How to Ensure Your Self-Service is Multi-Cultural
By Michael Rosenblatt
We all know that satisfied customers are happy customers. They have an issue that needs to be resolved and they probably aren’t happy -- and they could be very unhappy. To a large extent, the experience customers have with your support channel defines how happy or unhappy they will be with your product and your company. Culture can play a huge role in making sure that the customer has a good experience.
Since self-service and web-based support options are designed to draw users away from higher-priced telephone-based support, it’s important to make sure that poor user interfaces and bad organization don’t undermine this purpose and drive users back to the call center. This is where multi-cultural design principles and solid UI testing come in.
Think about things like:
The tone and type of language you use. For example, in the U.S., an informal tone is typically appropriate. In Asian countries, a more formal style is necessary.
Be careful about the signs and symbols you use. An innocuous symbol in one culture may be highly offensive in another.
Watch your color palette. Red, white, and black, as well as other colors may have significant symbolism in other cultures.
Navigation and search are two other important considerations for an international self-service site. It should be easy for users to find information in their native language. If you don’t automatically detect a users language settings from their browser or provide country-specific URLs, make it easy for the user to navigate to the appropriate section.
If you offer content in multiple languages you need to offer search in those languages as well. You should also offer supplementary content in alternate languages. While most users prefer to receive content in their native language, getting something is better than nothing; so, consider cross-referencing your search to bring back documents in multiple languages. Even better, give users the option to choose what languages they would like to see results in when initiating their search.
Lastly, thoroughly test your site. Don’t just look for broken links and poorly formatted pages. Also have a native speaker evaluate the site. Is it comfortable and easy to navigate? Are there symbols, colors, or formatting that are culturally inappropriate? Are there concepts that are difficult to understand or identify with?
Delivering a comfortable, culturally-appropriate, self-service experience is a key to keeping users happy -- and bringing them back for more. You’d probably prefer that customers never needed support, but when they do, you want to provide the easiest, most fulfilling experience possible.
About the Author
Michael Rosenblatt is an Enterprise Solution Director for Lionbridge Technologies. He is responsible for helping companies adapt existing processes and technology to deliver globalization solutions that meet specific goals. Lionbridge Technologies provides complete multicultural content creation, content management, and localization services for the Global 1000. You can reach Michael at Michael_rosenblatt@lionbridge.com.
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