Mr. Yuto Yamaguchi
Global Partner Solutions
ISV Business Development Group
Microsoft Japan Co., Ltd.
Engaged in launching new business ventures with external partners for Microsoft Teams, Azure, Azure AD, etc. Collaborated with Communitio in the development of NewCommunicator.

In the era when the internal communication culture is transitioning from email-centric exchanges to the use of chat, “NewCommunicator” was born. As a Microsoft Teams integrated app, NewCommunicator enables company-wide message broadcasting. We had a candid interview Mr. Yamaguchi in Microsoft Japan’s new office, about the background of its development, the advantages of SaaS, and the communication challenges faced by businesses.

We paid a visit to the stylish new office that just had been renovated on June 30, 2022.

The persistent problem company-level mail left unread

—— Please tell us about your personal thoughts regarding the persistent problem, namely “a company-level mail left unread”, a theme addressed by NewCommunicator.

A part of my role is to disseminate the approaches being taken with the partners I am responsible for, to increase business opportunities inside Microsoft. Even though efforts had been made to raise awareness of our new partners through regular company-level mail distribution, the open rate and engagements remained low, and this was becoming an issue. I came to think that as the organization grows, information transmission on a team unit tend to get buried and stay unnoticed.

There were many company-level mails from global teams, and an effective method of in-house dissemination was constantly sought for.

Email? or Chat?

—— How do you differentiate the use of email and chat in normal operations?

For example, Microsoft Teams is used generally in case of team operations for a small number of participants that require close communications. Since messaging is simple and file sharing and editing can be made on a single screen, we consciously use chat for communications within the team. On the other hand, email is used mainly for company-level transmissions and external transmissions for mass distribution. Utilizing　tools　to　support　hybrid　work　has　become　commonplace,　enabling　various　types　of　communication, such as personal, team-based, and organization-wide, to be expressed within the tools. I believe it is necessary to choose the appropriate tool depending on the specific circumstances.

An environment with a lot of open spaces, facilitating collaboration.

Made it possible because of SaaS

—— Please tell us what was the catalyst that Communitio to develop NewCommunicator in the first place. Can you review the events?

There was a “broadcast messaging” function in TeamSticker, an application fosters a corporate culture to promote employee engagement which runs on Microsoft Teams developed by Communitio, and We received some feedbacks stating that 'this feature alone is very useful.”. At the same time, we heard from several customers who would like to deliver messages company-wide on Microsoft Teams. We realized there was a potential demand from the users.

Operating a broadcast messaging application with a customized app will require technical maintenance at users’ risk. Although there were some of our customers who tried to develop a broadcast messaging application by themselves it required server management, as well as technical resources for maintenance and operations. We felt that the barrier for all our customers to develop such applications on their own was extremely high. This being the case, we set up a scheme where Communitio will join as SaaS provider to respond to updates and maintenance, rather than developing it on their own.

—— Why partner with Communitio?

The first reason is Communitio’s strategic alignment with Microsoft. There are many specification-based restrictions in Microsoft Teams and updates are conducted frequently. In order to catch up with these changes in a timely manner and incorporate them into the app’s specifications in the most optimal way, we regarded it important for both of “strategic alignment” with Microsoft and “high-organized engineering skillset”. In addition, they have a speed! This app itself was implemented within 3 months from the decision. It’s incredibly highspeed work, isn’t it? (laughs)

And the last reason is that “TeamSticker” has already been used in a several large-size enterprises and had a track record stably in operation for a few consecutive years. At the end of the day, there is no other options left but to partner with Communitio.

I was surprised by the Communitio’s speed of development. It’s superfast!

2023 is the year when all the issues have become apparent.

—— Remote work has spread rapidly with COVID pandemic. We believe the adoption of Microsoft Teams have also been accelerated during this period. What are the issues regarding communications that have become apparent?

There were several findings for Microsoft between 2020 and 2022, when many companies took steps towards hybrid work. In our published “Work Trend Index Report”, we have identified the following two issues.

The ratio of employees who hopes “work at the office” and those who “want to work remotely from home” were almost equal. In other words, there is no one-size-fits-all solution in the way of working, and it is necessary to communicate diligently with each individual while adjusting the environment according to their needs. The challenge for “HOW“ to implement remote work has been step forwarded  into a new challenge of “HOW TO ESTABLISH THE BEST MIX” by listening to the voices of each individual employee “who prefers work at office? and who hopes to conduct remote work?”. With these challenges emerging in 2023, we will be working on how to address “diversity in the way of working”.

Work Trend Index, Microsoft（2022）

Face the minds of every employee

—— Can you tell us about the psychological issues among the employees?

As remote work becomes more prevalent, there would be less opportunity of face-to-face interactions for subtle emotional exchanges. Therefore, it becomes even more important to be creative in communication to foster empathy and trust. We must not avoid facing the psychological challenges that each employee faces, such as the desire for managers to understand them better, I believe it is essential to address these challenges. 

Work Trend Index, Microsoft（2022）

Tools developed by Microsoft are global and generic. That’s why I think it’s critical to collaborate with partners like Communitio to fill the diverse needs that falls through the mesh.

Relaxing café space

The optimum DX for a diversified society

—— Tell us about the future challenges to be made.

I think it is to “Provide opportunities for self-fulfillment for each individual in the diverse society”. This is difficult to realize by only one tool. Since the platform provided by Microsoft is a generic tool, we would like to answer diverse needs through cooperation with partners to provide the optimum DX for everyone. 

Fill the gap where global tools don’t bridge, together with our partners.

Communications from the heart

—— In conclusion, can you tell us about what’s good with Communitio?

In one word, “frank”. How frank Communitio is!! Always. (laughs) We are relating each other straight from our hearts and holding very candid communications all the time, without hiding anything. Nowadays, it feels like we’re all in a family.

I think this kind of communication between us is what makes the cooperation work well. As a matter of fact, the name "NewCommunicator" is a spin-off of “Company communicator”, originally available from Microsoft. This alone shows how closely Communitio has worked along and shared their awareness with Microsoft, and it has been very gratifying.

—— Thank you very much for the interview today!

Thank you for inviting us to your new, wonderful office.