Content Goes Global: Communicating with Customers in Their Own Language

Summary

---

When enterprise wiki provider eTouch Systems wanted to land a new customer for its SamePage collaboration tool back in 2008, the platform met all the customer's requirements for ease of use, intuitive user interface, and affordability. According to a 2006 study "Can't Read, Won't Buy: Why Language Matters on Global Web sites" by Common Sense Advisory, 56.2% of consumers say that the ability to obtain information in their own language is more important than price. The first steps for successful globalization efforts are to understand why it's being pursued and then develop metrics to track it. Scalability is another key consideration, as the sheer amount of content generated in business -- by both internal and external parties -- explodes. The concept of taking content global can seem overwhelming, and there's a temptation to give up before you even start or to form a committee and spend 2 years devising just the right approach.

See the full content of this document

Extract

---

Content Goes Global: Communicating with Customers in Their Own Language

When enterprise wild provider eTouch Systems wanted to land a new customer for its SamePage collaboration tool back in 2008, the platform met all the customer's requirements for ease of use, intuitive user interface, and affordability. There was only one problem holding back the sale.

The interface wasn't in Hungarian.

"Having a translated version of the tool was a prerequisite for them to become a customer," says Devang Mehta, head of marketing and business development for eTouch SamePage. The client, Szinergia Ltd., is a project management training company based in Budapest. Gábor Lipi, Szinergia's project manager who was tasked with finding a tool to underpin internal knowledge sharing for the 20-person firm, said requesting the Hungarian interface stemmed from a simple fact: "Most Hungarians do not speak...

See the full content of this document

---