"The cloudification of internal systems also symbolizes CW Education Media & Publishing's determination to transform digitally. It's not just talk about transformation; they are genuinely making it happen."
— FANG, YI-HAN, Director of Operations at CW Education Media & Publishing
In the sweltering August heat, the typically artsy Songshan area suddenly filled with the laughter of countless children as they raced ahead of their parents. For these kids, meeting their favorite children's book idols was the perfect way to wrap up their summer vacation. The reading-themed interactive exhibition titled "OPEN Library" celebrated the 15th anniversary of CW Education Media & Publishing. The fun event was a resounding success, allowing children to absorb diverse, rich, and inclusive knowledge and ideas. The exhibit provided beautiful memories for many families while showcasing the company's transformational achievements.
FANG, YI-HAN, Director of the Operations Center, stated, "Whether employees are providing activities at the exhibition or remote support from the office, they can maintain communication with partners through the company's cloud-based contact center."
The Commonwealth Parenting Club blends brand showcases with space services to create a place where families can share, play, and learn together. Pictured: FANG, YI-HAN, Director of the Administration Department, Operations Center. （Image provided by EVOX）
The goal of transformation was to evolve while maintaining the company's original ideals.
When CW Education Media & Publishing faced the 2008 financial crisis in its first year, the company seemed destined to tread a challenging and extraordinary path. Parents started seeking richer instructional resources as educational reforms began to take root. CW Education Media & Publishing collaborated with domestic and international authors to offer many popular picture books and children's literature. However, it wasn't long before the rise of social media and online platforms began to shake the entire media and publishing industry, leading to discussions about whether "anyone read books anymore."
During these difficult times, the company retained its original goal to provide Taiwanese families with a trusted channel for accessing the latest educational trends from home and abroad. The demand for reading has always existed; it's just that the media needed to evolve with the times. While maintaining collaboration with children's book authors to continuously release high-quality picture books and children's literature, CW Education Media & Publishing also diversified its offerings through digital subscriptions, audiobooks apps, podcasts, online schools, and various social media channels to ensure that parents, teachers, and children had access to good content.
This digitization and diversification of products came with challenges, and the company's digital transformation did not happen overnight. The operations center responsible for the company's equipment and systems was deeply involved in the journey, working closely with all departments to move forward.
Digitalization itself requires education; employees need to learn.
Director of the Operations Center, FANG, YI-HAN, shared, "At first, our senior employees were unfamiliar with digital tools. But, since we are a learning organization, the company was willing to invest in helping employees learn new skills, such as training journalists and editors in podcast or YouTube creation, or learning about community management and various online live broadcasts. While the company was progressing toward digitalization, the employees were digitally transforming their workload."
One key to successful corporate digital transformation is establishing a flexible, adaptable, and communicative business structure to respond to development needs. The company must be able to adjust its organization in response to changes quickly. When CW Education Media & Publishing first faced renovations and relocations, they realized the limitations of their traditional phone system because it was difficult to move, and the telephone lines restricted office layouts. FANG, YI-HAN expressed, "Our original phone system required rearranging lines whenever there were seat changes, which delayed matters due to the time needed to coordinate with the supplier. If our business were to become flexible, the equipment needed to keep up." The operations center began to explore cloud-based phone systems as a potential solution.
Transformation was also an opportunity for the company to demonstrate its commitment to employees and their families. They wanted to ensure that work teams felt secure at work and received full support for work-life balance. Every year, female employees at CW Education Media & Publishing apply for or return from maternity leave, and seating adjustments are frequently needed. In 2023, the office was finally transformed, and not only could seating be easily adjusted, but the office became a hybrid and open working environment. Their cloud phone system flexibly supported the workplace and allowed employees to communicate professionally while working remotely.
The very nature of an open-plan office is to encourage spontaneous communication and collaboration among employees, sparking creativity. （Image provided by CW Education Media & Publishing）
Organizational flexibility empowers corporate transformation.
Since EVOX CloudTalk is a 100% cloud-based communication platform, users can answer and make company calls anywhere they have internet access. CW Education Media & Publishing organizes various events, and employees are often on the go for meetings and event support. With EVOX CloudTalk's mobile extension, their employees stay in contact with colleagues and clients anytime, maintaining the mobility and creativity that the media industry demands. FANG, YI-HAN stated, "As a media publishing business, CW Education Media & Publishing wants employees to communicate, discuss, and spark creativity via social media interactions. However, social media has an inherent limitation because it requires mutual consent before contact can begin. Not all clients are willing to provide their LINE or Facebook Messenger details, and some employees still view social media as a personal communication channel, so they are hesitant to use it for work-related discussions. We decided to retain the phone as a more direct and proactive communication channel, respecting our employees' needs in separating work and personal communications."
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FANG, YI-HAN further explained, "During the pandemic, we had some announcements through the switchboard, but employees were shy about recording their voices. EVOX CloudTalk's text-to-speech feature allowed us to type directly in the admin tool to generate the incoming call greeting. This feature proved quite useful for our administrative staff." Even seemingly minor features like text-to-speech, entered via the user-friendly admin UI, can serve unexpected purposes with cloud service flexible management.
Only a no-code, intuitive backend makes flexible management a reality. （Image provided by EVOX）
Digital Transformation requires long-term collaboration: Establish trust with your chosen partners before discussing innovation.
The company wanted to continue using its original business number, so it initially implemented EVOX CloudTalk by connecting to the cloud via a gateway. From a business perspective, this seemed like an intuitive and natural approach. However, we discontinued using the gateway after using EVOX CloudTalk for a while.
During the implementation and transition processes, employees needed time to adapt, and after-sales service became a critical aspect of determining whether EVOX was merely a product seller or a long-term collaborative partner. "When we first implemented it, we were worried that this transition might affect our external communications. Initially, we encountered some unstable communication quality, which put us under considerable scrutiny and pressure," FANG, YI-HAN recalled. Wi-Fi settings, wireless IP phones, and the gateway can impact communication quality.
FANG, YI-HAN stated, "The EVOX team provided proactive assistance no matter what problems or difficulties we encountered. EVOX sales, technical, and customer service teams formed project teams with relevant colleagues to address specific issues we raised and held analysis and improvement meetings. Once we established trust with our partner, we were courageous enough to try new approaches."
The company's transformation journey never truly ends. To adapt to the rapidly changing industry and world, they have undergone two transformations since 2014. However, the overarching goal has always been to convey the company's core values: mutual benefit, trust, and innovation with a growth mindset. Similarly, EVOX, which adheres to a "win-win" philosophy, aims to provide customers not only with cloud communication services but also with a trustworthy, long-term collaborative partnership.
