[Culture] At ZipDial, you’re probably going to work on what you’re good at!

A business based on missed calls?

Well, for anyone who’d start something like that, most people would have said, ‘good luck’. But when Valerie Wagoner, Amiya Pathak and Sanjay Swami started brainstorming about the idea, they felt a huge potential in this market, which was untapped. Four years on, with a clientele which includes Disney, Gillette, Unilever, and P&G, and a million dollars in revenue last year alone, the ZipDial team is scaling rapidly and are one of the most promising companies to emerge from sub-continent in recent times.

But what does an engineer do at such a company? We spoke to the head of marketing of ZipDial, Mr. Shantanu Deshmukh, who took us through the prominent engineers who have played an important role in the company’s growth so far. Here are some edited excerpts from our conversation with him.

HE: It has been a prolific four years for you guys at ZipDial. What would you say the main focus of the ZipDial team has been in this time and how has that translated to the products you’ve launched?

ZD: Innovation and execution have been the focus for the ZipDial team. The business model which ZipDial invented nearly 4 years ago – missed call marketing – today has transformed into a comprehensive suite of mobile marketing and analytics solutions. And our product innovations like re-targeting over SMS, friend referrals, and twitter fast-follow are the testimony to the culture of innovation that we foster.

HE: What would you say is the attitude of a successful engineer at ZipDial. What makes an engineer succeed at ZipDial?

ZD: Customer empathy, collaboration, getting into the depths of things, idea generation, YES attitude to roll up sleeves and getting things done. Not giving up easily is an important trait that we look for.

HE: What keeps great engineers at ZipDial? Why do they continue to work for you?

ZD: Our clients, who are some of the biggest brands around the world, come to us with lots of innovative requirements. Every advertising campaign comes up with its own challenge. These things keep our guys busy and excited about their days at ZipDial. Besides that, the young team ensures that the atmosphere remains fun filled.

HE: What is the average day of a coder at ZipDial?

ZD: As the company is growing and expanding internationally, engineers are busy with newer innovations that company is looking to bring to the market. The day is filled with building new things, understanding new campaign flows, brainstorming and getting things done. And an engineer’s measure of success is when sales team reports back that the clients are happy about the campaign’s successful implementation.

HE: What do you do for fun at ZipDial?

ZD: The atmosphere is relaxing with friendly co-workers. We lunch together, celebrate birthdays, play TT, hang out over chai, go out for team lunches and more when the bosses are not around! On Friday Founder and COO, Amiya Pathak often takes the lead in asking folks to get off their seats and join for beer.

HE: Do you do anything special for a new recruit? How long does it take for them to settle into the new job and what do you do to make them feel at home?

ZD: Each new recruit goes through a short orientation to understand the business of ZipDial. The founders ensure that the new member gels well with her team and the leader.

To make employees “feel at home”, we literally operate out of a spacious home in Koramangala – an upmarket locality in Bangalore. And from what we’ve seen so far, they settle as quickly as the foam over beer! We are also taking a poll using ZipDial to decide whether to domesticate an Indian or African elephant to welcome a new recruit 🙂

HE: What is the unique thing about working at ZipDial?

ZD: You are likely to work on what you’re good at. And occasionally, you can even bring your dog to the office. 🙂

HE: In one line, what is the culture of ZipDial and what makes it an awesome place to work?

ZD: I think it is a great chance for young innovators to take an Indian start-up global. And working at ZipDial gives you an opportunity to be a part of that story.