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The prolonged period of the pandemic, brought considerable changes in the way we work, as well as in several aspects of our everyday life. During this period, SaaS companies saw a significant increase in the demand of their services. Also, surveys have shown that people are more willing to get familiar and work with new products in their native language environment for various practical and psychological reasons. And this is where SaaS localization comes in to play its role.
What is SaaS?
Software as a Service (SaaS) is a cloud-based software licensing model, where software is accessed online, via an Internet browser, instead of being installed to local machines. Key advantages of this model are already obvious, including but not limited to smoother access, warranted compatibility, lower upfront costs, especially in comparison to traditional, locally installed software. On the development side, SaaS is easily scalable and highly reliable. On the user side, it reduces the need for local updates, meaning less bugs and issues, as well as a simpler and consistent experience, since the responsibility of keeping functionality up and running is with the service provider.
Due to their nature, SaaS services can easily be offered far across the globe. Also, a wider range of businesses can penetrate into the market and have a share. As mentioned above, given that users worldwide work much better with localized products and services, an initial crucial step for businesses is to localize their presence, so that they can reach their audiences more effectively.
There are of course quite a lot of benefits with SaaS localization for businesses that want to expand to global markets, but let’s see some of the most important ones:
1. Customer attraction
This is the very first step for you to approach new audiences. A localized SaaS product opens the way to prospects as people tend to search for services in their own language, and this could be the beginning of a possible interaction. Having a localized product helps eliminate this first barrier.
2. Product integration
People tend to work and cooperate more effectively in their own language, so with a localized SaaS product, your solution or service is much more likely to be adopted by an organization. This is because it is important to have the approval, willingness and cooperation of all involved parts, not only the decision-makers. Also, product integration is not restricted to the initial stages of acquisition and incorporation, but is equally related to everyday use, understanding of advanced features of your product, bug resolution processes and more. All the above work much better in a localized environment.
3. Eliminating competition
Given the inclination people have to search, think and decide in their local language, SaaS localization allows for a more direct approach of your prospects, in a considerably shorter timeframe, which can be crucial for the decision-making process. Moreover, it helps you stand out from your competition. Many companies tend to think that their English-based products cover quite a big part of the global population since a high percentage of it consists of English-natives. However, this is in fact a relatively small proportion compared to the Internet users throughout the world. So there is still ground for expansion against competition…
4. Gaining trust
When people see your efforts and willingness to localize your product, not only to their language but also culture, norms and everyday life, you are also gaining their respect and trust. And these can become the foundation to building a solid relationship with them.
5. Legal barriers
When you decide to enter the global market, you should take into account that some countries and/or regions may have specific legal requirements to deal with. The adaptation of your SaaS platform (and of any relevant legal documents that accompany it) to a local framework could then be a prerequisite rather than an added value offering and such legal requirements should be followed accurately. Make sure to perform your research and stay updated on such regulations and requirements when you are creating a localization plan for your SaaS platform, to ensure a smooth localization process.
Conclusion
Summarizing all the above, we could say that SaaS localization brings only positive results and is, at the same time, practically necessary for businesses planning to grow globally. The fact that the biggest part (around 90%) of the content generated by businesses remains in one or two languages, refrains customers from creating a substantial relationship with a brand. On the other hand, localization is a challenging process that can become easier with the right partners by your side. It requires commitment, time and meticulous work but it is a one-way street if you want to grow your business internationally.
If you want to learn more about how our localization services can help your SaaS product go global, contact us here.
