How Cross-Cultural Understanding Improves Customer Relations

Any successful conversation relies not only on the people involved understanding the words being used, but also inferring context, understanding idioms, showing the required level of respect and much more.

When that conversation is taking place across two or more geographical areas, or between people not from the same cultural background, it can be much more difficult for it to flow smoothly as the individuals have to work harder to successfully interpret the true meaning of what’s being said.

We have all had those difficult talks, where we may think the other person is being unnecessarily rude, or perhaps the opposite: that they are taking too long to get to the point they want to make. Idioms, metaphors and other phrases which may not translate well into another language can present stumbling blocks in the chat, and ultimately everyone may come away feeling frustrated or, worse still, offended.

That’s why being able to understand the cultural differences between you and the people you’re talking to is crucial, especially when you are in a customer relations role which often requires you to come up with a satisfactory solution to a problem they are experiencing.

How much context do they provide?

One aspect to consider is whether the person you’re talking to comes from a low-context or high-context culture (a concept introduced by Edward T Hall). If they’re from a low-context culture such as the US, Germany or Sweden they are likely to explicitly state their opinions and get to the point straightaway.

This can be beneficial on one hand because you’re left with no doubt as to what they’re trying to say – there’s no guessing with a low-context person. But equally, for someone from a high-context culture like China, the UK or France, they may appear cold, abrasive or even offensive.

When dealing with someone from a high-context culture, it can often be beneficial to state exactly what you mean, they would rather be told ‘no’ if the answer is no and they may not be too interested in building up a rapport with you before discussing business.

Conversely, for someone from a high-context culture, their priority will be group harmony rather than individual opinions. They may say something like ‘that could be tricky’ when in fact it’s totally impossible, and they may even appear like they’re hiding something to a straight-talking low-context individual. Being too abrupt with them could totally alienate them and stop the conversation progressing positively.

Are they a team player?

There are many cultures focused on individualism, like America and Australia, where their thinking is centred around personal achievements, their own goals and preferences, and self-reliance. When conversing with people from individualistic cultures, it’s importance to focus on them: how does your product or service benefit them as a person or company and how will it help them achieve their goals?

Whereas when talking to someone from a group or collectivist culture, like Korea or Mexico, they highly value community and group harmony. Conversations should focus around the collective benefits of your product or service, with building strong relationships being of particular importance.

Differences in etiquette

Naturally, there are many differences across cultures in terms of what is considered polite – and these are crucial to understand to get the most out of your customer relationships. Even if you are adapting your language to suit the culture of the people you’re talking to, failing to adhere to their customs, using actions or greetings not considered polite, or ignoring the ways in which they show respect – especially to senior figures, will undermine your attempts to build a positive rapport with them.

With so much information now readily available on the internet, it is easier than ever to undertake the kind of research needed to successfully work cross-culturally. So, do ensure you’re taking full advantage of all that information, and putting it into practice right from the outset. Taking the time to understand the culture of the person or people you’re talking to ensures the conversation is more likely to go well, paving the way for a successful working relationship in the future.

A business example: Selling products in Japan

If you’re a globally-expanding business, it might be natural to look to Japan as a potential new market. Home to more than 123 million people and renowned globally for being at the forefront of innovation and technology, businesses could be mistaken for thinking establishing a Japanese customer base – particularly if they’re selling electronics or gadgets – would be simple.

But adopting the same type of marketing, advertising and brand awareness that you would in a market such as the UK or US would show a real lack of cultural understanding. From the layout of their websites to the amount of technical information consumers generally want about a product, you need to be aware of a wealth of differences.

Japan is home to some of the most risk averse consumers in the world, measuring 92 out of 100 on the Hofstede Uncertainty Avoidance Index. Alongside this, they have incredibly low levels of trust in everyone from businesses to the media, scoring among the lowest for any country on the Edelman Trust Barometer.

Thirdly, Japan is the 12th most densely populated country in the world, with Tokyo taking the top place in the list of most populated cities. This undoubtedly has an impact on their spending habits: with space at a premium, particularly in urban areas, each purchase needs to be carefully considered.

When you combine all of this knowledge, it’s easy to understand that you’ll need to work hard to earn the loyalty of Japanese customers and built positive relationships. They tend to value products made by brands they recognise, in their own country – so newer companies can find it difficult to make their mark. That’s not to say it’s impossible though, given enough information about a product (through online reviews, product comparison websites and tutorials for example), consumers – particularly from younger generations who may have less disposable income their than older counterparts – can be persuaded towards newer brands.

Once they have been introduced to your business, the customer relations effort required to keep their loyalty requires cross-cultural understanding from everyone who communicates with them. After all, it is only by really understanding a customer that we can truly offer them the kind of product, service and customer care that they really want.

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