to cultures incompatible with their | | | | into the cultural behavioral values from those |
| clients' cultural service expectations. | | | | countries. |
| Incident Conclusion | | | | Then you have to evaluate your needs and your |
| So, my conclusion is: if you are in international | | | | clients' needs. |
| business and want to find cheaper options for | | | | Be sure to evaluate your clients' expectations |
| certain tasks, evaluate very carefully just how | | | | before deciding on your international customer |
| outsourcing to a different culture may create | | | | support strategy. |
| communication barriers for your clients. | | | | Good Cross Cultural Communication. |
| Outsourcing may save you money in one hand | | | | Good cross cultural communication is something |
| and cost you a loss of revenue in the other hand. | | | | you gain from experience. But there are two |
| Sure, you can invest heavily in training your | | | | things worth noting: |
| outsourced center and you can create excellent | | | | Good communication is part of all successful |
| call scripts. But it is near impossible for companies | | | | businesses. |
| to eradicate inborn cultural values in their | | | | Good cross cultural communication is part of all |
| employees when they are living in their own | | | | successful international businesses. |
| culture. | | | | If you would like to learn more about different |
| Successful outsourcing is also obviously based on | | | | cultural behavioral values, the Get International |
| good operating practices. | | | | Clients Newsletter will be covering a different |
| - If I had had a local representative to speak to | | | | behavioral scale each week for the next 5 weeks. |
| here in France, or even an actual North American | | | | Sign up now so you know how to adapt your |
| representative to speak to, my bad experience | | | | sales support to your international clients' |
| would not have happened. | | | | expectations. |