How Expat Businesses Build Strong Customer Relationships

Expansion of a business into the international market will increase sales and profit. However, as a business owner, spreading your tentacles to the international community can be difficult. One of the most important aspects of running your own business is managing and building strong customer relationships. There are many benefits linked directly to the positive experience you provide to your customers.

People will naturally prefer to spend their money with a company that has provided them with a positive customer experience. Even the numbers indicate the same thing, with businesses having a 60 to 70% chance of selling to existing customers versus a 5 to 20% chance of selling to a new prospect.

No matter how good your customer relationships are, there is always room for improvement. So, here are five ways to build strong relationships with your international clients in your expat business!

Know Your Customers

You can’t build strong relationships with your customers unless you know who they are and what they want, so make sure to ask questions.

Don’t just guess; get the facts straight from the source by sending out surveys, conducting one-on-one interviews, assembling focus groups, or simply observing the data.

Determine what types of content and products your customers respond to and what they aren’t receiving as well as you expected. Making such changes will impact the success of your business and increases the chances for your business to attract more customers internationally.

Exceed Everyone’s Expectations

Your customers expect you to provide excellent products or services. You should keep raising the bar on what your company provides.

Simply put, underpromise and overdeliver. Customers return when they are impressed. You can exceed customer expectations by delivering a product or service sooner than expected. When you deliver earlier than expected, the customer will be delighted.

For example, tell a customer that their order will be ready by the end of the month despite the fact that you will have it ready a week sooner.

Work With a Professional

One remarkable aspect of customer service is that it is a significant predictor of whether a customer will return to a business or refer your business to someone else. If you provide excellent customer service, it may be the deciding factor in why people prefer your brand over others.

Considering the impact customer service has, working with a consulting call center is one market expansion strategy that you should implement if you are considering an international market expansion.

Working with a consulting call center will make things easier. For example, because of the time difference between your country and the international market, you may need to provide customer service outside your working hours.

Or, if a different language is spoken in the country where you are expanding, you may need to hire someone who can speak that language. A professional company will handle all these aspects.

Other benefits your business gains when allowing a call center handle your customer service include:

• Increased customer satisfaction
• Ensure 24/7 support for your clients
• Full access to latest technologies
• Increased sales, etc.

Address Negative Feedback

Receiving a complaint about your product or service may appear to be the worst thing that could happen to your company, as it can tarnish your reputation in no time, given the speed with which word of mouth, particularly negative word of mouth, spreads on social media.

You can not only prevent this by responding to customer requests, but you can also turn a previously negative customer experience into a positive one.

The way you and your staff handle disputes should be part of your internal policy to ensure that each complaint is handled as efficiently as possible. You should also provide adequate training for each employee on this subject.

Reward Consistent Customers

We’ve already established that returning customers are more likely to spend more. This means that even if you made a significant investment in a loyalty program that rewards loyal customers, your revenue would increase significantly.

For example, you could offer limited-time offers, coupons, or invite them to a loyalty or referral program to your consistent customers. As a result, they will be enticed not only to make additional purchases and extend their customer journey, but they will also feel valued.

Final Thoughts

The quality of your product or service is not the key to your company’s success. It is how you treat your customers. While knowing your target audience’s needs and building customer relationships takes time and effort, it is the best investment you can make.