Finalsite

Finalsite Composer is a content management system (CMS) designed specifically for educational institutions. Offering a full suite of marketing, communications, and enrollment software, it helps schools improve engagement.

With more than 7,000 clients across 119 countries, and many educational institutions placing a high value on inclusion, Finalsite saw a huge need for multilingual functionality.

In the past, Finalsite relied on the Google Translate widget to offer its customers the option of adding multiple languages. With the widget seemingly being deprecated in the near future, they needed a new website translation solution that customers could depend on.

A solid, futureproof partnership

In 2019, Finalsite contacted Weglot after one of their developers highlighted the need for a better website translation solution since their previous solution, Google Translate, may no longer be supported.

Having little to no idea when the Google Translate widget would cease to exist, they had to search for an alternative.

They came across Weglot after looking for a website translation tool that was compatible with any CMS. After contacting support, they were promptly contacted by Weglot's co-founder, Augustin Prot, and CMO, Eugène Ernoult.

‍“What was key was that Weglot also saw the value in this partnership and could see that this was something worth taking a chance on.” 

The partnership came at a good time for both companies. Both sides benefitted from joining forces to provide Finalsite's customers with a seamless way to add languages to their sites, while Weglot entered a new CMS market it hadn't previously explored.

‍“What’s key in a great partnership between two companies is that it needs to be a win-win for everyone. For Weglot, Finalsite, and our end customers.”

Among the other things that stood out for the team at Finalsite were the similarities in company culture and values between Weglot and Finalsite. Both companies shared the same level of commitment to the end customer, which is evident in the almost 100% renewal rate of Weglot.

The right website translation solution for Finalsite and its clients

Exclusively for educational institutions, being able to provide a website translation for its clients was an important feature for Finalsite. Schools typically operate in diverse communities and areas where the native language of the country is not always spoken by students, parents, grandparents, or guardians, to name a few. 

Weglot provided Finalsite with the website translation solution it needed for its clients.

‍“Weglot works smoothly for our customers, they purchase the subscription, it’s installed, and then there’s minimum upkeep thereafter for them. They're seeing the value, which is evident in the yearly renewals. They love it!”

The main criteria was to partner with a website translation solution that could give autonomy to Finalsite’s customers and allow them the ability to manage everything independently. 

Ultimately, a Finalsite customer only needs to buy a subscription through Finalsite, Weglot is installed and that’s it - their site has as many languages added as required. 

Among the stand-out features used by their users are several UX functions, such as the ability to adjust the flags and language names for localization, as well as the option to move the language switcher visually and without code.

A perfect partnership workflow 

What was key for the team at Finalsite was to ensure both sides were able to make the onboarding process for the end user as simple as possible.

To ensure a smooth working relationship and to establish the right process, Weglot and Finalsite both enlisted a dedicated partnership manager to ensure a smooth working relationship.

‍“We [Finalsite] want the best experience for our end clients that we can find. I think we're very fortunate in that we're very similar customers to each other and that you [Weglot] clearly want what's best for your end customers as well. I think that's an important component of a partnership.”

Both partnership managers met regularly to clarify the onboarding process and answer any questions about custom plans. 

‍“We have the perfect recipe for a successful partnership: aligned goals, shared company values, open communication and flexibility when required, and most importantly a shared commitment to deliver high-quality solutions to our end-users. I think the figures really speak for themselves!” 

Céline Huor, Strategic Partnership Manager at Weglot 

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