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Business Excellence Awards 2019

Hippo launched with one idea in mind: “making the complex simple”

Hippo launched with one idea in mind: “making the complex simple”

Computerized Maintenance Management Software or CMMS is all about communication and coordination. Its core goals include automating maintenance scheduling, streamlining inventory control, and managing work orders. Businesses use maintenance software to optimize maintenance operations through work order management and preventative maintenance. Hippo CMMS offers a CMMS solution that takes the guesswork out of maintenance management.

Daniel Golub, General Manager at Hippo CMMS, provides an introduction to their products and operations in an exclusive interview with CIO Bulletin. Here are a few of the insights he shared with us.

First of all, what motivated you to start a business?

Robert Wrublowsky of MMP Architects founded the company in 2004. Hippo was created to provide projects he was working on with simple facilities maintenance software. He soon realized that there was a real need at that time for a solution that was easy to use and affordable. I joined the team back when it was a relatively small operation. It’s been satisfying moving up the ranks and watching the company grow.

What are your products and services? How are they related to your company’s excellence?

Hippo’s software, unlike many other CMMS solutions on the market today, is both easy to use and easy to scale. A platform may look impressive on the surface because of a robust feature set, but it will likely involve a steep learning curve, making it difficult for customers coming from traditional pen-and-paper systems. We provide user-friendly maintenance management software for small, medium, and large businesses.

Additionally, we offer a lot of onboarding and customer support. For example, a group of young technicians who grew up with smartphones might need only a basic introduction before they’re up and running, but a group of more experienced technicians could require more time and attention. There are differences, too, in how much groundwork customers have done to get ready. One company may be starting from scratch while another needs only to move their data onto our servers.

What according to you is leadership and what are your core values?

A good leader must have, according to my experience, two important qualities: honesty and integrity. I have always cared about the reputation I maintain among my colleagues and the company’s customers. It is important because people are concerned about who they deal with. Even just being evasive can hurt a professional relationship.

I believe in the idea of leading by example. If I want the people at Hippo to be passionate about their jobs, then I must show them I am, too. I must model the behavior I want to see. I also believe leaders need to stay close to the action. So, every six months or so I roll up my sleeves and do what was part of my old job, product demos. It’s just me explaining the software to prospective customers and answering their questions. But it’s important for people here to see that I still understand their jobs and what it takes to be successful.

What according to you will help build a positive company culture?

At Hippo, we value teamwork and originality. In order to promote the right workplace culture, it is necessary to talk openly and regularly about the company’s vision and mission. Communication is the key. Sharing my expectations of the company and the employees greatly helps get everyone on the same page. At Hippo, high performers are rewarded and their hard work recognized.

The goals we set at Hippo are challenging but attainable. People can hit these targets if they push themselves. However, I don’t have to push the staff. I recruit highly motivated people who thrive in a fast-paced, competitive environment. They excel because they are born self-starters.

How do you gain a competitive advantage over competitors?

People at Hippo are multi-talented. They easily move between departments and their ideas–irrespective of their specialization–are acknowledged and often implemented. It’s a huge advantage for us. For example, we might have a solutions expert suggesting ideas that help the customer success department–its cross–pollination. Secondly, Hippo listens to its customers. We’ve been good at staying agile and being able to pivot quickly to meet customers’ needs. That covers everything from offering different subscription packages to introducing new feature sets. I want our customers to be as successful as they can be.

Another thing that sets us apart is our long-standing focus on user experience design. Tailor-made solutions that perfectly meet the customers’ needs– this is what we’re known for. One way to see this is in all the different packages we offer. We love working with companies to find what works best for them. So, we have packages for different sizes of companies. Then we have different onboarding and support packages. We’re also able to tailor the software for specific industries. We want customers to have what they need. It’s always been important to us, and you can see user experience is baked into the software, not thinly spread on as an afterthought.

How would you like to improve your company’s customer experience?

We try to deliver a positive customer experience every step of the way. Our solution experts (sales team) know the product, our software, like the back of their hand. The team recommends the best package to suit a customer’s needs. The customer success team then delivers tailored onboarding and support. We go the extra mile: We monitor customers’ use of our products and make them aware of any features they might be overlooking.

Our prime focus when it comes to the software is improving the user experience. For example, we’ve designed our software to be customizable by different users with different needs. A manager’s user screen may be loaded with information but that’s not what a line technician is going to have. They see different screens, ones that are useful to them.

What are your predictions for the company as well as the industry in the coming years?

It’s an exciting time for CMMS. We see interest from companies of all sizes, and they’re coming to us with new needs. Even though CMMS was initially developed for the manufacturing industry, the number of types of companies recognizing its potential is growing each day. And as the workforce evolves, we’re seeing younger, more tech-savvy users excited about the advantages new technologies offer.

Get in touch _ www.hippocmms.com/contact-us

Daniel Golub – A Leader in ‘Simple’ CMMS

Daniel Golub was appointed General Manager at Hippo CMMS in 2014. He had started in the sales department in 2011, and went on to hold a variety of positions, including Sales and Marketing Manager.

Hippo has enjoyed steady growth during his time with the company. The customer base has expanded from 35 to over 1000 companies. Hippo is now one of the top 10 CMMS software providers in the market. He holds a Master of Business Administration from National Cheng Kung University with a focus on international marketing.

“Hippo CMMS is a simple solution for preventive maintenance, work order management, equipment maintenance, inventory and more!”


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