Are you ready to take your business international? Whether your goal is to open a factory, retail space, or office or simply extend your target market to other countries, internal and external factors impact your ability to succeed. The list of complications and obstacles is extensive, from complying with international business laws and regulations to collaborating with remote teams.
Fortunately, businesses can use technological tools and resources to make the process more manageable. Check out the list below for more information.
Video Conference Software
While traveling to another country may be necessary for some business purposes, it can get costly, particularly for organizations with tight budgets. Although you may be able to claim a refund for certain international expenses under the 13th directive, reducing or eliminating international travel will save you more money in the long run.
If your attendance isn’t required, using video conferencing software can save you considerable time and money. Various free and affordable platforms enable you to host or attend virtual meetings with clients, remote teams, and other business professionals.
Smart Calendars
Keeping up with appointments in multiple countries across time zones can get out of hand if you don’t have the appropriate resources. That’s where smart calendars come in handy. It’s an application that connects and displays all your scheduling data on one platform. More importantly, smart calendars automatically adjust meetings and appointments to the appropriate time zone so you, your team, vendors, and clients can remain on the same page.
Translation Tools
Although many people speak and understand English in other countries, effective communication is essential to your operations. When interacting with international connections online, having a translation tool available breaks down language barriers. You can use the translation tool to talk or chat in video conferences or when sending emails, marketing materials, and other digital content.
Team Collaboration Software
Whether your staff works in-house, remotely, or both, they’ll need to work closely together to complete projects, share information, and meet company goals. As trying to collaborate over the phone or via email can be complicated for domestic and international workers, team collaboration tools provide a practical solution.
Internal communication applications make it easy for teams to connect via chat and conversation threads. They can also host virtual meetings, start online communities, share files and attachments, and integrate other cloud-based systems and platforms for more efficient project management.
Other collaborative and productivity tools are available that enable teams to create, edit, view, share, and save files, spreadsheets, slide presentations, images, videos, emails, and more. Since they are cloud-based platforms, accounts can be accessed anywhere at any time with the appropriate login credentials.
Customer Relationship Management Tools
Customer data is an invaluable resource for businesses. When collected, organized, and analyzed, the information can assist companies with everything from marketing to sales. Businesses can ultimately finetune their products and services to accommodate their customers, enhance customer experience, and build stronger relationships. However, trying to source customer data in multiple locations is easier said than done.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools do the work for you. It’s a combination of marketing, analytical, and research tools that help you gather essential data more efficiently.
A Team Of Professionals
While technological tools and resources can help make operating internationally more manageable, there’s still a need for qualified professionals. Having experts that reside in countries you operate in can be instrumental to helping your business grow. Depending on the type of business you own, you’ll need someone that specializes in business and tax law, accounting, project management, shipping & logistics, and more.
You can place ads on international job platforms and conduct virtual interviews to find the most suitable candidates. Another option is to outsource to an established company in the country you wish to expand your business to.
The internet and other modern advancements have made it possible for companies to expand their operations to countries around the world with fewer expenses and obstacles to overcome. If you’re ready to take your business to the next level, consider using the tech tools and resources listed above to help things run smoothly.
