dbWatch

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Leading Norwegian software developer, dbWatch has successfully entered the German market, achieving first year local market revenue targets ahead of schedule, thanks to website translation services supplied by global communications provider, Cipherion.

With its website now fully localised into German, dbWatch has successfully recruited three high profile distributors to service the German market and to boost its sales.

dbWatch specialises in developing database monitoring and administration tools for large enterprises and public sector bodies. Some of its clients include the Norwegian Police Force and the National Archives in the UK.

The Challenge

Through market research, dbWatch very quickly discovered that localisation of their core marketing collateral, such as their website, would be required if they were to be successful in the local German market.

As Chris Snellingen, Sales Director with the dbWatch explains: "Our market entry strategy was to recruit an indirect sales channel to service our German customers. We realised that we would have to provide a high level of sales reach and support to our distributors and immediately set about finding a translation provider that could fulfil that role."

A Google search yielded a number of potential providers but "Cipherion responded the fastest and the most professionally. We haven't looked back since."

The Solution

Cipherion set about translating the company's website into German. Although not a very large site, dbWatch had spent a lot of time and effort ensuring the messaging on their English language website was crisp, clean and engaging.

Cipherion needed to ensure that this style was mirrored in the German website, making necessary cultural adaptations necessary.

Mark Rodgers, CEO of Cipherion ecxplains: "We selected a project team consisting of IT translators, marketing translators and copyeditors to work together to re-create a German version of the dbWatch website. Unlike the work we do for multinationals, we were aware that dbWatch did not have a German-speaking marketing manager that could review the website. It was our responsibility to ensure that the final version of the site was perfect."

The Results

 Snellingen adds: "We had the website reviewed by our German academics before it went live and they came back telling us "no changes, it can go live without modification. Such feedback from Germany, where quality standards are so exacting, is rare. We were impressed with what Cipherion had achieved."

Beyond translation services, Snellingen notes: "When it came to working with our website Content Management System (CMS - eZ Publish), I gave Cipherion a 15-minute training session over the web, and all text was uploaded and re-integrated. It really saved me a huge amount of time and made my life really easy. They went the extra mile for us and this is where Cipherion really excelled."

The Future

dbWatch has set its future sights on the Russian market, and is adopting the same approach of finding teams of distributors on the ground, supported by localised marketing materials and website.

Snellingen concludes: "dbWatch has developed a suite of software tools that really deliver results. Our strategy is to complete a Europe-wide roll out within 2 years. Working with a company like Cipherion eases our whole market entry process. I can concentrate my time on other areas of sales, knowing that translation, localisation and international communications are in good hands."