Netguru
9th August 2021
Mat Czajka is the Chief Delivery Officer at Netguru – a digital consultancy that designs and develops products for innovators.
The pandemic has accelerated the digitalisation of society, and innovators are increasingly requiring software to operate in an ever-virtual world.
Mat started the conversation by explaining “Netguru is a consulting company, and we describe ourselves as a one-stop-shop for innovators seeking to build their digital products. We specialise in building web and mobile applications, supporting our clients throughout the whole product lifecycle, from ideation, prototyping and design to development and maintenance.”
The company has grown over the last thirteen years, and now it is an organisation of nearly 800 team members. “We’ve been able to scale throughout the years because of two key reasons. The ambition of the founders has translated to the wider team which has enabled us to nurture a global client base. We’ve also built a culture where people can proactively pitch ideas, and over the years there have been plenty of grassroots initiatives from members of our team that have catalysed growth”.
Mat went on to explore how Netguru stands out from a crowded market: “It is the brand promises we stick by – we have four key promises, and it is the combination that makes us unique. As a business, we want to make sure all our people understand the impact of our work, and that means asking the fundamental question – why are we building something, and what’s the business problem the client aims to solve? It’s integral that all team members understand what we are trying to tackle, otherwise this will not translate into meaningful software with real impact.”
“Our second promise is that the software we build provides end-users with a beautiful software experience – being not only well developed, but also fun and easy to use. Thirdly, we always put the customer first, and every quarter we ask our clients how satisfied they are with our work. If they are not completely happy, we’ll put in a concrete plan on how we can implement improvements. We’re proud that in the majority of cases we succeed in reaching clients’ full satisfaction, and our NPS of 67 is the best evidence here. Finally, we invest a lot in research and development, so we can offer our customers a complete and broad technology landscape.”
Mat then went on to discuss the hurdles Netguru have had to overcome over the past few years, especially when it comes to securing the best talent. “It is always important to get the best talent, so it’s integral to highlight what we offer as a workplace, and position ourselves positively to potential employees. The fact we offer remote working options has also helped us hire skilled talent, as we’re able to employ people from all over Europe, not just Poland. At the same time, thirteen years of distributed teamwork experience is crucial for clients looking for reliable partners globally.”
“As well as this, the world of technology is always evolving, and it’s important we have employees with the right skills to match. To close the skills gap, we’ve created and maintained a company-wide software technology radar presenting the major trends and major movements for the whole industry. From this, we make sure our people have the time and resources to gain new digital skills.”
The conversation ended with Mat sharing advice for fellow Level39 members. “The remote work model is not about tools nor processes, but about a culture of trust. If you’re asking yourself, how do I control my employees while they work from home? You’re doing it wrong. You should rather ask yourself how to hire and lead employees who require no micro-control, and whom you can fully trust.”