In today’s rigorously competitive world, businesses are using every possible strategy that can help them thrive and stand ahead of their peers. Having an application is one such strategy that has been widely adopted by businesses of all sizes in recent years. A mobile application can extensively help to retain the existing customers while simultaneously acquiring new ones. Thus, both web and mobile app development has become a standard and fundamental requirement for a successful business.
Catering to this increasing demand, app development companies such as Escola S.A. have been creating robust and user-friendly mobile applications for corporate and individual clients. The Warsaw, Poland–based company was established in 2016 with an aim to become the best company in the Polish IT market in a short period. Escola specializes in designing web and mobile applications. They create apps on Android and iOS, as well PWA and usually they use React Native. The other leg is creating dedicated business solutions according to the needs, requirements and specificity of a given industry.
Off-the-shelf Solutions and Dedicated Services
Escola’s activities fall into two categories. The first one is strictly service activity as a software house, while the second one is subsidiaries specializing in dedicated solutions and products. What sets the company apart in the competition is its ability to combine off-the-shelf solutions with dedicated services. Presently, the company is working on more than a dozen projects at the same time. After many successful projects, Escola concluded that the majority of its clients’ problems are repeatable and can be solved with a similar solution. Thus, it decided to create its own products that allow the company to simultaneously meet the needs of numerous clients. Escola offers 4 prominent products that include,
- Meetinga: A web and mobile tool for handling and organizing online and offline events. It allows the clients to choose from 40 functionalities and customize the branding to suit the particular project.
- Pupile Vet: A mobile solution dedicated to animal carers and the veterinary industry. The basic functionality is the ability to book appointments remotely as well as online access to the pet’s treatment history.
- Escola LMS: A system that enables the immediate creation and launch of dedicated training platforms. It allows arrangement of a training platform according to specific needs in different formats, on different channels, and devices. Escola LMS is a rare solution on the global market. Having an LMS gives Escola an opportunity to compete with giants such as Adobe, Moodle or WordPress.
- Frivo: It solves the permanent problem of long queues and customer resignation from ordering in beach bars, larger restaurants, and other places with longer waiting times by completing the entire order on the mobile app.
Besides these, Escola also has apps that are at the intersection of entertainment, law, medicine, and education. For instance, in the fourth quarter of 2021, the company aims to deliver an application—aiming to provide valuable audio content for users. Apart from the products, Escola focuses a lot on expertise. As the company’s services are characterized by an end-to-end approach, its specialists help clients get to know their actual needs and turn them into a one-to-one application. They also show clients the broader possibilities and help them develop the business.
Knowledge that runs the Company
Running an extensive business such as Escola requires constantly looking at the perspective of the next 1-2 years. Recruiting programmers when they are not available in abundance, selling more abroad, and creating products that will pay for themselves and be profitable in 2-3 years are one of the prominent challenges confronting such businesses. “Escola management controls the company daily and thanks to them I have time to plan further actions, define the strategy for the next years, and look for profitable deals and opportunities for the development of the company,” says Dr. Krzysztof Wojewodzic (CEO of Escola S.A.).
Dr. Krzysztof gained perspective from writing his Ph.D. on strategic management in the IT industry—which has proved handy in his tenure with Escola. Prior to joining Escola, he had sold two startups. The first was one of the most popular language-learning apps and was more popular than Duolingo in some countries at a time. When he sold the app, it was operating in six countries including Canada and Mexico. The second startup was focused on 3D printing technology. Dr. Krzysztof has been the CEO and major owner of Escola S.A. for three and half years. When he started, the company had 5 people. Presently, it has over 50 people and has grown tenfold during these three years. Escola’s revenue was approximately $2 million over the past year.
Crossing the Hurdles
Escola’s rapid growth is a challenge for the company. This year, Escola was placed by Clutch on its ranking at 6th on its list of 100 fastest growing IT companies in the world. It has always been a close-knit team and Dr. Krzysztof strives to keep it this way. However, as the company is recruiting new members every month and the number of its branches is constantly growing, this requires an increased focus on communication and the quality of the work. Presently, Escola’s operations are fully remote—which gives it completely new possibilities of cooperation with great specialists across Poland. Ensuring that the teams work smoothly together is also another prominent challenge faced by the company today. “So far it has worked out great, but we know that it requires a lot of work,” mentions Dr. Krzysztof.
Accountability and Mutual Trust
Escola’s work culture revolves around accountability and mutual trust. The team—which works in agile methodology—feels responsible for the projects commissioned to it. Everyone in the team has a specific role and responsibility. Delivering a project on time requires mutual trust—which the company has built on the experience of dozens of projects completed together. Dr. Krzysztof has always wanted to create an organization in which people are heard and rely on their competencies. He believes that such a work culture gives the best results.
Emphasizing Communication
The COVID-19 pandemic posed numerous challenges for businesses around the world. It entrenched the need for remote working, which was one of the most significant challenges. However, Escola was unhindered despite the shifts. Courtesy of its communication and teamwork, the company had already adopted the remote working model even before the onset of the pandemic.
Presently, Escola emphasizes a lot on communication within and between the teams, especially between management and developers. “I want everyone to feel like part of the same team and know that they will not be left alone with their problems even if they are hundreds of miles away from the office,” says Dr. Krzysztof.
Sharing the Knowledge
Escola believes that sharing knowledge helps to grow business. Thus, its developers create a weekly live, where they discuss the most interesting technologies. The company also has a podcast about business and IT. It invites the most interesting people from tech business to the podcast to share their knowledge and thus increase its circulation in the world.
A Change for the Better
Despite its severe impact on society, the pandemic period was lucrative for Escola. The growing need for remote working, digitization, and automation of company processes resulted in an influx of inquiries to the company. Some companies had a digital transition in their plans before the pandemic—which today has become a necessity. Dr. Krzysztof expects this trend—of moving entire companies to applications—to continue growing. He believes that this is a change for the better as it provides new opportunities for both—companies and people.
A Plethora of Opportunities
The smartphone penetration across the world is increasing at a brisk pace. Factors such as the introduction of 5G are expected to drive this trend further. The increasing use of mobile devices has given investors and innovators of all kinds a wide range of monetization opportunities. A majority of purchases in online stores today are mobile applications. The majority of companies are incorporating artificial intelligence and machine learning into their mobile apps. “These technologies are becoming very popular nowadays, whereas only a few years ago they were reserved for the chosen ones,” mentions Dr. Krzysztof. He believes that the biggest breakthroughs are still awaited. “We will see a lot of game-changers in the nearest future, and we still have a lot of room for improvements such as batteries for mobile devices, which strongly limits this industry. 2021 will be another year of mobile,” he concludes.
Read Full Magazine:- The 10 Most Desirable Mobile App Solution Providers, 2021
