Kissmetrics enters the Japanese market

The customer's challenge

"The service was amazing! The responsive nature of it really helped to move the project forward." 

When Tomedes received this feedback from Dan McGaw, Director of Marketing, KISSmetrics, we just had to know more. Dan had initiated a substantial project and been Tomedes’ main contact at KISSmetrics throughout it, so we decided to let him explain what this project was all about and why was Tomedes chosen for it. 

 

Before we begin, what is the single biggest reason you would recommend Tomedes’ translation services?
The customer service – it was outstanding. 

 

What specific advantages does Tomedes offer that other web services might be able to benefit from?
Tomedes has a great turnaround time, and can accept the information in any form, which is very advantageous from a client’s perspective.

 

Briefly explain what kind of service KISSmetrics offers and who the typical client is. KISSmetrics is a customer intelligence and web and mobile analytics solution. While Google Analytics tells you what happened, KISSmetrics tells you who did it.
This means that you can understand your customer, which leads on to an understanding of how to grow your business. 
Key discoveries that KISSmetrics enables include where your best customers originally come from, how to improve your site and apps and tracking people across multiple devices. 

 

What was your company’s position in the Japanese market before the translation?
We had just launched a reseller program with a company called InterArrows. We had not closed any customers and had not really accomplished very much.

 

What were Kissmetrics’ needs and what were you hoping to achieve by translating your app?
We needed to make sure Japanese companies could understand what our product did. We launched a marketing landing page for Japan and made our web app Japanese too. Later we updated our support documentation to be Japanese so developers would know how to implement our tracking solution, thus ensuring they had the whole package in their native language.

The solution

Tomedes supplied KISSmetrics with a well-rounded solution to start them off in the Japanese market. We assigned a dedicated project manager and allocated a big and versatile team of Japanese translators so that we could support KISSmetrics at the different stages of this project. 

Tomedes Project Manager Nadia Platonov was heavily involved in the KISSmetrics project, working closely with Dan at every stage to ensure a successful outcome. Here Nadia provides her view on what worked so well for the project. 

 

What was Tomedes asked to translate for KISSmetrics? 
The project was to translate the KISSmetrics web application from English to Japanese. This included translating the landing page, technical support documentation and the web application itself.

 

Explain the process used for this project. Is this “standard procedure?” 
While we apply standard procedures in order to ensure the quality of our translations, we don't hold on to a strict framework. Rather, we work with each client individually, shaping our service to meet their particular needs. For the KISSmetrics project:

• We assigned a dedicated and professional project manager, who reviewed the files and discussed them with our contact person at KISSmetrics in order to clarify details, context and expectations.
• The project manager assigned the different parts of the translation to the most suitable Japanese translator (see below). 
• While translating, an open line of communication was kept between KISSmetrics, Tomedes and the translator to allow for "on the spot" clarifications. For example, the Japanese language, being so different from English, gave rise to some queries regarding the graphic elements of the app, which needed to be figured out on the go.
• For quality reasons, the translation was sent for review by a second Tomedes translator before being delivered to the client. 
• After receiving the translation, KISSmetrics conducted an internal review, which is something we highly recommend for contextual issues – an inside person will always know best. At this point, KISSmetrics requested a few style changes that were then implemented by the translator.     

 

How did Tomedes choose the right translator for this project? 
When assigning a certain translator to a project we take into consideration a range of factors, including his/her mother tongue, professional experience, which similar projects he/she has worked on and the expertise needed (e.g. app translation, UI knowledge). We use as few translators as possible for each project to keep the translation consistent, while still assigning the most skilled translator for each part of the project.

Name three challenges this project presents and how Tomedes has overcome them.     
Big projects, like this KISSmetrics one, always come with a certain level of complexity. The main three things this project required were: 

Flexibility: This was a three-art project involving various file types, multiple contact people at KISSmetrics and a unique set of required skills. This meant Tomedes had to adjust the solution to the project’s requirements as it flowed, in order to provide KISSmetrics with the best support possible.

Availability: It was important that Tomedes be available at extremely short notice in order to deal with any unexpected changes or additions to the project. For that reason, KISSmetrics was assigned a dedicated project manager and 24/7 support.  

Range of expertise: the project began with the landing page translation, moved on to the web application and ended with the technical support documentation. With great expert team available, Tomedes was ready to tackle any type of document KISSmetrics needed translated. When working with successful global companies, this ability to offer a range of solutions and expertise is essential.  

Why it worked

The KISSmetrics project was a success for several reasons. Firstly, Tomedes listened to the customer’s needs and shaped its solution responsively. Secondly, we assigned a dedicated project manager and versatile team of translators to cover the full breadth of the project as it moved through each stage. Thirdly, we focused on open and clear communication through the project. 

By managing the project in this way, Tomedes was able to deliver a top class service that enabled KISSmetrics to make Japanese companies understand what the product did, launch its marketing landing page for Japan and translate the web app, thus providing the whole package in flawless Japanese. 

 

** A "Results" section will be added as soon as the information starts purring in.