Making Meaningful Connections: PH Dubbed as 'Viber Country'

As a first-timer in the Philippines, Michal Perry, vice president of human resources for Rakuten Viber, was struck by how making meaningful connections came naturally to Filipinos, even towards a relative stranger like herself. Perry, who flew to Manila from a conference in San Francisco, CA, was escorted to her room by a hotel staffer who initiated light banter, then whipped out a picture of his son, an Overseas Filipino Worker.

“It was really a nice experience from my end,” she enthuses of her first taste of Philippine hospitality. “Although they know I’m not from here, people were really open and made me feel comfortable and inclusive.”

As it turns out, Perry is the same. When she arrived in Clark, Pampanga, to join the team behind Rakuten Viber’s Philippines office for a two-day workshop, one of the first things she did was show them pictures of her kids. Watching her greet the young staff with friendly hugs and kisses, you’d think they had known each other forever, when in fact, they were meeting in person for the first time.

“People were asking me, ‘Can I hug you?’ Sure you can hug me!” she says. “We’re like a small family, in a way.”

Perry may be part of a company that uses technology to bring people together, but she also appreciates the effect of making connections through physical touch, a warm welcome, and a bright smile: “We can keep working via video conferencing and not meet face to face. But I decided to come and meet the team here. It’s a different experience. And now that we know each other better, it might be easier to work together.”

Itself in the business of creating meaningful connections, Rakuten Viber has become more than a call and messaging app in the Philippines. It supports Filipinos’ micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through its Business Account and Marketplace features. This year, it debuted Viber Dating, a safe platform for finding love. The eventual launch of the digital wallet service Viber Pay should cement Rakuten Viber’s reputation as a full-fledged super app.

As such, Perry reminds the staff running Rakuten Viber’s Philippines office that while they are locally headquartered, they’re also part of a global team, “doing something that is bigger than the Philippines itself,” she says.

Composed of young professionals who make up the company’s customer support team, content validation team, marketing department, sales department, legal department, and FinTech department, Rakuten Viber Philippines is a small but tight ship, an operation that allows them to get things done efficiently, adapt quickly to change, and engage better with users and each other. These qualities are exactly what Viber’s VP of HR looks for in potential hires. “Being able to work with other colleagues, being patient with other cultures, being able to align This is one of the reasons people join us: to make sure that they are part of something bigger and to create real impact in their work,” she says.

As “Viber Country,” given its high engagement with the app, the Philippines is valued for inputs that have contributed directly to the app’s growth and direction. “In terms of insights this is one of the first locations in which we amended all the elements of the app,” says Perry. “So, [you] are enabling us to hear the user experience and the voice of the user better and faster.”

This opportunity to be heard, and to impact a product that is used by millions globally, are just two ways Rakuten Viber supports its talents in the Philippines and in over 20 countries worldwide. It invests heavily in its people through local and international training for personal and professional growth. Recognizing the importance of work-life balance, it adopted a hybrid setup that empowers employees working from home twice weekly. The arrangement makes them available to counterparts from different time zones, the mark of a true global company.

Sky’s the limit as to what Viber can offer its users and the talents who play a role in the app’s evolution. As always, it will involve making meaningful connections, both virtually and, as Perry showed the Philippines’ staff, in person. “All of our teams are not closed locally. All of our teams have global connections with each other,” says Perry. “This is one of the reasons why people join us: to make sure that they are part of something bigger and to create real impact in their work.”

About Rakuten Viber

Rakuten Viber is a global communications platform that enables people to connect with family, friends, and colleagues. It offers features for messaging, calling, and community engagement, as well as services that support both personal and business interactions. Rakuten Viber is part of Rakuten Group, Inc., a global technology company involved in e-commerce, fintech, digital content, and communications services.