Are you ready to take your customer service global? Thanks to quicksilver advances in technology and the ever-steadily increasing growth of e-commerce, just for starters, there has never been a better time for your business to branch out.

Indeed, the benefits are certainly worth the effort, some of which include diversifying your markets and customer base, extending the sales life of current products and countering seasonal fluctuations. 

Once you decide it’s time to embrace the global market to reap the many rewards for your business, you should become laser-focused on providing stellar customer service to your prospective and new international customers.

Here are four ways to take your customer service global in order to exceed customer expectations the world over. 

1. Apply the Same Courtesies, Regardless of Location  

It shouldn’t be a surprise that providing prompt and polite responses to issues raised by your customers, no matter where they are in the world, wouldn’t be welcomed. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. To that end, ThriveGlobal.com offers some insightful tips that will help you provide winning customer service strategies time and again, including:

• Approach customer service as a community affair. Work with your customer service staff to ensure they’re always empathetic to customer concerns, no matter their significance. Furthermore, let your customers know you understand their concerns and want to rectify them to their satisfaction.
• Know that “please” and “thank you” never go out of style. Given the fast pace of the world, it’s certainly easy to get caught up in resolving an issue and thinking that’s enough. Sure, it may suffice in the moment to satisfy the required question or task, but customers want to feel appreciated, too.

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2. Provide Global Support with Local Sensibilities 

Many large corporations focus on providing localized support that allows customers in any region of the world to get in touch with them 24/7. With that in mind, consider investing in an established global customer support solution that includes a broad range of essential services. Additionally, check to make sure your globalized support tool has functions to help you serve your international customers, such as easy-to-find phone numbers and contact information in your customers’ native language.

3. Give Your International Customers a Voice

Sometimes customers prefer to post a public message via your Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or web page to address a customer service issue. With that in mind, make sure you ask yourself and consider the following for your international customers:

• Consider the demographics, language and culture of your customers to decide which social media platforms to employ. 
• Factor in the need for clear and consistent translation of the content you post.
• Research any local regulations with which you need to comply.

4. Put Teams on the Ground Locally

If you can afford it, set up offices in strategically chosen cities, so key staff members can be available for in-person meetings. While this recommendation can be expensive, you may find that it pays off in new growth by providing a more personalized experience. Even if you cannot afford to set up offices on a local level, prepare to occasionally send a trusted employee to meet your prospective and existing customers in their home area. While you can certainly rely on Skype, face-to-face interactions can help to build trust, understanding and a real sense of a shared mission.

5. Prepare to Go Above and Beyond for Your Customers

Once you find the right technological global support tools and develop your own unique approach to customer service, you will find yourself well on your way to gaining and maintaining customers anywhere you choose — and with great success.