Santos Brasil launches app for employees

The digital revolution is increasingly gaining space and importance in people´s routine. Until last year, one billion homes worldwide had Internet access. A Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV) study shows that there are 168 million smartphones in use in Brazil, which represents 80% of the population. In line with such transformation, Santos Brasil is launching the Viva Voz APP, a new digital relationship channel with its employees. The tool can be installed on any Android or iOS operating system mobile device.

The new APP enables keeping current with the main company news, asking questions, accessing policies and procedures, and also monitoring different indicators. The project is a partnership of the Communication, IT and People & Management areas, and plans to turn the application into the main interaction platform with the company´s approximately 3,100 employees in the Baixada Santista area, São Bernardo do Campo (Greater São Paulo area), Imbituba (Santa Catarina State), and Vila do Conde (Pará State).

The Executive Manager for Communication and Competitive Intelligence Raquel Ogando points out that, in addition to increasing internal communication reach and agility, the application aims to stimulate the dissemination of a digital culture in the Company. "Technological advancements are driving companies around the world to review processes, products and services for adding more value for their clients or improving customer relationship. For this strategy to succeed, nothing more logical than starting the transformation in-house, introducing new habits in the team´s daily activities. This is even more effective in a company like Santos Brasil, which has innovation in its DNA", she says.

In Raquel´s assessment, the application is the best way to communicate and interact with the internal audience, especially in companies with operations across the country and the size of Santos Brasil. "Nowadays, most people have a smartphone with at least basic Internet access. Everybody is connected", she concludes. The slogan adopted for the new APP´s launch campaign is "The information that you need in the palm of your hand".

The Viva Voz App is administrated by TheAppBuilder, a company based in Northern Ireland and a key reference in creating applications focused on corporate users. TheAppBuilder´s SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) platform delivers enterprise applications that both entertain and enable increased operational efficiency to organizations around the world. Commenting on the launch of the Viva Voz App, TheAppBuilder CEO James Scott notes: "We are delighted to have Santos Brasil as our first major customer in Latin America. In recent months, teams from both companies worked in collaboration to prepare the application for the launch. We look forward to witnessing the benefits that the application will bring, and to collaborate with Santos Brasil in future enhancements."

The IT Director Ricardo Abbruzzini Filho points out that Santos Brasil has been a pioneer in innovative information technology solutions for its businesses. "The Viva Voz APP is another tool that reflects the Company´s pioneering spirit. We look for a partner with a history of excellence in the market, and integrate our systems into a robust and user-friendly platform that will integrate even further in the next phase, benefitting the end-users", he explains.

According to the Director of People & Management Alcino Therezo Junior, the new tool´s main benefit is in strengthening employee/company relationship. "New technologies, when used smartly, help shorten distances and help promote knowledge management within the company. The Viva Voz APP is aligned with this concept, and is expected to become a gateway for new human resources services, such as remote education."