Satisfaction surveys were once designed to enhance products and services. However, their original intent has blurred over time. Today, they serve dual roles: as marketing tools both within and outside organizations.
Surveys often nudge respondents toward positive scores, subtly discouraging complaints. This bias can hinder genuine feedback, preventing companies from addressing critical issues. This is understandable as low satisfaction scores can harm a company’s reputation, while internally published scores sway investors.
Companies frequently overlook biases in survey design. These blind spots risk revenue impact, as they may misrepresent true customer or employee sentiment. Authentic insights drive improvement. Rather than fixating solely on numerical metrics, organizations should seek qualitative feedback to foster resilience and growth.
HappySignals, a Helsinki-based SaaS startup, aims to address this issue in the IT sector where there has been a persistent gap between IT service management (ITSM) and end-user experiences.
HappySignals is a pioneering Human-Centric IT Experience Management company that has announced a successful €12M funding round led by Mandatum Asset Management, accompanied by existing investors Nauta Capital and Vendep Capital. This substantial investment injection will be channelled towards bolstering sales, marketing efforts, and product development, further propelling global expansion in the burgeoning IT Experience Management (ITXM) market.
Empowering organisations through human-centric IT transformation
In today’s rapidly evolving landscape, understanding employee experiences with IT infrastructure and services is paramount for large enterprises aiming to optimise operational efficiency and drive business value. HappySignals stands at the forefront of this transformative journey, revolutionising traditional IT paradigms by harnessing the power of employee experience data and AI. By placing human-centricity at its core, HappySignals empowers organisations to make data-driven decisions that prioritise employee happiness and productivity, ultimately fostering a more agile and responsive IT ecosystem.
Driving value through employee-centric IT
HappySignals’ innovative approach has garnered widespread acclaim, attracting blue-chip clients such as PepsiCo, Fujitsu, and Reckitt, who leverage the platform to transform their IT operations into value creators. By shifting the focus from technical metrics to experience-based insights, HappySignals enables organisations to align IT services with business objectives, thereby enhancing overall operational efficiency and employee satisfaction.
A shift in IT management
Sami Kallio, CEO and co-founder of HappySignals, underscores the pivotal role of this investment in catalysing a fundamental shift in IT management philosophy, “IT organization’s primary role is enhancing efficiency and satisfaction across the entire organization through effective IT support and tools. Historically, IT has concentrated on technical and process metrics, which essentially measure how IT functions rather than the value it creates or could potentially create. In IT language, we are talking about moving away from SLAs (service level agreements) and starting to focus on XLAs (experience level agreements). IT should continue to measure the traditional metrics, but the three pillars of IT—People, Process, and Tech—should always be considered in that order. This is where we help IT organizations gather and analyse employee experience data to make better decisions,”
Strategic investment to fuel global expansion
The lead investor, Mandatum Asset Management’s Growth Equity team, heralds the investment as a strategic move to accelerate HappySignals’ international growth trajectory. Rami Salonen, Investment Manager at Mandatum Asset Management, highlights the company’s pioneering human-centric approach as a differentiator in the market, “We are thrilled to have led the funding round in HappySignals, which will enable a further acceleration of their international growth journey. With its human-centric approach, we believe that HappySignals has found a solution to a problem that has not been solved in the market before. Indeed, their blue-chip customers are a true testimony to the quality of their approach and solution. The investment in HappySignals is an excellent addition to our second vintage growth equity fund. We are excited to partner with the founders, management, and other owners to accelerate the growth of the company’s already significant international operations.”
A journey rooted in innovation and human-centricity
Founded in 2014 by Finnish IT innovators Sami Kallio, Pasi Nikkanen, and Sami Aarnio, HappySignals epitomises a commitment to innovation and human-centric design principles. Armed with a profound understanding of end-user needs, the founders envisioned a platform that transcends traditional IT management paradigms, catalysing a cultural shift towards employee-centric IT experiences. Today, HappySignals’ IT Experience Management platform stands as a testament to their vision, empowering enterprises to unlock the full potential of their IT ecosystem while fostering a culture of continuous improvement and employee-centricity. With a presence in 130 countries and a customer base comprising heavyweights like PepsiCo, Fujitsu, and Reckitt, HappySignals has proven instrumental in elevating employee satisfaction and productivity by an impressive 26%.
