The declining media industry and the dire state of the economy has pushed many businesses to their breaking point. Long-standing media houses, like Associated Media and Caxton’s magazine division, have fallen leaving media monitoring companies concerned about the shrinking media pool.
However, the global pandemic did also springboard businesses into the digisphere, favouring those who have long been invested in technology. For Newsclip, the new world has only driven the company to push the boundaries of what is possible, proving that adversity is the fuel that drives toward endless innovation.
Big problems, better technology
Newsclip adapted to a ‘new normal’ long before it became a necessity. With a strong focus on developing better and more effective solutions, the company is reaping the rewards of constant innovation.
“Our in-house development team has built a brand new broadcast monitoring system that allows all of our broadcast scanners to process radio and television clippings from anywhere in the world.,” says Madelein Lukede, human capital manager at Newsclip.
“As long as our staff has access to a computer and an Internet connection, we’re in business — no matter how long lockdown lasts!”
The media monitoring company hasn’t missed a beat with any media coverage during lockdown — and has actually seen a phenomenal increase in turnaround times. Broadcast coverage is processed in almost real-time, and print media coverage is processed within one hour of being received in digital format.
As early adopters of artificially-intelligent systems, the technology has ensured that Newsclip always remains a step ahead of the rest — and it means that they are able to offer clients the same great service, even though the entire company is working from home.
A workforce dispersed
Employee flexibility has always been their focus, so having to get 200 people to work from home — overnight — has been an unsurprisingly smooth process.
With remote working policies already in place, employees are used to being able to work from home, from the Drakensberg mountains or even from the Bali beachfront!
“Since our staff has become fully remote, we have seen a whole new level of dedication. Everyone is working extremely hard, as a team, to keep the business going,” says Lukede.
“These efforts have not gone unnoticed, and are most certainly not in vain. This phenomenal team work is a testament to the dedication of the Newsclip family."
The company has been working on future-proofing its environment for over a decade, to ensure that it can offer top-notch services — regardless of what the world throws at it.
“We are immensely proud of how well our people and our systems have handled the new way of doing things — and we’re looking forward to a bright new future,” Ludeke concludes.