Two of the most important things for any customer in choosing a partner are flexibility and adaptability. Ireland has been ranked first in the world for both by IMD in its 2017 Global Competitiveness Yearbook. This adaptability is a key factor in Irish companies’ success in overseas markets – enabling them to approach problems from the customer’s perspective and offer bespoke solutions to their specific requirements.
When delivering long-term projects, Irish companies adopt a flexible approach and work in partnership with customers to provide the optimum solution despite challenges or changes during the process. Given Ireland’s concentrated domestic market, this customer focus is prevalent within Irish firms and brings with it the need to adapt to changing customer demands in export markets.
The adaptability of Ireland’s exporting companies is further helped by a young, motivated and educated workforce. Ireland has the youngest population in Europe, with more than half under 35. According to the OECD, it has one of the most educated workforces in the world and its education system ranks in the top 10 globally for meeting the needs of a competitive economy.
Customers worldwide place a high value on the strategic partnerships that they have built with Irish companies – partnerships built on personal relationships, integrity and delivery. So it will come as no surprise to them that Ireland ranks in the top ten of the world’s most reputable countries, according to the 2017 Country RepTrak study, which looks at business factors in 55 countries.
