Merinio's 2020 Review

As a new year dawns, it's time for Merinio to look back on 2020. We can't start without talking about the COVID-19 and its impact, so let's get right to the point. Over the past few months, all of our plans have been turned upside down, but we feel fortunate that we have been able to find some positivity despite the current health situation.

The first thing we wanted to put in place from the beginning of the pandemic was to offer a lite version of our software to all businesses that needed it, so we had to make it available quickly and free of charge. Allowing to gather the sick leave requests, employee availabilities, as well as to share emergency messages, this solution could be a key tool for managers in times of crisis.

Before the pandemic exploded, we mainly served the tourism industry. However, because of the impact it had on their operations, we had to explore other industries. It seemed obvious to us to focus our efforts on the businesses that needed it the most: security and janitorial services. Fortunately, we had already begun to diversify, without abandoning tourism, which was a wise move, since, as our CEO noted:

“After several months of uncertainty as to the number of active users, we have seen a usage close to the projections before Covid-19 at our key partner in the tourism industry: 83% of employees regularly use the application despite lower than normal operating levels.”

– Maxime Gauthier-Bourbonnais, Co-founder and CEO

COVID-19 was also a way for us to do some introspection, particularly regarding our market positioning. This period of reflection, thanks to all the team's efforts, was beneficial for everyone, whether on the commercial side, product development, internal communication or customer success.

We then concluded that Merinio is made for companies that frequently have to make changes to their schedules, so it is a scheduling software that also includes efficient means of communication. In this way, we adjust to the precise needs of each user by adapting to their reality so that they maintain an impeccable level of service at all times, despite the unforeseen events. The central aspect of the product is its simplicity and speed of execution, even in the most complex scenarios.

Regarding the software itself, one of our greatest achievements of 2020 was the launch of Merinio 2.0! Based on feedback from our customers, the product development team has built a more intuitive and up-to-date platform, while respecting our new brand image, launched in 2019.

“We were able to launch a significantly improved version compared to the previous platform that will allow us to better serve our customers in the future.”

– Xavier Lavallée, Co-founder and Director of Operations

This new platform provides an experience completely adapted to the role each individual plays, with personalized menus for employees, managers and administrators. Each portal includes more advanced exclusive features, allowing managers and administrators to achieve better management performance. To achieve this, we have focused on speed of action within the software through shortcuts, a more efficient data aggregation system and the creation of a dashboard that provides a global view of important tasks to be performed.

In this regard, we are currently transferring a large number of employees to this new platform. To ensure a smooth transition, the customer success team has implemented an increasingly popular method to map and support users through this change: the user journey. This approach emphasizes the concept of user experience, which means mapping the process our customers go through throughout their entire experience with our company and our product, to better support and guide them towards a complete and optimal use of the software. The user journey therefore allows us to adapt our approach and support to meet the precise needs of each user.

On the team side, we set up virtual 5 à 7s to avoid the isolation that teleworking can cause, and, obviously, because we miss the atmosphere of the office. Since March, we have therefore regularly organized quiz nights and online games. It was also an opportunity for everyone to finish some series, start others, and discover many board games. Some meetings even took place in unusual locations, such as on a hike, or each one on our respective balconies, that's also what adaptation is all about!

This year, we felt privileged to have been able to telework, and we tried to make the most of this situation. Our thoughts go out to all our clients and members of our professional and personal networks who were not so lucky. We remain positive and are already starting to undertake projects for 2021, in fact we intend to consolidate our ties with the security and janitorial industries, implement state-of-the-art functionalities within the software and eventually redo office parties! Finally, the Merinio team wishes you the best, but especially health, and happy holidays!

Merinio's 2020 Review 🥳

“After several months of uncertainty as to the number of active users, we have seen a usage close to the projections before Covid-19 at our key partner in the tourism industry: 83% of employees regularly use the application despite lower than normal operating levels.”

“We were able to launch a significantly improved version compared to the previous platform that will allow us to better serve our customers in the future.”