INNOVATORS VS COVID 19

Lessons learned by a Small IT Company during the COVID Crisis

Published

3 years ago

03/26/2021

Kossi Adzo

Mr. Fernando Jurado, founder of Sigma tells us about effective digital marketing during a health crisis.

First of all, how are you and your family doing in these COVID-19 times?

Fernando Jurado: We are all OK.

Tell us about you, your career, and how you founded Sigma.

Fernando Jurado: I have a Computer Engineer Degree and an Information Security Master. I have dedicated my career to building IT solutions for government agencies and companies. I founded this company with a couple of career mates because we wanted to create a new IT management model.

How does Sigma innovate?

Fernando Jurado: We try to anticipate our clients’ needs with innovative solutions by analyzing the market from many perspectives: data analytics, data management, AI, etc.

How does the coronavirus pandemic affect your business finances?

Fernando Jurado: It does in two ways: 1) we have lost all of our incomes from clients in the retail sector and 2) we have increased our incomes from clients in the digital sector.

Did you have to make difficult choices regarding human resources and what are the lessons learned?

Fernando Jurado: We are experimenting with difficulties trying to get new talented professionals on board, because of the covid crisis. Now we have implemented an aggressive bonus policy, and we are reaching young students from a number of universities.

How did your customer relationship management evolve? Do you use any specific tools to be efficient?

Fernando Jurado: Our CRM has evolved in many ways. We started using a standard Hubspot system, but now we have developed our own CRM software, and totally adapted our needs.

Did you benefit from any government grants, and did that help keep your business afloat?

Fernando Jurado: No.

Your final thoughts?

Fernando Jurado: The Covid crisis has brought very crazy times to small companies. We have learned to adapt ourselves, by strongly focusing on clients in the digital sector, and by being patient with clients in the retail sector until the crisis ends up.