Depending on when you first went into business, the probability of dealing directly with an international client base has changed in the last 10 years.
It’s now easier than ever to keep an open line of communication with clients from all over the world, but we’ve weighed up some of the both positive and negative aspects of this enticing (or off-putting!) prospect.
The cons
We’ll start with the downside, which may be what has been pressing on your mind most. It can be daunting to consider branching out into new territories, or risking investment on targeting clients of an unknown quantity, but you’re right to take some time out to consider how it will impact your business.
The further away a client is geographically from your service, the more likely they are to work outside your core hours. For instance, any potential customers in China are already a full working day ahead of your business in Britain. Consequently, for your business to provide an effective customer service experience to an international client base, you may need to adapt your opening times or meetings calendar accordingly.
You may have also considered potential language barriers. However, you’ll find that the most responsive clients are often accustomed themselves to dealing with clients who speak a wide range of languages, such is the popularity of doing business internationally.
What may be more likely to affect your work, though, is your new clients’ existing expectation of customer service. They may be used to a level of regular, reciprocal communication that you have not anticipated, so you should be prepared to adapt even more as your business continues to expand.
The pros
Thankfully, you’ll find that these outweigh the cons. Working with international clients is now easier than ever, and if you take full advantage of the opportunity now, you could find your business thriving in a new territory sooner than you think.
The value of UK exports of goods and services is expected to rise by 22% in the next couple of years. This means that many UK businesses are expanding internationally more than ever before, and discovering quicker business growth. Speed of growth is one of the biggest and most enticing pros of working with international clients, as is what you will learn along the way.
When you are dealing with an entirely new client base, you’ll find that you adopt new communication skills quickly. You’ll learn more about new cultures, and come up with new ideas that you hadn’t anticipated.
The cost of working with international clients is also nowhere near as expensive as it used to be. Cheap international calls provide you with an ideal solution for keeping in contact with your new clients, who will, in turn, appreciate the extra effort you’ve put in to contact them from another country.
With the ability to contact international clients so simply and cheaply, you’ll soon adapt to the time difference and overcome any small communication barriers initially encountered.
It’s so easy to work with international clients in the late 2010s, that you should seriously consider your business expanding into some new territories in the months and years ahead.