Keynote from Rachel Delacour, Co-founder Bime by Zendesk, at #SaaStock17, RDS, Dublin on Tuesday 19th September 2017

1. Out of sight, not out of mind
Expanding & managing teams overseas
Resources and Guidelines
Rachel Delacour - CoFounder BIME by Zendesk

2. Lessons learnt from
incubating
internationally
From 2 cofounders to +1800 employees

3. Lessons learnt from
incubating
internationally
From 2 cofounders to +1800 employees
From managing to being managed !

4. BIME Analytics - Modern Business Intelligence
Measure and understand
the entire customer
experience

5. 2-ish years ago...

6. Build better customer relationships
Zendesk’s family of products help organizations
understand their customers, improve communication,
and offer support when & where it’s needed most.
“
”

7. Keeping decentralized teams
happy
(at least trying to…)

8. It’s complicated

9. Relationships are
complicated
● High level of energy required
● People Product Profit
● Company grows, pain grows

10. Managing our first
US headquarters

12. It became a global business

14. We hired international talent for our cloud business
Located in Montpellier
MONTPELLIER

16. We found US business angels
Testing our aptitude for transatlantic communication
MONTPELLIER

17. Our business grew, we started to miss revenue opportunities...
MONTPELLIER

18. Credit @MikeSmith

20. What we did well,
thus would do again

21. #1 Take time to choose your local leader & empower him
Not a proxy
Ownership Culture

22. #1 Take time to choose your local leader & empower him
Not a proxy
Ownership culture
Local expert

23. #1 Take time to choose your local leader & empower them
Not a proxy
Ownership culture
Local expert Office presence

24. #2 1+1=1
Run
one combined
company

25. #2 1+1=1
Run
one combined
company
Trigger healthy
competition

26. #2 1+1=1
Run
one combined
company
Trigger healthy
competition
One workplace
experience

27. #2 1+1=1
Run
one combined
company
Trigger healthy
competition
One workplace
experience
Benefits
everywhere

28. #3 Manage cultural differences (easy to say, hard to do it well)
Sales team
motivation

30. #3 Manage cultural differences (easy to say, hard to do it well)
Sales team
motivations
Over
communication

31. #3 Manage cultural differences (easy to say, hard to do it well)
Sales team
motivations
Over
Communication
Contribution to
your content
creation

33. #3 Manage cultural differences (easy to say, hard to do it well)
Sales team
motivation
Over
Communication
Contribution to
your content
creation
Only speak
english

34. #4 Respect your people
RESPECT THE TIME ZONES

35. #5 Include MTP personnel in KC from the start
Ramp up your new
hires quicker. Proven.
Continue to hire
internationally to fuel
your expansion

36. #6 Leverage technology to bridge the 7,700 km between the two offices
Develop
closeness
Online global HR
system

37. What we didn’t do so well,
thus would do differently

38. #1 Management can never visit too often

39. #2 More cross-pollination of employees
Move employees
full time
Visa, lawyers, etc..
More product
people overseas

40. #3 Invest more in AV

41. #4 Be more prepared to brief your teams about salaries overseas
There is something called a local market value.

42. Now it’s our turn.
How Zendesk just kills it.

43. New mothership
SAN FRANCISCO
SÃO PAULO
COPENHAGENDUBLIN
LONDON
MELBOURNE
MANILA
SINGAPORE
MADISON MONTPELLIER
TOKYO
BANGALORE
BERLIN

44. Where Zendesk gets it right
Forgiveness
culture
Workplace
Experience 5*
Social
interactions
Financial
communication
Our CEO
communication

45. Relationships are complicated.

46. Over-communicate.
But avoid a meeting frenzy.
Technology helps.
Be ready to travel.
Try to enjoy.

47. Over-communicate.
But avoid a meeting frenzy.
Technology helps.
Be ready to travel.
Try to enjoy.
And Join STATION F

48. Thank you.