Long ago the basset hound of Tracker became the hallmark of one of the most popular search engines in Spain in fields as diverse as insurance, loans or Internet connection services. A company that has been evolving since its birth in 2008, as the digitization of consumption habits progressed, and that since 2016 has been directed by its CEO Fernando Summers (Cordova, 1979).
Now, in the midst of the lack of confidence, Rastreator announces the implementation of a flexible telecommuting model in which the employee decides where he wants to work at any given time. To find out a little more in detail how this system works and what situation the company is in, we spoke with Fernando.
Let’s start with the important thing: how are you and how have you lived these months since the beginning of the confinement?
Well, although being very aware that we are facing a complicated period for many people. From the moment they announced that they were going to close the schools, we made the decision that all employees could go to telework to guarantee their safety, so We have been working at home since the beginning of March.
logically It’s been hard months trying to transmit tranquility to the employees and being very aware of everything that has been happening every day. We have a lot of virtual company-wide meetings and we continue to have our monthly results meeting… to try to stay in touch as much as possible and preserve our culture. What is true is that We really want to be able to get together again.
How have you coped with the change of scenery? What changes have you made to adapt to the new situation?
At Rastreator we are used to continually adapting our plans because it is what allows us to face changing situations. Just two weeks after the state of alarm, we decided to work against the clock to respond to all the neighborhood solidarity that was emerging. That’s why we launch , a tool outside the comparator business, to connect volunteers with people who need help from all over Spain through this website. From helping with purchases, talks, teaching online classes… In the first two weeks since its launch, we already had more than 2,000 volunteers from all over Spain, a sign of how willing people are at this time to be able to help.
At the business level, what we have done has been to put greater focus on products that can now be more useful and therefore, are in greater demand as health or life insurance since interest in those products related to the protection of the family has grown.
We have to be very aware that we are targeting and working to reach people. The users who use our comparator are people with changing needs and to which one must know how to respond at all times, such as, for example, in an anomalous situation like this.
Therefore, throughout this period we have decided to reinforce the telephone channel with an exclusive and free service to help users save on their bills during this period. Have an expert help you cut back on those expenses where you are overpaying and that it helps you to contract in a completely impartial way the product that best suits what you need at the moment, becomes more important than ever.
We have also wanted adapt the tone at the moment, offering current information through our channels that helps to understand the measures that were taking place, providing useful information at a time of overinformation and fake news and giving answers or helping users with all the doubts that arise regarding the products with which we work at Rastreator.
You have just announced that starting in September, all employees who are part of the company will have complete freedom to choose each day whether they prefer to work from home or from the office in Madrid. Why have you decided to take this step?
During this period it was an idea that emerged in various meetings and talks. The level of satisfaction on the part of all the teams has been so high after these months of working with 130 employees from home that we decided to carry out a poll to all the workers to find out what their opinion was. Logically, the feedback was very positive and for this reason, we decided to respond to employee preferences by implementing this new teleworking model.
With what estimation of face-to-face work do you work? Have you asked the employees what they plan to do?
Yes, since it is a new model that will start in September In order to make an estimate of the use that is going to be given to the office and the work space, we have asked each of the employees how often they think they will come to the office to work, although logically we are aware of that it is something tentative and as we move forward and we all get used to this new way of working, we will adjust details. Based on this, each employee according to their area, their team and their day to day You will choose whether to go to the office or not as you see fit.
Work time is not just that, work. In the offices, social and affective bonds are created that are also part of the lives of employees. Do you fear that this will be lost because there is no daily contact like before?
For us, the ‘Rastreator Culture’ is one of the fundamental pillars and part of the success that let us continue to be one of the Best Place To Work companies. To this end, despite this new teleworking model, they will continue to organize regular face-to-face activities and events to promote and maintain this culture among teams and colleagues from different areas. In addition, another of the important points that we have at Rastreator are all the extra-work activities that, of course, will continue to be maintained, such as language classes or yoga sessions for anyone who wants them.
How can this measure help you in terms of attracting talent? Do you think there may be employees who feel more attracted to your offer if they have the option of teleworking or even living outside of Madrid?
Of course. We believe that it is a very positive point to attract and retain talent. Many of Rastreator’s employees are from other cities and came to Madrid for work reasons, so this measure offers them greater flexibility and means that working here gives you a freedom that ultimately, It is a plus when choosing us to work.
What will this measure imply on a practical level? Will workers be provided with the means of work (computers, mobile phones, chairs, etc.) necessary? Will it influence their remuneration in any way?
All the employees they have their team with which they are currently working from their respective homes and which they can also use to work in the office. Nevertheless, the Rastreator headquarters in Madrid will continue to be fully available at all times for anyone who considers it or prefers it. In any case, we will adjust the details according to the needs that arise.
One of the great fears with the expansion of telecommuting is the possibility of ending up working more hours than usual. The need to work on the concept of digital disconnection has even been highlighted again. What measures are you going to implement in this regard?
In Rastreator the importance of conciliation is another core value. For this reason, there is a transfer system so that employees continue to fulfill their working hours without the need to extend their hours or do any type of overtime even if they remain at home. Each person organizes himself as he considers together with the team corresponding, in such a way that if there is someone who prefers to start first thing in the morning or vice versa, there is absolute freedom to do so.
In addition, we have always had a flextime system to make it easier for everyone to combine it with their family situation and we respect the digital disconnection outside official working hours (Do not schedule meetings at the last minute, do not send emails after hours…)
What impact is this measure going to have on Rastreator’s income statement? Will the cost savings derived from the decrease in current office expenses be noticeable?
A priori, it is not something that we account for in this way, since we will keep the office open with its corresponding costs. Moreover, adapting to it will have some technology and upgrade costs that in the short term we would not have. However, we understand that like almost all measures we take, the income statement will be positively affected in the long term as an indirect result of the greater satisfaction of our employees and possible projects that arise by adapting to the demands of our employees and customers.
Beyond this measure, Rastreator continues to be a reference when searching for information online about all kinds of products and services. Has anything changed in recent months? Which service has grown the most in searches… and which has fallen the most?
Logically, we have also noticed how the searches and hiring have varied throughout this period. Given the situation, the area where searches have fallen the most has been that of trips; flights, hotels and car rental. However, products related to the family care As I mentioned before, they have been more in demand and the hiring intention has been more direct; health insurance, life…
In these months we have seen that there have been new profiles that had not bought online before and that they have approached eCommerce. Has it also happened with Rastreator? What is the average user of Rastreator like?
The average user of Rastreator is anyone who needs to contract a service, but it is true that COVID-19 has generated many doubts among citizens, such as whether, being a pandemic, it fell within the coverage of certain insurances such as health or whether a travel insurance covered the cancellation of trips, etc. so people who perhaps had no interest before or had not stopped to look at this type of information, have indeed done so and this has generated the arrival of new users.
Why do you think your users choose you to search for information?
Tracker works as a tool for help the user to find the best rates based on what they need, completely objectively and therein lies the key and the confidence of those who use it. They know that when they search for a product, the results that appear will be 100% the one that suits them best because we do not take commission from any of the partners we work with and that provides transparency and security.
What goal do you set for yourself this year?
As a company, our priority is that all employees who are part of this family can work safely and, at a business level, it is looking for ways to help…
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