Messente in 2020 and What's Next?

I hope that for all of our clients and partners reading this, 2021 has started very well. As we are gearing up to make this year count, I thought I'd take a brief look into the rearview mirror - see what have been the keywords for us describing last year and what will 2021 hold.

Needless to say, it's been a rollercoaster of a year. We've seen whole industries being closed down and economies coming to a near standstill. We've experienced a world where the concept of work has been redefined and airplanes have been stuck on the ground.

Throughout all of this, I am very proud of Messente's team for their ability to adapt quickly. As a company, we have been able to navigate our way through 2020 quite elegantly and have managed to grow our business considerably despite the circumstances.

1. Platform upgrades

Upgrading our platform has been one of the main topics this year. We had quite clear plans coming into this year and - compared to sales or partner relations for instance - platform development has been the side of Messente least disrupted by 2020.

The bulk of these upgrades have to do with how our omnichannel API works, how the platform processes high volumes of messages, and how it enables us to use our routing network more precisely to ensure better delivery globally.

Perhaps the more visible side of our upgrades is everything our users see when they log in. We've redesigned and rebuilt almost all of the major views, from how our users can browse sending history and statistics to technical documentation and code examples for easier integration.

Work on the platform upgrades will only pick up more speed this year so expect new releases both on the visual and the performance side.

2. Improved connectivity

One of the things we have worked on a lot this year is our connectivity. In other words, it is the network of partners, carriers, and routes we can use to make sure the messages are delivered on time and with the least cost, regardless of the destination.

Our connectivity team who builds and develops our routing network has grown and is working hard on some of the most complicated markets in the world.

3. Redefined way of functioning as a company

The past spring made many companies reevaluate the way they function. We used the opportunity to redefine how we work, how we manage our teams, things like moving information between teams, and many other processes.

I'm sure we haven't perfectly figured everything out just yet, but the things we have figured out will help us scale Messente as a company further along the way.

So for us, last year was a year of many internal changes. And in a way, the lockdowns in spring acted as the perfect catalyst for some of these.

4. Remote work and remote relationships

Remote work was the main keyword of last year for many people and companies alike. In our case, we have had some people working remotely in every team for several years now. So what was a big switch for many, wasn't a very big deal for us.

What was (and still is) a big deal is the lack of team gatherings. For years we have brought the whole team working from different locations together once every 10 weeks for 2 days. Essentially it's a co-working session with an important social side effect. I think I can speak for everyone in the team when I say we'd like to have those back as soon as possible :)

Otherwise, we're handling the world of "remote" fairly well, having hired people via zoom and having learned to make the most of virtual trade shows with our sales team.

5. Growth

Last but definitely not least, I'm very happy to see that Messente has grown throughout 2020. Like almost every company out there we faced a lot of uncertainties in spring, not being entirely sure if or how the unfolding lockdowns will affect us.

And I think the best part of having been able to grow our business last year is knowing that a lot of companies have trusted us to deliver their business-critical messages while they have been facing the same uncertainties as a business.

I wish everyone all the best in 2021!