SoGoSurvey uses just WhatsApp to enhance employee productivity
HAMID FAROOQUI
SOGOSURVEY
We adopted WhatsApp for internal communication early on when most companies in India were blocking its use and other social communication apps. We have integrated our offices with Google Hangouts through its integrated audio and video channels, making our virtual meetings fun and productive.
When you have offices spread across the US, the UAE and India to create an environment where employees across regions and different time zones collaborate and work on different projects, it requires bold and liberating strategy as well as technology.
Organisations can spend millions of dollars of buying expensive technology but the investment will not give any returns if the users do not adopt it. Online survey firm SoGoSurvey moved towards digital transformation with something as ubiquitous as WhatsApp messenger and Google Hangouts.
To introduce digital transformation, Farooqui went beyond technology and used his ingenious ways to achieve the objective. “We understood early that digital transformation is not all about technology. We started a free lunch programme for all employees in India and the US offices. We knew if we bring employees together in a social and relaxed environment, it will help them connect and build relationships that is not possible over WhatsApp, Google Hangout or Slack! What surprised us is that interactions were not just social but related to work and soon people started exchanging ideas about product development and marketing strategies. As a result, we saw a tremendous boost in work productivity,” explains Farooqui.
In addition to many other in-office activities and events, SoGoSurvey established a cricket league called Village Cricket League (VCL) along the lines of Indian Premier League (IPL). The company has created four in-house cricket teams with four owners and auctions and prizes like IPL. The game is played over a week in the month of February but the buzz and player “auctions” and “negotiations” keep happening throughout the year. Apart from being a lot of fun, it helps team building and provides a well-deserved break from work at regular intervals.
Little bets are what has helped Farooqui transform the organisation. “Instead of making elaborate project plans and then trying out an idea, little bets encourage people to constantly fiddle with lots of minimal risk, small ideas and keep trying until they succeed. In other words, perform small experiments constantly, learn from your failures and eventually succeed,” he explains.
Moving forward, Farooqui is betting on virtual reality and a paperless office. “As an organisation, we are always experimenting and trying out the latest digital devices, technology and services the marketplace offers. We are experimenting with virtual reality and its use in our environment. Also, we are close to becoming a paperless office. Our goal is to become paperless at the earliest and remain that way in the long run,” he says.
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