ThoughtExchange Case Study
Meeting and exceeding the goals for growth in targeted sectors
About Thoughtexchange
“We use them because they stack up so well against their competition.”
Thoughtexchange, based out of Rossland, B.C., has developed a Group Insight Platform™ that leverages concepts in crowd sourcing, interest-based negotiation, and experiential education to strengthen the education sector.
Their clients include school districts and other organizations that need to engage tens of thousands of people in a meaningful conversation. Their program facilitates leadership and fosters valuable input and feedback from a wide range of stakeholders.
Thoughtexchange has been formally recognized by industry analysts as a B.C. company ready for rapid traction and growth in the information technology sector.
Challenge
As a rapidly-growing company focused on the education sector, Thoughtexchange was facing strong competition in their chosen marketplace.
The company had seen excellent growth initially, but the leadership team had aggressive plans for sales; they recognized that an English-only user interface would hinder their ability to move into regional markets in eastern Canada, the southern USA, and Latin America. Customers were requesting such expansion, and they had to respond. In particular, they needed to be able to offer a French option for Canadians in Quebec and elsewhere, as well as Spanish and Armenian options for communities in places like California and Texas.
Software localization service would be an ongoing requirement. To successfully negotiate deals with education districts and provide a positive user experience, they would need translations for their interface, strings, and supporting documentation, such as the software participant terms of use.
Solution
Thoughtexchange sought out a software localization service provider that could handle their ongoing needs in a timely manner to enable them to achieve their business goals. They found Art One through a positive word-of-mouth referral. “Through testing, we discovered that Art One Translations is incredibly responsive,” says Shelly Bezanson, Release Manager with Thoughtexchange.
“We use them because they stack up so well against their competition. They’re accurate and timely—we can just send them a list of what we need and they get it back to us. Even on short notice, they do their best to accommodate any last-minute requests. Their translations are easy to incorporate into our software.”
They appreciate that Art One sources translators who use the target language as their native language. “If we’re getting a translation into Spanish, it’s by someone who lives and breathes Spanish. I know care went into this process.”
The cost of software localization was also less than Bezanson expected. “We’ve had no surprises, budget-wise. It’s excellent value.”
Art One’s fast response time has been impressive, Bezanson notes. “We had a recent release that got bumped up earlier than expected. We were late getting our documentation to Art One and a holiday weekend was coming up. Art One reassured us that their Spanish translators were on different holidays and they managed to coordinate an international effort that was opposite to our working day to get us what we needed.”
Results
Art One’s reliable software localization service has enabled Thoughtexchange to meet and possibly even exceed their goals for growth in targeted sectors. “We’re so much more inclusive now,” Bezanson says. “Being able to provide the experience in someone’s native language was huge.”
“If you’re looking for someone who is responsive and cares about you as a client, I would recommend Art One Translations without hesitation!”
