2020, this unique and very impactful year, is coming to end and leaves us plenty to remember and reflect upon. We have grown closer together as a team through the challenges this year has presented, welcomed new members on board, expanded our market reach and succeeded in many business endeavours. An today, it’s time to pause and look back at the most significant events at MaxBill that made 2020 such a special year for all of us.
Supporting Each Other Throughout the Pandemic
There’s no denying it — 2020 will most likely be remembered in history by the COVID-19 pandemic that swept across the world back in January. The MaxBill team has faced the challenges it brought head-on, making sure to help each other and make the best effort to adjust as quickly as possible to the new norm, also helping our clients to cope with the growing pressure. We have shared our predictions of the effect that COVID-19 would have on the utility service providers in the article, published in March and the update video, released in December.
As to MaxBill, it wasn’t tricky for us to start working from home, as we have always been an international company with team members located in different parts of the world. Therefore, online meetings and everyday video chats were nothing new, so we carried out our business as usual, keeping our promises to partners and clients and delivering the best quality possible.
However, isolation grew hard on some people 🙂
To cope with this new reality, we came up with activities to bring the teams closer and to lighten everyone’s spirits. They were a great success and continued even after the lockdown measures were lifted in some locations:
MaxTeas: We love gathering in our social space in the office or in Zoom/Teams chat rooms to exchange some cool stories, uncover the Mystery Person of the month or try our intuition skill in a guessing battle.
MaxSeminars: Knowledge sharing is a vital part of the MaxBill culture. Twice a week we learn new skills from each other, while also polishing the art of presenting and public speaking.
New MaxBill merchandise was presented to the employees to emphasize that we are all together, even if geographically we are apart.
Additionally, new measures and guidelines were put in place to ensure that the working process in safe and convenient for all employees:
- MaxBill Medical Fund was created to cover all COVID-related expenses and encourage everyone to get regular check-ups, vaccinations and vitamins.
- The procedure of requesting remote work or leave was automated by using the PeopleForce platform, to ensure that anyone can get their request sent in and approved with just a couple of clicks.
- The onboarding process was upgraded to match the new norm and fit both the team members who prefer to come to the office and who decided to stay at home.
Actively Participating in Online and Offline Events
Even though the pandemic has intervened with a lot of plans, MaxBill engaged actively in a lot of events — both online and on-site.
In February, our management team visited ICE London 2020, the biggest European gaming conference and trade show that welcomed industry leaders from more than 150 countries. In August, Svetlana, HR Director at MaxBill talked about Agile methodologies at one of the biggest HR conferences in Ukraine. Members of different teams have also attended a lot of online conferences and seminars, like Utility Week Online and DX Summit, and are very grateful to organizers who made it possible and safe for everyone to have this wonderful experience.
MaxBill internal events were also adjusted to answer the requirements of the new reality. We have conducted our annual workshop, with people from different locations coming together for two days of sessions, via video chat. It was also decided to hold the MaxBill Best Employees award ceremony online.
After both events proved to be successful, we have implemented the new format of company updates for each quarter. Now, all teams can discover what has been done in each department throughout the year quicker and easier, by just following the link to the particular video.
Moving to the New Regions
MaxBill never stops evolving. We constantly implement new approaches and technologies into our processes and solution, as shown by the 2020 Technical Report. This helps us stay current and support our clients and partners in their business journey.
In September, we welcomed Galp among our clients and have all of the hope to achieve even greater success together next year.
We are also excited to step into the Nordic region to bring great value to providers in the area. Partnered with two knowledgeable consultants with expertise in the local market, we aim to deliver the most innovative approach to partner and revenue management to Northern companies.
MaxBill Is Getting Recognition Across Media
All members of the MaxBill team are proud of who we are and what we do. Our expertise, spirit and dedication are appreciated by our partners and clients, as proven by the positive reviews on our Capterra profile and the recent Great User Experience award from FinancesOnline.
After the launch of the new corporate website in February, we have added a new informational category to it: monthly interviews with key people, like our VP of product, Val Morozov and Senior Product Owner, Alina Bilodid. It sparked great interest among our readers, as it is always interesting to get to know others’ professional journey and discover some useful tips for those just starting with their career.
Our insights on the cutting-technology are in high demand, as professionals from across multiple industries read our opinion pieces published in such reputable media as Energy Central, 5G Exchange and Towards Data Science.
We have also released two whitepapers:
- MaxValue, that explains the right way to implement billing solutions
- MaxBill for Gaming, that showcases the ways our solution benefits gaming providers.
The last one especially got a lot of attention from the industry-specific news portals, which has driven us to publish a gaming-related datasheet, that explores four main trends in gaming that will define 2021.
Growing Our Team
Of course, we wouldn’t be able to accomplish all of the above without expanding our team. The MaxBill team welcomed 19 new members on board this year and is now looking for five more like-minded professionals to join us in the nearest future.
It is now time to turn the page and move into the next chapter of the MaxBill history. We are positive, that next year will bring even more exciting challenges to overcome, opportunities to learn and occasions to support each other. Here’s to an amazing 2021, full of new partnerships, amazing success journeys and outstanding accomplishments.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2021!
