Customer story • 8 min read
Braze is the leading customer engagement platform that empowers brands to Be Absolutely Engaging.™ Braze allows any marketer to collect and take action on any amount of data from any source, so they can creatively engage with customers in real time, across channels from one platform. Braze has been named one of Fortune's Best Workplaces for Millennials™ for 2024!
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A major challenge for Braze before Epoch was the manual labor required for planning and scheduling internal events. For Employee Experience and ERG events, invites were sent out manually via Google Calendar and email, and events were tracked using Google Sheets. This process was time-consuming and inefficient, with a lack of data and feedback making it difficult to tailor events to employee needs.
Major pain points before Epoch (as an event planner):
Major pain points before Epoch (as an employee):
Braze used Epoch to automate internal event processes and enhance the employee experience within the organization. With Epoch, Braze reduced manual efforts in event planning and scheduling while streamlining data collection and analytics. Epoch provides a comprehensive event communications and analytics tool, from start to finish.
Epoch's most notable features for Braze:
With 11 ERGs at Braze, having a platform where teams can plan and host their events is crucial. Epoch provides each employee with a holistic view of events on their personalized dashboard. Employees can create their own events, collect data before an event (i.e. dietary restrictions), send invites, and collect feedback following the event. This is a significant improvement, considering that previously, employees had to go through this process manually via the Employee Experience team at Braze. Before Epoch, there was a lack of visibility into when events were being hosted. Employees would need to inquire with the EEX team about when other ERGs had events planned on a specific day. Then, the ERGs would ask the EEX team to send out events on their behalf.
For Braze, Epoch provides a controlled environment for hosting and scheduling events. There is more autonomy regarding access, and employees feel more comfortable planning events due to the level of standardization that Epoch provides. Previously, Braze used a culture calendar, which all employees could access to plan and schedule events. It housed employee experience events, onboarding, L&D, all-hands, and ERG events. With Epoch, Braze’s ERGs have control over back-end dashboards so that the ERGs have access to their specific events without being able to change company-wide events such as all-hands and town hall meetings.
Braze is a very Slack-heavy company, so following Epoch’s integration, Braze noticed immediate results being able to send RSVP links, reminders, and feedback forms via Slack. Before Epoch, invitations would get hidden in employees’ inboxes making it difficult to find events and have a pulse on internal events. With Epoch, employees can RSVP on Slack and easily provide information via pre-event surveys to gather information, such as dietary restrictions or other important details. Epoch's integration of post-event feedback forms into Slack has been a major tool for collecting and comparing data, enabling Braze to improve events based on employee input.
Since the Braze team can send event invites via email or Slack and link the Epoch event page, they have noticed more accurate RSVPs. A previous pain point was directing employees to the correct place to register; however, this problem has been resolved with Epoch. Having accurate RSVPs plays a major role in sustainability and limiting food waste from their weekly lunches, which is a key part of Braze Social Impact priorities. Employees are prompted to register for the weekly lunch via Slack or email, then a questionnaire about dietary restrictions comes up, and the employees are registered.
The integration of Epoch at Braze was a smooth and seamless process. Epoch's Customer Success Managers have been highly responsive to any questions and able to fix any issues that may arise. Epoch is also well-versed in handling different time zones, which has been particularly helpful as Braze is a global company.
Braze has benefited from being able to customize where they receive their communications - Slack channels or email. This is especially helpful for sales teams who require organized inboxes to manage their tasks. This holistic view and communication customization have proven to be very helpful in ensuring that all employees can stay organized and connected in a way that suits their individual work styles.
Note: Data points for this case study were collected between July 2023 and July 2024.
Senior Manager, Employee Experience & Culture at Braze
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