MemoQ continues its journey
Kommunicera’s CEO Johan Laestadius with Istvan Lengyel from Kilgray and Anne-Marie Colliander-Lind from Inkrea
MemoQ’s last stop on its roadshow at the end of August was in Stockholm where it provided an opportunity for those interested in MemoQ’s software to ask questions and find out more about the company’s solutions. Kommunicera’s CEO, Johan Laestadius, had been invited to talk about what the switch to MemoQ has involved and to share his own thoughts and experience on the subject. The talk prompted plenty of questions and discussions about the advantages of the various technical solutions and what exciting developments the future holds.
“We are currently witnessing a paradigm shift in software, which is giving rise to new routines and work processes in the translation industry. In our assessment of new software providers, MemoQ stood out from the others in several respects, one of them being its outstanding support service. We are also impressed by its constant focus on product development. There is no doubt that the company is an upstart in the market, but since we have made such a successful switch to MemoQ we naturally want to share our knowledge and experience of the transfer process with others.”
What makes MemoQ unique in the market?
In my opinion, the best thing about MemoQ is that we can work much faster than before. Quite simply, it’s a real time saver. It takes less time to start up a project and each step of the process requires fewer clicks.
What good advice would you give to anyone interested in changing to MemoQ?
I really recommend starting the process by creating a project team. Then make sure they receive regular software training so that you have an in-house team capable of training everyone else in your organisation.
Meet us in Malmö!
Seen and heard at trade show
Kommunicera participated at the IT-MÄSSOR Öresund trade show in Malmö on 5th and 6th October as both an exhibitor and a speaker. The show, which was in fact five exhibitions in one, is one of the largest IT events to be held in the Nordic countries. This year it was located in the Öresund region in southern Sweden – an appropriate choice as this is the region in Europe where most investments in IT are currently being made.
The exhibition was attended by many leading providers and experts and offered a packed programme of seminars, discussions and presentations. Mats Knapp and Johan Laestadius from Kommunicera gave a much appreciated presentation of how computer aided translation has evolved and what the future might hold.
Ten tips on launching into a new market
Are you geared up for a launch overseas? Read our tips before you get started! Is there something you can’t find on this list? Contact us with your top tip for a successful launch abroad.
1. Do the homework
If you know the geography it is easier to reach the destination.
How big is the market? What sort of potential is there for your company in particular? What is the competition in your product area?
If you have unique products they can be used to your advantage and promoted in a launch. Compare the costs of a launch and a pilot project.
There may be other ways to reach the market, maybe through an M & A, a Joint Venture or Strategic Alliances? Do you need to have a local presence or can everything be managed centrally? The need depends on the market!
2. Wide or deep
How unique are your company and your products? That, in combination with the competition in the market, determines how you should operate.
Why not establish your self both widely and deeply? A broad launch can be a good tactic, depending on how niche your product is. What channels do you wish to use? Just e-commerce or catalogue as well?
If it is the former, what does the target group look like and what is there demand for? With a good technical platform both e- and printed catalogues can be published from the same source. Do you cover several markets using only one language?
3. How do I get customers?
Are you going to find the customers or are they going to find you?
It depends on a few factors:
– How unique are you/your products?
– How well known are you/your brand?
– What does the market/target group look like?
In simple terms, using printed media you seek out the customer while online publications let the customers find you.
If you are completely unknown and are not in a unique position in the intended market, the launch can be helped by printed media, although with a webshop as support in the background.
Many customers use the internet to search even where there are catalogues.
At the moment you have probably optimised search words to increase the rating of your website or online shop, and it is likely that these words only work in your own market. To be current in a new market you need to use the market specific terms and expressions in the local language.
4. Walk before we run
If it is the first new launch that the company is embarking on it could be a good idea to get a feel for it and start with a ”low risk market”. If it suits you, roll out e-commerce first to keep the costs down. What are the costs for distribution, distribution stock and warehousing?
Keep it simple! Don’t take on any fixed overheads costs, outsource to maintain the flexibility and trading freedom until the volumes start to rise. Perhaps you should choose markets based on their proximity to your central stores? As an example, Scandinavia is considered to be a good first launch market, since logistics, infrastructure and broadband use/habits are very good and address details are easy to obtain.
5. We are all different
Adjacent countries and markets can differ from each other in buying patterns as much as any other aspects. It is therefore a good idea to adapt your marketing plan for each market, even at parallel launches.
One person should be responsible and thoroughly involved in the area, either internal or outsourced. Depending on the needs a local person or a central person with comprehensive knowledge can be selected.
Don’t forget your positioning, it is guaranteed to be different in different countries. Direct translation is not enough, because in some cases not even the target groups are the same. Urban men and women between 30 and 40 years of age may, in your intended market, in fact be rural men between 40 and 50.
6. How does the customer get to know me?
To be able to get to know your company and products, the customer has to be able to understand you. Don’t force the potential customers out of their comfort zone – meet them in their own language.
Depending on your earlier analysis you should then position yourself in the market based on the products and competition. Presumably you have no previous reputation, so you both can and should stand out from the existing players. Create the style you want to reach your target group, and if there is a story behind it, promote it. Create a feeling!
7. Conversion – Don’t choose to ignore 82%.
Bear in mind that you only have a window of 3-5 seconds to entice a customer into your site and towards a purchase. Having a website/online shop/catalogue in English and just changing the currency to EUR will not generate the business that you have the potential to create. The fact is that surveys have found that 82% of browsing customers leave a page that is in a language other than their own.
Most people in Europe can surf English pages, but when it comes to specific product information many fall away, particularly compared to a competitor who has everything translated. When you factor in things like terms and conditions, freight costs, returns and not least payment information in a foreign language, most people are a long way out of their comfort zones. You also reduce the costs of returns because customers are more sure of their purchases when they can trade in their own language. Reduce the purchasing barrier and reach 100%!
8. Who wants to be paid?
Markets also differ in preferred payment methods. Certain markets still use cheques, where other places stopped using them long ago. What does your analysis of the market reveal? What do the customers suggest? Is there ”security-marking” or other certification?
Go as far as you can to meet the customers and you reduce the barriers to purchasing. According to a Europe wide survey, 90% only carry out financial transactions in their own language. If the customer feels safe and at home the money will come! What are your own requirements for payment security and controls? Perhaps you should choose markets based on where where safe payment solutions are best developed?
9. How does it feel?
Reduce the question marks and you reduce the pressure on customer service and returns. What can be done to give the customer more information about your product? Descriptive text, more images, detailed images, zoom, rotating images or film? Perhaps a subject tutorial where the ”lingo” is explained and the customers can immerse themselves in the subject – everything to make an informed choice that results in a purchase. What do the market competitors do and what is the most effective? Cherry pick!
10. Que?
Is there a need for customer service? It depends on industry, products and market. Having customer service is recommended, but there are different types. If a lot of customer questions have already been resolved the actual requirement may be less than expected.
If your target group is comfortable with e-mail, effective management of that medium may be a neat and cost effective solution. If there is a wider need for telephone service or a call centre that solution should be provided. Whether it should be local or central depends on what is in place at present and which market is affected. Local e-mail suffixes and dialling codes should be used if possible; everything to make the customer feel secure – and don’t forget the prompt response time.
