XM Knowledge Base
Microsoft + Qualtrics
“Qualtrics is helping us become a force for good on an incredible scale.”
MICROSOFT ACHIEVED
MySkills4Afrika
program
implemented
2M
Lives
positively
impacted
86
Percent
program
satisfaction
Overview
Microsoft’s MySkills4Afrika program has given talented entrepreneurs on the world’s second-largest continent access to the tools and resources needed for organizational growth. But when you’re managing a program that reaches millions of stakeholders, you need a data collection and feedback management solution that scales without sacrifice.
How do you deliver a continent’s worth of insights to 130,000 volunteers?
Microsoft recognized that there was an abundance of entrepreneurial talent in Africa but observed that startups with huge potential were struggling because of lack of access tothe right workers and infrastructure. In Africa, Microsoft saw a burgeoning business market-ready to ignite if given adequate strategic support.
In 2013, Microsoft decided to mobilize its own workforce and created the MySkills4Afrika (MS4A) program, through which 130,000 highly skilled Microsoft employees from all over the world have volunteered to donate their time, talent, and expertise to help build a successful and dynamic future for Africa.
From the beginning, Microsoft was committed to changing millions of lives and to using its intellectual capital to help grow an entire business market—their attitude was truly “boom or bust.” But roaring ahead with such an ambitious initiative required Microsoft to have real-time data collection and feedback management processes in place to correct course whenever needed and to track progress over time. Microsoft chose Qualtrics for its flexibility, power, and ease of use.
Success described with data
Qualtrics surveys made it easy for Microsoft to develop profiles of volunteers’ skills and interests. This gave Microsoft the ability to pair volunteers with the right projects—projects involving companies like Totohealth, a health care startup that uses SMS and voice technology to reduce mortality rates in mothers and children by sending timely messages, alerts, and helpful information to participants. With Totohealth, parents are better able to recognize and act on abnormalities or danger signs.
Using Qualtrics, the MS4A program can collect experience data for the benefit of both program volunteers and beneficiaries. For example, Microsoft found that 86% of beneficiaries involved in the MS4A program said that the program delivered a sustainable difference to their organization. Proving that the program has been a mutual success, 98% of assignments positively impacted one or more of Microsoft’s business objectives. 97% of participating Microsoft employees reported that MS4A has led to positive developments in theirleadership skills.
These data points all point toward continued successes for Microsoft in Africa, and they were all collected in real-time using Qualtrics. Microsoft continues to stay informed with timely insights as they develop the world’s best blueprint for how corporations can serve emerging markets with confidence and improve countless lives at the same time.
Microsoft saw promise and transformed it into opportunity
Mteto Nyati
CTO, Microsoft Africa
Every organization that we’ve worked with—I’m extremely proud of them and what they’ve been able to accomplish. Without Qualtrics, we would not have been able to assess our impact and improve the program.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft has long been one of theworld’s leading and most profitable technology companies. Many of its brands have become household names, including Microsoft Office, Windows, Internet Explorer, Skype, and Xbox.
MICROSOFT.COM/AFRICA/4AFRIKA/Industry
Technology
Region
Global
Company Size
Large
Business Type
B2C & B2B