Introduction
Japanese call center services, particularly bilingual Japanese call center agents, are in high demand. And here is why: Japan is one of the world’s most industrialized as well as technologically advanced countries. Just after United States of America and China, it has the world’s third-largest economy. Its market is larger than that of several Western European countries, since it is the world’s tenth most densely populate country, with approximately 126.86 million inhabitants as of 2019. But be that as it may, Japan is a country that still remains steeped in tradition as well as ritual. Japan, unlike many other advanced economies, is not westernized in that manner. Due to the general high demand for their electronic goods and high-tech products, Japanese people have just never felt the need to learn a second language in order to enter global markets and perhaps even engage with the outside world. As a direct consequence, few people in the country communicate in English, and even among those who do, their knowledge of the language is limited. It is clear from the fact that less than 20 percent of the total Japanese population speak a second language. Further to that, less than 8 percent, and possibly as few as percent, are fluent in English. Despite the fact that English is taught in schools, its limited practical use has kept it from becoming as common in Japan as it is in other countries. Because of their hesitancy, most Japanese people are reluctant to speak in English unless they are certain that it is completely perfect. As a result, any company or corporation that wants to do business with Japanese customers must communicate with them in Japanese. And now the only effective and professional way to do so is to use the services of a Japanese call center or native Japanese customer support.
The Importance of Call Centers
A call center is a centralized department that manages both inbound and outbound calls from existing and prospective customers. Call centers are either housed within an organization or outsourced to some other company that specializes in call handling. Call centers concentrate on a single mode of communication: the telephone. Contact centers offer assistance through additional channels such as email, chat, websites, and applications. One or more call centers may be part of a contact center. Contact centers offer online and offline support, assisting customers regardless of the channel or device they use. The decision between a call center and a contact center is influenced by the organization’s products and services, the channels through which it provides customer support, and the organizational support team structures. Call centers are used by online sellers, telemarketing companies, help desks, mail-order organizations, polling services, charities, as well as any large organization that uses the phone line to sell products or provide services. These organizations also use call centers to improve the customer experience. The three most common types of call centers are inbound, outbound, and blended call centers.
Consumers have high expectations when it comes to customer service. They want their concerns addressed and resolved as soon as possible. When customers call for service or support, organizations must have representatives available, and those with call centers can better assist customers in need. Call centers can make an organization available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or even during a time window that corresponds to customer expectations. Customer phone calls are valuable for reasons other than customer service. With some products or services, phone calls are the only way for organizations to interact with customers, and thus the only way to connect with them personally.
While it is common to imagine advisors working in hectic, densely populated areas, call centers have become more adaptable over time, not only in size but also in layout. This trend has resulted in the establishment of virtual call centers, which are made up of individual advisors working from home as well as smaller groups of advisors working in fairly quiet branch offices. Individual advisors working from home or small groups of advisors working in quieter branch offices make up virtual contact centers. Individual advisors working from home or small groups of advisors working in quieter branch offices make up virtual contact centers. Because so many of the homeworkers/branch officers are using the same cloud computing technology, they operate as a single large contact center from multiple locations. Homeworking, in particular, is gaining traction in the industry, with benefits such as trying to attract a new demographic of advisors, offering a better work–life balance, as well as increasing productivity.
The Significance of the Japanese Market
In terms of consumer consumption, Japan remains the world’s third most prosperous market, trailing only the United States and China. A few more interesting and unique facts about Japan make it an appealing market for both large and small businesses. It is the only developed economy with fewer natural resources and only a small amount of available land. As a result, it will always be a net food importer, with 60 percent of its needs coming from America, Europe, and Latin America. In reality of course, after housing, food is the second largest single expense for the average family. After a great many years, the services sector, which accounts for 70% of the economy, is now open to foreign competition. The legal and regulatory environment is favorable to foreign businesses, making it possible to establish a company in the country in as little as 14 days. With the exception of chemicals and weapons, many goods are imported without a license.
As people become more aware of foreign culture and products, there is a greater demand for imported branded goods, as evidenced by the success of companies such as Walmart, Ikea, and McDonald’s in Japan. Due to a low fertility rate and a high number of singles, most Japanese live in smaller dwellings, which has created a market for products that are easy to store. Similarly, the lack of social interaction and proclivity to eat at home rather than in restaurants has increased the market for packaged foods. Japanese people prefer to spend more money on technological products. They are health-conscious, so they spend a lot of money on drugs, supplements, and organic foods.
The World Bank consistently ranked Japan’s economy as the third largest as well as second most developed in the world. The country is also the largest creditor, with total financial assets of approximately $39 trillion as of 2019. Japan is home to 53 of the Fortune Global 500 companies. Further to that, the Land of the Rising Sun has the world’s largest electronics industry, as well as its autonomous vehicle manufacturing industry is the third largest. Japan chooses to focus its innovation on robotic systems, hybrid electric vehicles, as well as optical instruments. These statistics on its own show that Japan is an economic powerhouse, but then its manufacturing sector has fallen prey to cost-cutting pressures brought on by the 2008 global financial crisis. The country turned to outsourcing as a cost-cutting way of measuring, and after seeing how the move is assisting industries in regaining their footing, Japan is continuing its outsourcing agreements with neighboring countries. Because electronics are Japan’s main export, this country’s customer needs may revolve largely around them. As a result, if you plan on outsourcing Japanese call center services, devoting a significant portion of a Japanese-based company’s customer service to technical support may be the most sensible decision.
