How IntexSoft, a Midsize IT Company Survives the Pandemic

Oleg Myaskousky, CEO of IntexSoft tells us how the company delivers end-to-end software development services for businesses and IT companies.

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

Oleg Myaskousky: We are doing pretty good; thanks for asking! Just trying to attend fewer public events and places.

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

Oleg Myaskousky: I started to work at IntexSoft as a Java developer in 2004. In about four years, I managed to become a Team Leader. In 2010, I was promoted to the Chief Technology Officer position, and in 2012 I became the CEO.

How does IntexSoft innovate? 

Oleg Myaskousky: We put education first. All of our specialists are going through courses, conferences, certifications. Plus, we have our own educational center for junior specialists and a competence development center for experienced specialists. 

There they prepare for certifications in Java, PHP, Scrum Master, etc. We also put a big emphasis on the processes related to mentoring and knowledge sharing.

How does the coronavirus pandemic affect your business finances?

Oleg Myaskousky: The pandemic didn’t really affect us financially. In the beginning, we had some slight losses in revenue; however, we have successfully overcome all the difficulties and even acquired two smaller companies.

In fact, we managed to save all the employees on their working places and even hire new ones. I think we were able to complete this challenge thanks to the support and high loyalty of our employees.

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

Oleg Myaskousky: Well, there was the time we got to the point where we had to take action if we want to keep all the people in their places. So, there was the choice: fire some people or froze the fund for salary raises.

It wouldn’t be honest to make such decisions without asking and listening to our team members’ opinions. So we arranged the pall, and the majority voted for the second option – save everyone in their places and froze the fund for salary raises for some time.

Now we are back to normal: everybody gets their raises according to the plan.

Unfortunately, it’s not possible to always be ready for critical situations like the pandemic. But I think companies learned the lesson as we did. We took all the possible measures to make our “airbag” bigger and safer.

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

Oleg Myaskousky: With the pandemic, nothing really changed for us in terms of customer management. Even before the crisis, we used to communicate and work with our customers remotely. So, as before, we mostly used the following tools:

• Jira – for task management, project management, and time tracking;
• Confluence – for documentation, collaboration on projects, etc.;
• Messengers like WhatsApp, Telegram, Skype, Slack – to chat with the clients;
• Corporate CRM system for effective customer relationship management.

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

Oleg Myaskousky: No, we didn’t. I believe in our country there weren’t any governmental grants for businesses, even vice versa: our government has raised some taxes for the IT sector.

Your final thoughts?

Oleg Myaskousky: Now we feel the highest demand for our services in many businesses all around the world since many of them had to go online. We feel the power to help such companies, and we do so. With the hundreds of different projects behind the back, our team is able to cover almost all businesses’ needs: from simple mobile applications to complex enterprise-size projects.

Your website?

https://www.intexsoft.com/