A company’s mission is at the core of everything they do and how they do it — or at least it should be. For some companies, mission is nothing more than fancy marketing speak; it sounds great on paper but never actually leaves the page.
But for other companies, mission is everything, and for that mission to really matter, it has to be backed up by action.
We caught up with six local tech companies to see how they practice what they preach and what their missions look like in their day-to-day operations.
Ibotta’s shopping app brings couponing into the twenty-first century, helping consumers rack up cash-back rewards on everyday purchases like groceries, electronics, clothing, office supplies and more. Their company mission is pretty clear, but thankfully, Director of Research and Insights Dave Schaff gave us a look behind the scenes to show us how his team puts that mission into motion every day.
How would you describe your company’s mission?
At Ibotta, it’s our mission to make every purchase rewarding. Think about getting rewarded with cash back for every purchase you make, for the rest of your life. That’s Ibotta.
This all starts with our users, who are not your average shoppers. Cash back is a high priority, they know how to seek out deals, and they use smart shopping to make a positive impact in their finances. That’s why we call our users “Savers” and why we are committed to always providing them with new and better opportunities to earn cash back. In doing this, we also create value for our clients by introducing them to new consumers and driving loyalty for their brands or services.
Our mission statement is simple, dynamic and Saver-forward, just like the shopping experience we’ve built with Ibotta: Make Every Purchase Rewarding.
Think about getting rewarded with cash back for every purchase you make, for the rest of your life. That’s Ibotta.”
How does your team live that mission every day?
For the research and insights team, our days begin and end with identifying new ways to create rewards for our Savers. Next week we’ll be in Irvine, CA conducting ethnographic research with users. The following week, we’ve invited 15 Savers to come to our office in Denver, CO and share their experiences using the app.
Whether it’s running a navigation test to better understand the optimal flow of a new in-app module, or conducting mobile “shopalongs” for a particular client in order to provide them with insights to better meet the needs of their specific consumers, we’re constantly striving to improve rewards for both our Savers and our client partners.
We also incorporate our mission into office culture and decor. Above our elevators and throughout our halls, we feature photos of our Savers with the amount they’ve earned to date and how their cash back has made an impact in their lives. Two weeks ago, I conducted an interview with a Saver who has earned over $4,000 cash back in three years using Ibotta. She used her earnings to take her family on a trip to Hawaii! These are the experiences we love to hear about and why we aspire to make every purchase rewarding.
Guild Education aims to clear a pathway to higher education for working adults by partnering with large organizations to offer job training, career advancement and educational opportunities to their front-line employees. Senior Product Manager Jamie Masterson explained how her team backs up that mission by putting students first when building new tech.
How would you describe your company’s mission?
Guild’s mission is to bring the opportunity of education to every working American. We’re focused on building partnerships with employers and education providers across the country so everyone can access education in a supported and successful way.
From making prioritization decisions to designing user experience, we’re constantly putting ourselves in the shoes of working adults... so we can do right by our students.”
How does your team live that mission every day?
Our mantra at Guild is “students first.” From making prioritization decisions to designing user experience, we’re constantly putting ourselves in the shoes of working adults who are juggling careers, education and life at home, so we can do right by our students. We share student stories in Slack all day long, putting faces to the successes our platform drives.
As a product and engineering team, going into every feature launch we articulate a set of beliefs about how we should support our students. For example, in designing a financial system, we hold a belief that we support students best by being clear about out-of-pocket expenses. This helps us design a tool that brings expenses to the forefront with utmost clarity so we can help students be financially prepared.
Pax8 aggregates and distributes cloud services for managed services providers, helping them deliver a range of cloud solutions to SMBs. Chief Channel Officer Ryan Walsh shared how his team takes their jobs as the wingmen (and women) of Pax8’s customers seriously.
How would you describe your company’s mission?
