Short story how we helped WorkBuzz - Codibly

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A short story of how we helped WorkBuzz develop a platform that allows building the world’s best workplaces – Interview with Steven Frost, CEO of WorkBuzz

The history of WorkBuzz and Codibly cooperation began in 2016. WorkBuzz, UK based consulting company that helps businesses engage their employees and improve their culture, was looking for a partner to build an improved employee feedback platform. About the choice of the Polish company as the technology partner decided mostly good references and dedicated workshops organized by Codibly. Since then, four years of cooperation have passed – fruitful, although not without difficulties and challenges. As we’ve just extended our collaboration, it’s a good time for shared summaries, to which we invited Steven Frost – CEO of WorkBuzz.

How WorkBuzz and Codibly cooperation began

Why WorkBuzz decided to start cooperation with an external team of IT developers from Poland? Was it more cost-effective than hiring/increasing of own development team? What were the biggest fears? We asked about it Steven Frost, CEO of WorkBuzz.

“As a founder, I don’t have a technical background, so this initially, helped to reduce the risk associated with making wrong hiring-decisions with an in-house team. There are some cost advantages, but primarily we’re able to access a wider talent pool and have specialist support from a larger team than we could necessarily have in-house.

We’d previously worked with a UK software house, but outgrew them. It didn’t feel like a partnership, and communication wasn’t ideal. The biggest risk was selecting the wrong partner again, whether they were in Poland or in our own city”.

The core for the decision was a dedicated workshop during which Codibly developers presented the sample of the platform and how it could look. Discovery workshops are the standard stage of the development process in Codibly, and its main goals are: to gain comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the project domain and Client’s business needs, creating a solution plan and building a team, scheduling and pricing. It convinced WorkBuzz and helped allay the fears.

What have we achieved together? – WorkBuzz Employees Feedback Platform

The most important effect of cooperation is, of course, complete web application – the WorkBuzz Employee Feedback Platform – this currently operates in more than 20 countries for over 400 customers. It’s an analytical platform for measuring employee engagement and helping to improve workplace culture. The tool uses a customized set of surveys to provide deep insight into employees’ opinions, which companies can use to build an internal cultural baseline. WorBuzz helps to collect regular feedback from employees and analyze it in real-time. Feedbacks are ready within minutes after the survey closing. It allows managers to become better leaders and to make smarter decisions.

WorkBuzz calls it a tool that helps to build the world’s best workplaces. The application is constantly developed and improved to meet the needs of WorkBuzz clients.

Building a successful team – Team as a service

No less important is that we managed to create a great team consisting of WorkBuzz and Codibly employees who are working on a common goal.

This is how Steven Frost assesses the team’s cooperation: “Over time, we’ve gradually shifted from “outsourcing” our tech to building a team, consisting of shared resources and expertise. Codibly developers and the project manager understand our vision, the purpose of key features, and how it fits together, which has significantly reduced re-work associated with lots of software development projects. They’re excited about what we’re building together and the difference we’re making” – says Steven Frost.

Codibly’s engineers who work in the WorkBuzz project in Team as a Service model strongly identify not only with the project itself but also with WorkBuzz company, its culture, and values. This several years collaboration also allowed them to become familiar with the HR industry, thanks to which their knowledge goes beyond programming skills.

Impact on the WorkBuzz business development

The benefits of the WorkBuzz platform for the companies which decided to implement it are obvious and indisputable. But how building this platform and its development affected the development of WorkBuzz company?

Steven Frost explains that: “Transitioning from a research consultancy to a SaaS company has been challenging, but it’s helped propel our business to another level. Internally, the platform has made us hugely more efficient and scalable; radically improving what we can offer our clients and ultimately helping them to improve the working lives of their employees”.

How can the WorkBuzz platform help the companies during a crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic?

Some say that the time of the epidemic is a test for employers – it will show who cares about their employees and discover insincere images of companies: false employer branding, artificial relations, and false employee care. The crisis will show those employers who are merely real in what they communicate. Consistent when it’s good and when it’s bad.

Steven Frost notes that “Coronavirus presents some unique challenges but also opportunities for employers. In the short term, the way you respond to the crisis and support your people, is a defining leadership moment. Even when normal life does return and the crisis is over, Coronavirus will have a lasting impact on the way we work. Employees will have heightened expectations regarding reworking and collaboration. Companies can use WorkBuzz to help track their culture throughout this unprecedented time, make data-driven people decisions and become even better places to work”.

See WorkBuzz Employees Feedback Platform case study >>>.