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If your business is still growing rather than oversaturated, you could understandably feel despondent about your firm’s chances on the global stage. After all, wouldn’t reaching out to foreign markets call for bolstered expenditure that only big businesses’ budgets could provide?
Actually, this can be a somewhat mistaken assumption, as an array of telecommunications technologies have helped to level the playing field for SMEs taking the challenge to the big boys.
Cloud technology brings countries closer together
Many of your early deals with overseas partners and clients could begin with a phone call; however, if you make too many of those, you could alarmingly quickly rack up an extortionate bill.
Fortunately, there’s a remedy in the form of cloud-based phone systems, which allow you to make calls online rather than over traditional landlines. Hence, as you start opening more branches overseas, you could cost-effectively keep in close contact with your employees based across the sea.
A VoIP system isn’t the sole solution for cheaper global calls
For UK-based businesses, the native telecoms provider Planet Numbers offers hosted VoIP phone systems for ready installation on corporate premises. Adding such a system to your own firm’s palette can unleash benefits of crystal-clear call quality, super flexibility and, of course, cheaper calls.
If you aren’t quite ready for the overhaul that a VoIP system would entail, an alternative remedy for the nuisance of costly cross-border calls could be subscribing to an inclusive calling plan covering calls to 0845 and 0870 numbers. You could dial an access number before the international one.
That, too, is possible with Planet Numbers – and would enable international calls for no financial fee. However, a phone system doesn’t have to be your firm’s only source of leads in the international market. You might gather contact numbers in the first place through using social media.
How social media can augment your outreach efforts
Startups.co.uk says that social media channels can provide a “free, global marketing platform” for your business. It does, nonetheless, acknowledge that targeting users within specific countries and geographies would require you to spend on “promoted posts”.
As the costs of promoting your business to the global marketplace begin stacking up, you could understandably be eager to find solace in cut-price phone calls. You could come to heavily rely on them, too, as more and more of your company’s satellite branches get up and running.
Entrepreneur notes that, as you enter an overseas market for the first time, you might need to temporarily live there to help your firm’s outpost to take off. However, once you have appointed replacement staff and returned to your home country, cheap phone calls will be the key.
You could use those calls to chase inquiries from other countries showing interest in your company’s offerings. Still, this wouldn’t strictly justify you trying to promote those offerings in every single interested country, as you might yet need more time to acquaint yourself with the exotic market. All the same, inexpensive calls could provide a strong helping hand for that task.
Globe stock photo by Sergey Nivens/Shutterstock
