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Did you know that 58 percent of small businesses have international customers? Keeping up with an increasingly globalized market is essential for companies of all sizes, but doing business with other countries presents obstacles like language barriers, currency conversion and cultural differences. Whether your business is reaching customers across the ocean or just over the border, these four essential software solutions can help you meet these challenges and find international success.

Virtual Meeting Software

Once a relatively obscure office tool, virtual meeting software has boomed in the age of COVID-19. However, serious companies should consider choosing powerful business-oriented software suites over popular apps like Skype and Zoom. A good virtual meeting suite provides a solid, uninterruptable connection, added security features and innovative tools designed to help businesses communicate with customers, partners and investors all over the world.

Multicultural Matching Solutions

What’s in a name? The answer is security, which is why name matching software is a must-have for your business. However, matching names is more difficult in a multilingual and multicultural environment where orthographic variations, transliteration differences and tokenization can interfere with the process. Choose a multicultural matching software that can account for all these differences in addition to misspellings, nicknames, initials and other common variations.

Translation Software

Language is one of the biggest barriers to international expansion, but modern technology is making it easier. While a natively bilingual human translator is still the best option, machine translation has come far enough to do the job in a pinch. However, don’t rely on free internet translation services. Instead, invest in a powerful translation suite that includes a business-focused vocabulary.

Currency Conversion Tools

The most important part of any business is making money, but every country has its own version. An accounting suite that can handle all of the world’s currency is essential for any international business, but simple tools that employees can use anywhere are also very useful. If you’re sending workers out into the field in other countries, make sure they’re equipped with a smartphone that includes a good currency conversion app as well as translation and cultural literacy tools.

When expanding your business beyond your country’s borders, keep in mind that a product that sells like hotcakes at home may not be an automatic hit in the international market. You may have to tweak your product offerings and marketing strategy to account for differences in culture and consumer behavior if you want to achieve success in foreign markets.

Meghan Belnap is a freelance writer who enjoys spending time with her family. She loves being in the outdoors and exploring new opportunities whenever they arise. Meghan finds happiness in researching new topics that help to expand her horizons. You can often find her buried in a good book or out looking for an adventure. You can connect with her on Facebook right here and Twitter right here.

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