A true global customer experience begins with language. In fact,  40% of global customers won’t buy a product or service that’s not accessible in their native language. As more companies begin to understand the importance of language, localization has and will continue to be a top priority for any Global Experience (GX) strategy. By communicating to international customers without language barriers, companies are able to expand their brand reach and engagement with global audiences. In order to achieve that goal, companies must develop a high-quality GX strategy from the very start of their globalization journey.

To create an outstanding GX strategy with high impact for 2023, you’ll need cost-efficient tools and processes that can achieve your GX initiatives without breaking the bank. The key to optimizing ROI for all your localization projects is aligning your teams and workflows, reducing manual labor by investing in technology and AI, and standardizing your GX cross-departmental initiatives.

1. Work with the Right Vendor

Choosing the right vendor is foundational to achieving a high-quality GX strategy. Your GX vendor should act as a partner and work closely with you and your team to define what success looks like for your organization. A collaborative vendor will work to understand your company’s needs and help create a GX strategy that meets appropriate goals and timelines.

In addition, a vendor that uses cost-efficient and scalable technologies can help reduce costs and streamline processes as you grow. Automation technology, such as automated QA checks and Translation Memory (TM) Leverage, increase efficiency by reducing the manual labor needed for repetitive tasks. In addition, Connectors and integrations are able to work with your existing systems (CMS, TMS, file sharing and more) and simplify the translation process. These technologies help you localize more content into more languages at a faster rate, all while reducing human error.

Working and consolidating your vendor portfolio to a quality GX partner can also help reduce costs and time spent on managing multiple vendors. Instead of working and constantly training with new translators in every new market, the right vendor is built to accommodate all of your localization needs across the globe. Relying on a single trusted partner also reduces time spent on vendor management, saving effort and oversight hours.

2. Equip Linguists with Efficient Technologies and Assets

Professional linguists do an incredible job localizing content. That said, investing in tools, platforms, and partners that can help them excel equates with more efficient processes and more accurate results. The less time they have to spend on translation and the less corrections they need to make, the more money your organization saves.

Set your translators up to succeed by providing them with the linguistic assets they need. Glossaries that define industry terms, brand guidelines that define tone, and style guides that give context all support translators to localize content in alignment with company messaging. This ensures that translated content is on-brand and accurate, requiring less revisions throughout the process. As linguistic assets continue to grow with each translation, subsequent localization projects become even more efficient.

Linguists also benefit from automation and other technologies. Advanced translation technologies help translators reduce errors and increase translation speed.

• Automated QA checks batch check your translation processes to catch errors and inconsistencies early on in the content development process. This saves a significant amount of time and money that would have been spent correcting them later on. It also allows linguists to automatically cross-check translated content against style guides and glossaries, guaranteeing translations that are on-brand and in alignment with best practices.

•Translation Memories (TM Leverage) reduce the time linguists spend on translation by storing frequently used terms and sentences. The more TMs are leveraged, the less time a human translator has to spend on repeatedly used phrases. As you add to your TM Leverage over time, you can translate more content with less time and labor, reducing the cost spent on projects.

3. Plan Global Experience from Day 0 to Track Results

Considering localization early in your GX journey allows you to develop strategically targeted content for new markets. Localizing content based on your initiatives and identifying which teams and stakeholders are involved ensure priorities are being met. This expedites localization processes and effectively budgets and allocates resources.

A great way to start is by identifying which content you need to localize. Product, growth, and CX content may look different for each team. Clear communication channels and integrated workflow systems allow teams to emphasize the content translation that is most important at each stage of globalization. It also supports teams to work effectively with other departments on projects.

In addition, good planning helps achieve cross-departmental alignment on GX initiatives. According to our 2022 SOGX Report, multiple teams hold influence across customer touchpoints. In order to create an exceptional global experience, each department must be onboard with the company’s GX strategy and know their role in implementing it. GX management is cross-functional, and planning for GX from day 0 provides necessary stakeholders a chance to participate in strategy and coordinate efforts.

This is especially true if there isn’t a defined localization team. Collaboration between teams becomes even more vital in order to deliver one cohesive customer experience. The better the connection between teams, the easier it becomes to ensure that all global customers — no matter what language they speak — can engage with the brand.

Planning for GX early thoroughly saves on money and resources in the long run. Fewer errors and misalignments are likely to occur, and if they do, they can be quickly recognized and corrected. It is worth any organization's time to strategize with stakeholders and GX vendors from the beginning and to check in frequently as processes progress.

4. Set Clear KPIs to Measure your ROI

KPIs help deliver real-world metrics you can compare to your GX goals. Creating relevant KPIs, as well as testing and updating them frequently, ensures that you're fulfilling your initiatives, delivering ROI, and gives you an early chance to course correct. 

Different industries, organizations, and departments must develop KPIs that are specific to their GX goals. For example, the marketing department may focus on KPIs that measure website conversion in a new market. On the other hand, an enterprise service provider might want feedback on customer experience. By choosing KPIs that have a direct impact on any given department or goal, organizations and teams can measure the true success of localization efforts.

As part of this process, early buy-in from internal stakeholders is a must. Because GX strategy is company-wide, teams and localization leaders need to be provided with clear channels for feedback. Employees, managers, and various departments have differing requirements for localization projects. Remaining transparent and keeping stakeholders informed keeps everyone aligned and avoids frustrations and delays. KPIs that are team-specific and goal-oriented help ensure everyone is receiving the support they need throughout the implementation of your GX strategy.

Conclusion

Creating an affordable GX strategy starts with good planning. From implementing the most effective technologies and processes to supporting your department managers and teams, the best GX strategy thinks ahead.