Pax8’s mission is to help our partners achieve more with cloud technology through education, enablement and market adoption. These partners are outsourced IT providers that help small and medium-sized businesses with their technology needs using internet-based products (cloud services). We do this through our people and by instilling a culture dedicated to being a “wingman” for our partners. We live this mission by locking in on creating the best customer experience in the industry. We see the partner experience as our product.
Pax8 is committed to listening, advocating and innovating new technology that will help our partners thrive.”
How does your team live that mission every day?
The Pax8 team lives our mission and core values each day. A specific example of this pertains to one of our technology integrations between our cloud marketplace platform and the business applications our partners use to run their business. Today, the integration is award-winning and the best in the industry. However, when it was first launched, the integration did not hit the mark for our partners.
As a true wingman, the Pax8 service delivery team worked tirelessly with our partner community to better understand the type of integration they needed to achieve more and streamline processes. Through focus groups, whiteboarding sessions, demos and more, we were able to build and launch something that could truly help our partners save time and money. Pax8 is committed to listening, advocating and innovating new technology that will help our partners thrive.
Billtrust’s Quantum Payment Cycle Management software helps businesses streamline cash flow by enabling them to automate tasks like invoice delivery, invoice payment and cash application. Associate HR Generalist Kimberly Perez explained how the company’s core values drive everything they do.
How would you describe your company’s mission?
The mission of Billtrust is to remain an employer of choice. We ensure employee experience is at the forefront with perks like a flexible work schedule, casual dress, competitive benefits and a world-class office with exceptional on-site amenities. Our fast-paced, driven and fun office culture is one of the many ways we are able to attract and retain top talent.
We live and breathe our core values every day, from the top down and bottom up.”
How does your team live that mission every day?
Our core values act as the driving force behind our mission. They are not just signs on the walls or meaningless words. We live and breathe our core values every day, from the top down and bottom up. For example, “Family First” is an important core value at Billtrust. Work shouldn’t be your first priority in life — go home and spend time with your family! At Billtrust, we offer paid parental leave, an open PTO plan and sabbatical policy that allows each employee to spend some well-deserved time with their family.
Brightfin offers turnkey mobility management services, handling everything from device procurement and expense management to reporting and account optimization supported by a 24-7 service desk. Director of Operations Taresa Bernard shared how the company’s customer-first approach keeps its clients happy.
How would you describe your company’s mission?
Our mission is to continuously improve the customer experience. From our all-star service desk to our proprietary platform built from the ground up on client feedback, we strive to provide a five-star experience for all of our clients by being more than just a vendor. We truly believe we are partners and take ownership of their needs from start to finish.
At the end of the day, we are people helping people.”
How does your team live that mission every day?
At the end of the day, we are people helping people. We frequently hear from our clients that we go the extra mile, and while we take great pride in everything we do, we believe our clients say it best.
Here’s a few of our favorites:
- “Your service is the bar by which all customer service should be measured.” – Transport Company
- “I don’t know what we would do without the help desk. All of the employees that answer those calls do a great job.” – Construction Company
- “I am extremely thankful for your above-and-beyond customer service! Thank you very much.” – Agriculture company
Active Oversight develops AI applications that help architecture, engineering and construction firms automate workflows and processes and reduce inefficiencies. Director of Infrastructure and DevOps Quentin Hartman explained how the company's unique approach to work-life balance helps the team deliver on its mission — and have fun doing it.
How would you describe your company’s mission?
The mission at Active Oversight can be described as using leading tools and practices to empower the workforce of the future. It's not only part of our software but how we create it.
Letting people have more fun working — and more time to themselves — delivers a better value to the business. That's a future we believe everyone can get behind.”
How does your team live that mission every day?
The most dramatic difference is our 32-hour work week. We also embrace remote work and have an unlimited time off policy. We encourage people to follow their passions, even if they lead them into other areas of work. Developers working on design; designers working on code. Letting people have more fun working — and more time to themselves — delivers a better value to the business. That's a future we believe everyone can get behind.
