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Common Sense Advisory Blogs
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Lucent Adds Japanese Support to Management Software
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Lucent's decision to offer a Japanese version of its network software reflects a major shift in how big companies think about customer support services. Companies have traditionally believed that they can save a few dollars in translating support documentation into relevant languages, instead providing such services with the help of English speaking staff or over-the-phone interpretation services provided by companies like Language Line and LSA. Offering Japanese directly makes the product more supportable right out of the box.
We understand that there must be a break-even point in determining into what languages support materials should be translated, but two elements are often left-out of the ROI calculation formula:
- Re-use of product information. Over time, companies manage to re-use large chunks of text when they make smart use of technology and services. IT companies have reported levels of re-use of up to 98.8%.
- Lower total cost of ownership (TC): A Chinese, Russian, or Brazilian technician that can read English commands a much higher salary than one who only knows his own language. This cause expensive problems for products that require hundreds or even thousands of support staff -- like telephone switches or utilities software. Lucent reportedly was the first company to offer a Spanish interface for its switches in Latin America years ago, thus lowering the total cost of ownership when compared to its rivals.
Lucent's investment in Japanese-language support promises to save its customers money over the product lifetime -- at the same time it reduces Lucent's own costs in serving that market.
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