Are we a global company?

by | Jul 6, 2021

“I love the idea of working with you rather than working with these huge global companies that have offices everywhere. You can do the exact same things as they can, and I am not just a number to you.”

That’s what we recently heard from a prospective client. It was a wonderful compliment, to be sure, and it got us thinking about what it means to be a global company, and how our global capabilities allow us to offer the best of both worlds: global research access, with a small-company feel.

What does it mean to be global now?

In today’s virtual business world, geographical borders mean much less than they once did, at least from a work execution standpoint. Today, employees can work as digital nomads, cloud-based companies can serve clients in virtually any country, and the former brick-and-mortar requirements of business eliminated in many sectors.

When we designed HelloInfo, we very pointedly did not use a global brick-and-mortar model. We have one central head office in Toronto. Employees are welcome to join us there, in person, or work from a seaside flat in Santorini if they please. However, despite not having a global office presence, our abilities prove we are in fact a global company:

HelloInfo has global language capabilities.

Google Translate can only get research so far. It can be a useful tool to get a sense of a web page or annual report written in another language, for example. For companies commissioning in-depth research in other countries, however, it is essential to work with vendors that have practical, actual local language capabilities in the relevant region(s).

At HelloInfo, we are able to support our clients with research across virtually all common languages, written or spoken. This allows us to gather on-the-ground insights that are relevant to each client’s specific needs. From a written (secondary research) perspective, having local language capabilities enables HelloInfo researchers to bypass language barriers to better understand context and meaning behind the insights. Local language researchers also understand the local sources, enabling better understanding of source credibility.  From a spoken (primary research) perspective, having local language capabilities allows HelloInfo researchers to develop a closer bond with interview targets, and allows us to conduct interviews in a language that a respondent is most comfortable with.

HelloInfo has global project knowledge and execution capabilities.

While local language capabilities are an important first step in being a truly global organization, the ability to deeply understand and access global markets is a key pillar of global research success. At HelloInfo, we are proud to have research capabilities in at least 75 countries, with that being a conservative estimate. Founders Tanya and Nicolle have managed research projects looking at more than 50 countries combined.

HelloInfo works in partnership with a wide network of trusted professionals around the world, with an enormous range of industry, market, and regional knowledge that they have gathered over decades of research, analysis, and advisory. When we are retained for work in any region, HelloInfo designs and gathers the ideal team suited for the research endeavor ahead.

HelloInfo team members have a long history of engaging global client stakeholders.

The ability to conduct research in local languages and on local companies, customers, and markets enables HelloInfo to design, execute, and deliver projects which comprehensively answer client questions. Where HelloInfo takes these capabilities one step further is in our ability to engage clients’ global stakeholders.

This engagement can take place throughout a project lifecycle. In the early stages of a project, HelloInfo research teams will conduct interviews with necessary global stakeholders to gather relevant knowledge to inform a project’s questions. Throughout project execution, HelloInfo project managers will update global stakeholders on progress to date and will share key findings obtained along the way. And at a research project’s conclusion, HelloInfo project managers will often present findings to geographically disparate client teams that all have a vested interest in hearing the project’s outcomes. It is common for HelloInfo teams to be meeting with client teams early in the morning or late at night to accommodate this important part of our service offering.

Examples of how the HelloInfo team has helped companies with local-level research:

  • Secondary and primary research in Japanese to conduct a comprehensive regional competitor profile
  • In-depth interviews conducted with competitor customers in Zambia, Botswana, and South Africa about prices they pay for products and services
  • In-depth interviews with key competitors in Saudi Arabia about their understanding of consumer consumption habits
  • Presenting mid-term and final project results to client stakeholders in the United States (strategy team) and China (R&D/BD/executive teams)
  • Interviewing and engaging with in client country heads in ten regions about their manufacturing capabilities and views on regional anomalies affecting their competitiveness

We are a global company.

We can support you in answering whatever far-reaching questions you may have. Do you need to know more about a competitor in another country, but cannot access full information due to language barriers? Can geographically disparate key stakeholders in your global organization weigh in on a problem your company is trying to solve? Is your organization looking at another region for possible entry or further growth? Would you simply like to understand more about how we conduct global research and analysis?

Email us at hi@helloinfo.global or schedule a call with us.

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