It was in 2018, in the age of the digital revolution, that Archeon set out on a mission to help caregivers get patients “from one side of the river to the other,” using the full potential of artificial intelligence to provide better ventilation support for patients.
The company therefore played a major role during the Covid pandemic. As the startup began to grow quickly as a result of the pandemic, the first problems appeared, with less fluid communication and less efficient exchanges of information.
« With the company’s growing activity and the increasing number of new employees, information was not flowing as well as before, and we were having trouble maintaining the ties and supporting each employee. We quickly realised that we needed a multifunctional tool to structure our HR and management rituals. »
François Vuillemin, Technical Director
With Archeon’s teams mission being to transform tomorrow’s medicine through technology, they naturally turned to a modern digital tool to support growth and to better manage teams. Their main goals were to:
- Implement continuous listening practices
- Better organise team meetings and project follow-up
- Facilitate and ritualise feedback throughout the organisation
Pierre-Édouard Saillard and François Vuillemin, Archeon’s General Manager and Technical Director, respectively, quickly turned to Zest’s digital platform as it allowed them to digitise and ritualise both HR and managerial practices.
Implementing continuous listening practices
In November 2020, the startup hired many employees to accompany its rapid growth. With no HR department and a growing activity, the startup needed a better structure to accommodate its new workforce. Pierre-Edouard was convinced of the need for a tool like Zest to better listen to employees and keep them engaged.
With Zest’s Listen pillar, he now has all the tools he needs to set up a complete employee listening and HR indicator monitoring system: Mood, Surveys and an Engagement Meter with Key Drivers identified by a doctor in psychology.
“Each module in Zest can be used independently, even if they are complementary. They allow us to know if our employees are doing well and to take action if necessary, but also to involve them in the company’s life and strategy.”
Pierre-Edouard Saillard, General Manager
As with any business, rapid growth means a period of disorganisation and loss of connection with employees. With Zest, Archeon improves this organisation while stimulating continuous feedback between managers and employees, and keeping track of team morale.
Better organisation of team meetings and project follow-up
Before Zest, François Vuillemin used a powerpoint document for keeping track of meetings with his R&D team. This method was clearly not collaborative and, as stated by himself, was inefficient. Above all, it was impossible to structure these exchanges and the manager was therefore unable to effectively monitor ongoing projects.
Initially, doubting Zest’s project management capabilities, he was convinced thanks to the tool’s user-friendly and ergonomic approach, which contrasted with the complexity of traditional project management solutions. In just a few weeks, Zest became an indispensable tool for organising meetings and project follow-up with his teams.
“When there were 6 of us, one weekly meeting was enough and the information circulated well. But, even then, some topics did not concern everyone and were a waste of time for some of the team. Since we doubled Archeon’s human resources staff, we had to organise meetings by department and set-up an efficient follow-up system, so that each team could move forward.
François Vuillemin, Technical Director
The Objectives module of Zest’s Perform pillar is now his dashboard for daily management rituals: he manages the different R&D projects, tracks each team member’s goals and views the progress of each project in real time. At the same time, he uses Zest’s Check-ins module to structure the discussions with his teams and quickly resolve any blocking points.
These modules now serve as a support for his weekly meetings with his teams and allow him to follow-up on discussed topics, which are now saved in the digital platform, in a precise and efficient manner. Moreover, the Quality team will soon start using Zest and R&D team’s best practices to better manage their projects as well.
Facilitate and ritualise feedback throughout the organisation
At Archeon, all employees use Zest. Given the tool’s accessibility via both web and mobile formats, it is accessible from anywhere and is seen as a more intuitive and fun tool than other traditional ones. Employees can exchange and communicate in real time with their managers and colleagues, creating a positive atmosphere.
Zest’s Share pillar allows them to share ideas and feedback as well as to thank, encourage or congratulate colleagues by sending a MyZest.
“At Archeon, everyone participates in the race for “MyZests”. Far from being a gadget, this fun little ritual helps to strengthen ties amongst teams and acknowledge everyone’s efforts in the company.”
Archeon’s use of Zest evolves with time and the tool’s functions have even prompted new uses that had not been thought of before. For example, with regards to employee training courses: the company now uses Zest’s Surveys module to find out if they have met employees’ expectations, or to check the knowledge they have acquired, via a multiple choice quiz for example.
In addition, all reports related to survey results can be exported and stored in the employee’s personal dashboard in Zest. They can then be used as input for annual performance reviews.
A unique platform for everyone’s success
By structuring its HR processes and management rituals, Archeon benefits fully from Zest’s digital platform. So do their employees, who can now freely express their ideas, interact with their managers in a dynamic way and visualise their contribution to the company’s growth.
The use of the Zest’s pillars also contributes to the creation of a virtuous circle of listening to and engaging employees within the startup.
