4 Ways Tech Companies Can Take Customer Support Overseas

dynamic content, you can connect customers with the helpful content that's right for them.

Videos

Videos are quickly becoming the new instruction manuals. One 2013 survey found that, among respondents:

• 73 percent are more likely to purchase a product or service after watching a video;
• 93 percent find video helpful for comparison shopping; and
• 93 percent find it helpful for instructions post-purchase.

A comprehensive customer support program shouldn't ignore this trend. When you're launching in a new market, think about which videos may prove most helpful and how you can convert those for a new language.

This doesn't necessarily mean shooting all new videos, either. Through a combination of video editing and voiceovers, companies can repurpose company content that is already available.

Corporate YouTube channels should be part of this process too. Create a separate playlist for a new market, so customers can easily navigate through the corporate content to find what they need. Embed introductory videos on the Web site, in blog posts, and across online resource pages.

Technical Documentation

With so much digital content being created, it's tempting to forgo traditional manuals. However, these can still play a very important role in orienting new customers and helping them understand what a tech product can do for them. Since most software has gone from out-of-the-box to download-only, technical documentation can follow suit.

In the online resources section of your Web site, offer the manuals and technical documents that otherwise would have been included in the box. These documents should include detailed diagrams, charts, and pictures that are clearly labeled in the target market's language to help customers better understand the software.

By offering PDFs of the product manuals, companies can ensure that customers can print the documents out, reading and sharing them as needed.

Dynamic, Multimedia Support

Call centers are often the last resort for customers when they're having a problem. Companies that supply their audience with enough helpful content to learn a new tech product on their own can significantly cut down on overhead while building loyalty.

That doesn't mean that customer support centers should be completely dropped in favor of digital alternatives. By supplying customers with support in a variety of visual, audio, and written formats, you can guarantee that support calls won't be as demanding, and customers will feel like the company has them in mind, from start to finish.

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Ian Henderson is the chief technology officer at Rubric, a global language service provider.

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