As work styles evolve, companies are increasingly hiring remote employees from across the country. However, fostering team cohesion and ensuring smooth collaboration among nationwide remote members requires not just tools, but also psychological engagement.
To address this challenge, Shimauma Print Inc. successfully brought its entire team into a virtual workspace using VoicePing, enabling seamless communication and a strong sense of unity. We spoke with Mr. Sekine from Shimauma Print Inc. to learn more about their experience.
Japan’s Most Affordable Online Printing Service
Can you tell us about your business?
Mr. Sekine:
Our company provides online printing services, offering photo books, photo prints, and New Year’s greeting cards. We develop both mobile and PC applications and operate our own factories in Kagoshima and Kumamoto Prefectures.
By handling in-house production, we ensure cost advantages and provide one of Japan’s most affordable online printing services.
Creating a Space for Effortless Communication
What led you to introduce VoicePing?
Mr. Sekine:
Apart from our factories in Kagoshima and Kumamoto, we also have development bases in Tokyo and Fukuoka. Even before COVID-19, we were working remotely across multiple locations.
Initially, each regional team handled specific development tasks based on their location. However, when we fully transitioned to remote work, we adopted a new approach—allowing employees to collaborate on any project, regardless of location.
Although this transition was beneficial for flexibility and talent acquisition, it created communication challenges. We wanted to create an environment where team members could gather in a shared virtual space, ensuring that they could ask questions and receive immediate responses, just like in a physical office.
We tested three different tools before VoicePing, but they lacked the ability to clearly see who was available and where people were working.
Did VoicePing Solve These Challenges?
Mr. Sekine:
Yes, the platform has been successfully integrated into our workflow.
With previous tools, only about 30 out of 100 employees were actively using them at any given time. Now, with VoicePing, we consistently see 60 to 70 employees online.
Since some employees still go to the office for product development, not everyone is online all the time, but our main goal—to bring all remote members together in one space—has been achieved successfully.
Beyond Tools: The Importance of Mindset in Remote Work
How did employees react after implementing VoicePing?
Mr. Sekine:
As mentioned earlier, we tested three or four remote work tools, and VoicePing was the most widely adopted. It offers many useful features, and now, it serves as our primary internal communication tool.
However, using VoicePing also made us realize that successful remote work isn’t just about tools—it’s also about the mindset of the users.
Even though VoicePing makes spontaneous conversations easier, some employees still hesitate to reach out unexpectedly. Additionally, effectively balancing synchronous and asynchronous communication is something we’re still improving.
While the tool itself is highly effective, we recognize that remote work culture and communication habits also play a significant role in success.
Expanding Beyond Printing
What are your future goals?
Mr. Sekine:
Currently, our main products are photo prints, photo books, and New Year’s greeting cards.
However, we recently revised our Mission, Vision, and Values to expand beyond these existing services. Our new vision is to go beyond printing and create new businesses that can succeed globally—we call this initiative “超新世” (Super New Generation).
In 2021, we launched a new photo album product, and in 2022, we introduced Shimauma Publishing, a photo book service for creators.
Previously, our focus was on providing low-cost printing solutions. Moving forward, we aim to offer experiences that connect people through memories and moments, bringing them closer together.
About VoicePing
VoicePing is free for teams of up to five users. If you’re interested, feel free to try it out!