As a startup that is working closely with the F&B and retail sector, one might imagine that the pandemic must have hit Mosaic Solutions hardly. But surprisingly, in 2020, the Philippine-based company recorded its highest revenue in December –exactly at the height of the pandemic.
According to Mosaic Solutions CEO Brett Doyle, the number was even higher than their pre-pandemic ones. It is also continuing to grow.
“We were impacted last year, obviously, but we were able to make some shifts … where we were able to increase our addressable market,” he explains in an interview with e27.
“We have moved into the cloud kitchen [segment] in a pretty big way, and have the top three providers of cloud kitchens in the Philippines as clients now … We have also moved into retail and have some clients in the retail side as well.”
Doyle acknowledged that the most challenging part of the situation was the unknown nature of the factors that are involved in it. But looking back into March 2020, when the lockdown measure was being announced in Metro Manila, Doyle recalls seeing the massive change coming.
“We moved our employees to work from home before everything got shut down. Because we wanted to be able to control the process and make it as easy as possible for everybody,” he says.
“I said [to the team], ‘Listen, we have two choices, right? Now we can hunker down and hope for the best and see what happens. Or we can get out there … and do what we need to do to help our clients and the community in general,’” he continues.
This impressive milestone has led Mosaic Solutions to exciting new progress such as its latest funding round: An additional US$1 million in its Series A funding round which Doyle says has enabled the company to further continue its growth.
In addition to that, it has landed Mosaic Solutions in the list e27 Luminaries companies, a new initiative by e27 that is meant to celebrate the unsung heroes Southeast Asia’s tech startup ecosystem.
In their participation in this programme, Mosaic Solutions nominated Aziel Salve, Director of Client Onboarding, for her contribution in ensuring the company’s continuous growth and fostering clients’ trust during the pandemic.
In this opportunity, e27 also speaks to Salve to understand more of her background and how she managed to achieve the milestones that she had made in 2020.
Putting the clients first
Salve starts the conversation by explaining that she graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology, so building a career in the tech industry has always been an aspiration for her. Prior to joining Mosaic Solutions, she worked in a company that builds a hotel management system, where she did support implementation and training.
“We make sure that the hotel staffs … know how to use your system and deploy it properly,” she describes her responsibilities in more details.
This experience provides a background for the next steps in her career. After meeting Doyle, Salve joined Mosaic Solutions in 2016 when the situation was completely different than today. Apart from the company having a different set of products, she started out as a senior analyst and training head.
“After a few years, the products evolved, and now I am handling the training, onboarding and support for the POS and the purchasing products,” she says.
When asked about her approach in handling clients, Salve begins by saying that most of Mosaic Solutions’ clients discovered the products through word-of-mouth as the company did not have massive marketing campaigns before.
Once these clients are onboard the solutions, Salve believes in providing a service with empathy as its foundation.
“I always believe in making sure that the client receives the support that they need, and make sure that the support is always there, that Mosaic will always be there for any concerns that they have … We have to make sure that on my end, I am always available for them,” Salve elaborates.
“We always put the customer first … by putting ourselves in the customers’ shoes. How would I like to be served if I were the client?” she continues, stressing that this is where her past work experience plays a role.
For people who would like to enter the tech industry, Salve shares a piece of advice: Believe that one person can do whatever they want as long as they put their heart in it. She also brings a gentle warning about the nature of the tech industry.
“Technology is ever-changing, so you must have a heart for learning. Always welcome new learning [opportunities],” she stresses.
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The e27 Luminaries is an initiative by e27 to celebrate the unsung heroes of the SEA startup ecosystem. Discover these notable companies and individuals here.
Image Credit: Mosaic Solutions
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