RUG (University of Groningen) asked their students about the origin of Let’s Get Digital, which challenges we faced and how we dealt with them. The full story can be read below!
Let’s Get Online
Pre-Covid situation. EventSupport is a young firm that offers an event application for Android and iOS devices. The application’s main use is to provide additional tools useful during an in-person event. The application allows connecting with other users, scheduling appointments, checking the event’s program and to check-in participants for workshops. Further, EventSupport delivers additional services, such as printing, banners, and key cords for the event’s attendees.
The organization has a simple structure and consists of a development team, sales team, and support team. The development team is responsible for the application (e.g., building new features and fixing bugs). The sales team (the largest team) is responsible for selling the application’s use and to retain current customers. The support team has to help the event organizers set up their application suited for their event. The company is active in more than 10 countries, mainly in the Netherlands and Germany. The firm is steadily growing.
Effects of Covid-19. As of March 2020 EventSupport’s sales plummet to zero. The sales team could not make any sales because it was impossible to host any events and, therefore, the support team had no clients to assist in setting up their app. The idea emerged to transform the application into an online platform: Let’s Get Online. Instead of offering a tool in the form of an application used on-site, Let’s Get Online would become the online event itself. Its mission is to offer a real event experience for the attendees. All of the firm’s employees were immediately committed and enthusiastic. And also, everybody was aware that it was crucial to act. The first sales were made while the platform had not yet been built by the development team.
So, as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, EventSupport’s core product changed from an event application to the Let’s Get Online digital platform. The three teams all faced challenges during the transformation: none had any experience hosting virtual events. The development team had to create a digital platform, even within a couple of days. The sales team had to sell this new concept of virtual events to the customers. Finally, the support team had to support their clients while they were still discovering the ins and outs of the platform themselves.
We’re very proud of our origin story and love to share it with you. Want to know exactly how this digital platform looks that we developed? Sign up for a free demo! We’ll guide you through all the elements and interaction possibilities that have been developed and improved since the start of Let’s Get Digital.