COVID-19 revolutionized the Japanese eCommerce market. As according GlobalData, online sales have increased by 10.5% by the end of 2021. Given how slow Japanese users are to adopt new trends, this is quite an accomplishment. But even so, the pandemic lockdowns compelled the country to implement a new digital change. These days, the vast majority of Japanese people work from home. As a result, both consumers and businesses began to use eCommerce platforms. According to Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, more than half of Japanese households had ordered products and services online by July 2021. This is not a purely local phenomenon. Japanese consumers are becoming more willing to make purchases from abroad. According to DMFA (Digital Marketing for Asia), cross-border shopping has increased by 17.2%. At this rate, Japan’s international purchases are expected to increase by 18.3 percent by 2022. That means that approximately 20.2 million customers shopping halfway across the world. With over 125 million native Japanese speakers, call centers have needed to improve their world language skills in order to serve a larger, global market.
Understanding The Japanese Culture
Japanese employees are known to stay with the organization they joined right out of college until retirement. The Japanese are also known for their “passionate and dedicated” attitude, in which they arrive at work early and leave late because it would be considered unprofessional to leave before their superiors. Japanese investors may be looking for the same work ethics from their outsourced employees. Countries with a high labor turnover rate may deter potential outsourcing partners, so ensure that your outsourcing provider employs the type of leadership that motivates employees to perform to their full potential. One outsourcing trend may be particularly special to Japan: Japanese businesses outsource to other countries, but still the majority of their employees are Japanese. They start taking advantage of low wages and low costs of living in outsourcing capitals such as the Philippines, and yet they entrust their Japanese customers to people who follow their etiquette and customs and beliefs Japanese natives themselves. Even if Japanese companies prefer to handle their outsourced operations by Japanese nationals, locals in their outsourcing locations perform much better for half the pay rate that the Japanese receive. This could change the trend, especially since Japan outsources primarily to cut costs.
The Benefits of Bilingual Japanese Call Centers
Today’s businesses can operate on a global scale thanks to the advanced technology, and they are no longer constrained by geographical boundaries that greatly affected them in the past. Companies can now easily extend their scope to include customers and prospects from all over the world. Certain adjustments must be made, but nevertheless, to account for the cultural differences of global audiences. Hiring call center agents who speak the local language is one such accommodation. The outsourcing call center companies these days are also racing to provide the best experience and the most professional agents that understand the culture and the notion of the country that you are outsourcing. If you’re thinking about doing business in the Land of Rising Sun, here are a few of the advantages of using a bilingual Japanese call center.
- Provide a more personalized and satisfying customer experience – First and foremost, your customers’ satisfaction is and should always be your top priority. Delivering a quality call experience by someone who can offer service and support in the caller’s native language can significantly improve the caller’s impression of your company. Further to that, by providing customer service that is tailored to each caller’s specific needs, you send a powerful message that you genuinely care about their business. Customers who do not speak English as a first language may find it difficult to communicate with an English-speaking agent. This miscommunication frustrates the customer and has the potential to ruin a client’s relationship. Being able to communicate with someone in your first language is greatly appreciated and can greatly improve your relationship with the customers.
- Lower call attrition rates – Callers who discover a language barrier when dialing a call center are so much more likely to hang up in frustration. On the other hand, studies have also shown that a caller is able to communicate with someone who speaks their native language fluently, their satisfaction levels shoot through the roof. In real sense, some research suggests that callers are more willing to wait on hold if they know they will be connected with a bilingual agent. This can significantly reduce the number of missed calls.
- Increase the number of conversions – As previously stated, a bilingual call center can help your agents seal the deal as well as make the sale by generating a much more positive brand perception. Further to that, if your callers have a positive experience doing business with you, they are more likely to spread the good word, providing useful word-of-mouth advertising and expanding your reach even further.
- Help decrease the operational expenses – Using the existing talent of an already-established bilingual call center is a more cost-effective use of your financing sources. Instead of going through the trouble of tracking down, recruiting, hiring, as well as training bilingual in-house call center agents, you can save money and energy as well as time by outsourcing. Further to that, when you use a call center service provider, in most cases, you will have the additional benefit of having a 24×7 call center that has already been staffed with experienced bilingual agents.
- Adjust the scale as needed – Another significant advantage of hiring a bilingual call center is the ability to scale up or down to meet the changing needs of your business. This is especially beneficial for businesses that experience seasonal rises and falls. For example, if you typically have much higher sales during the holiday shopping season, having a 24 hour call center on hand saves you the trouble and cost of having to employ temporary assistance. Similar manner, as call volume declines, you won’t have to worry about reducing your staff. It is undeniably a win-win situation.
- Allow for business expansion – You can serve a wide range of people with varying needs by catering to the needs of all your customers. If you do not have a bilingual call center, you may be missing out on customers who prefer to communicate in a different language. Almost every call center outsourcing firm has an in-house call center to serve their clients. These licensed customer service representatives help you manage your enrollment as well as provide year-round support.