Heartcount: Because Headcount is for Cattle

Milica Jovic of Heartcount tells us about a software solution and diagnostic tool that measures how employees feel and what they think. 

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

Milica Jovic: We are very grateful, healthy, and positive. Even though “positive” was not such a frequent word during the previous year, we try to remain positive anyway. It’s not easy to watch less fortunate destinies around us, so we are giving our best to help as much as we can.

Tell us about you, your career, how you joined Heartcount.

Milica Jovic: I am a Partner & Chief Heart Officer at Heartcount. 

Heartcount is a Danish & Serbian product. It is a software solution and diagnostic tool that is measuring how employees feel and what they think. 

3 years ago, I came across a company, Vega IT, on LinkedIn. I realized they have an awesome business culture and that they don’t have a sales team. So, I wanted to offer my company’s services. The CEO of the company replied quickly, and I managed to schedule a meeting. When I came to their office, I immediately felt I wanted to work there. The energy was amazing, and the people were warm and great.

So, we soon started cooperation and, after a year, Vega IT decided to launch their first product. They called me and asked me to join their vision, and then I became a Chief Heart Officer at Heartcount.

My career had been pretty much sales-oriented before I joined the Vega IT team. Here I had the opportunity to grow on different levels – start from scratch with my team, learn about different business departments, fields, and roles (marketing, finances, team leading, a moderator, a panelist, BDR, account executive, customer Success operator). You know how it usually goes with a startup. 🙂 Soon, things got rolling. 

Heartcount is a fast-moving and fast-growing environment where every member gets the chance to develop daily. 

How does Heartcount innovate? 

Milica Jovic: Heartcount innovates in terms of new functionalities by following different trends on how to improve employees’ wellbeing. On top of this, apart from improving the tool, we are trying to educate the business environment on how to humanize internal processes, increase trust and transparency with their employees, and help them overcome different challenges. 

How does the coronavirus pandemic affect your business finances?

Milica Jovic: The global climate is very insecure, but we are giving our best to cope with the current crisis. Our company was born in the IT Industry, so we had that luck not to have been directly affected by the crisis. But, we didn’t know that in March 2020, so we got prepared for different scenarios. But, now, we see that our solution is something that companies’ management and their employees will have a great value from, so I see no reason to be afraid of the bad scenarios.

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

Milica Jovic: Maintaining a vibrant business culture, enthusiasm, and motivation was a real challenge when we were sent out to work from home. After two months, in May 2020, thanks to our marketing and people operations team, we managed to set everything in the right place so our colleagues could feel safe and productive.

Besides that, we are more than grateful to have had the chance to hire three new people in the Heartcount team and more than 70 new colleagues in our mother company’s team.

Our colleagues are vital organs of our growth, and we are super-proud to have them all. Some of them help us develop Heartcount continuously, others help us build brand awareness, and BDRs are the ones who are looking for new business opportunities. All of them are very enthusiastic professionals who didn’t lose their spirit despite the crisis we are facing.

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

Milica Jovic: Since we are still in the startup phase, we are doing a personalized outreach to our clients, but we are using a CRM to be faster and more effective. Standard tools such as a Sales navigator, Salesforce, Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft teams are daily tools we use to interact with our current and potential clients.

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

Milica Jovic: We were given government assistance on the country level at the beginning of May 2020. The government helped us pay lower taxes for our employees. Since then, we haven’t had any additional assistance.

Your final thoughts?

Milica Jovic: 2020 taught us not to get too comfortable with the things and the people around us. It motivated us to determine our priorities, focus on fundamental values, and put our families first. 

Keep in mind that by improving yourself, you are giving yourself a chance not to be so emotionally affected by any potential crisis in the future. Take care of yourself, and for the ones you love the most. Also, make sure you focus on creating an outstanding balance between your work and lifestyle. This way, you will have enough time and space for your professional and personal development and for your loved ones.

Take care and stay safe!

Our wellbeing should be our top priority in both our work and life. 

Your website?

https://www.heartcount.com/