Savigent is a technology company on the move—delivering solutions that enable manufacturers to rapidly make the transition to Industry 4.0 and IIoT (The Industrial Internet of Things)—which has become increasingly critical during the COVID-19 crisis. We value our relationship with Savigent as we help them plot uncharted waters. Here we have Savigent’s President & CEO, Dean Truitt, speaking about work during quarantine and his thoughts for the future.
We woke up one day and the world changed when the realities of COVID-19 set in. No more commute. No more office. Our employees, like so many others, were thrust into a work-from-home situation, so my team’s biggest challenge initially was trying to maintain the culture, engagement and productivity. People are working from anywhere they can find, like bedrooms, basements or on the kitchen table while doing homework with their kids. We are all in the same boat though, so there’s a common thread of mutual respect and empathy. That helps.
From a business perspective, I would say the transition has gone fabulously well, compared to what I think we were concerned about initially. People adapted quickly. We learned new technologies that unify us remotely. Our productivity is as strong as it’s ever been. Our ability to meet customer requirements has been surprisingly good. And we are starting new projects remotely, which is new for us. Usually we would get out and walk customer sites. It’s nothing short of amazing.
A number of our customers need us now more than ever and I am proud of our team for rising to the challenge. Other customers are experiencing a drop in business, so we are reallocating our team and rebalancing depending on customer needs. We are even in hiring mode because there are a lot of needs to be addressed. Interestingly enough, we’re engaging with customers through Teams online now, where in the past we would fly out to see them. Now, I think productivity has risen for all of us due to mutual restraints. It remains to be seen, post quarantine, what sort of routine everyone will settle into. It’s still important for us to see our customer’s physical assets but there are advantages in the way we currently handle business, so I think we’ll find that in the future we will be a lot more effective if our approach is more blended and flexible.
For me, personally, I’ve found our current situation freeing, in a way. Now, instead of being huddled in a room at work on a conference call, I can listen to calls as I take a walk in the neighborhood. I feel like I can concentrate more. Sometimes on my walk, I’ll pass our HR director who is doing exactly the same thing. We both think the other is sitting in our home office while we talk and there we are outside getting some fresh air. I think it’s great.
If anything, I think this crisis has demonstrated to me that it’s Savigent’s time. Our people, our technology, our innovation, it’s all about stepping up to the plate and using this situation to the advantage of our customers and to making Savigent an even better place to work.
