COVID-19 has forced us to forget about face-to-face communications for a while and start to adopt this new online reality. The tech industry is not an exception and, probably, is one of the few sectors that are able to transfer full-stack operations to the virtual environment. In the new series of articles, EIF Blog will be exploring tech companies, based in the regions of Armenia.

ArchiDutch is a consultancy and service provider for the construction industry with more than 20 years of experience in the Netherlands. The company adds value to the work of architects, building engineers, contractors and real estate managers.

The company’s Vanadzor branch is based at Vanadzor Technology Center. Its core activities include BIM modeling, 3D rendered visualizations and the development of real estate project websites.

Online communication has never caused problems

Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company has well developed remote work culture. The staff in Vanadzor communicates with the head office on a daily basis.

“For communication we use Zoom and to exchange large files or work together on projects, Autodesk BIM360. These are the main tools, besides those, there are also different ways to stay in touch with the teams,” EIF Blog was told in the company. 

Lots of online free training and webinars

The company’s Vanadzor team is trained by Dutch colleagues which is a continuous process. According to the company representatives, those training sessions help to have more professional staff and stay competitive not only in Armenia but also in the European market. 

Besides that, the company offers a lot of free online training and webinars to students and professionals. They can participate in those training sessions while staying safe at home and get certified by Autodesk. 

Some processes went to optimization

As the remote format is not a new way of working for the team, it never stopped the processes during the isolation. 

“Of course, some processes went to optimization: we have just strengthened and developed the approaches in remote working and found more efficient ways for online communication and learning”.

According to the team, one of the advantages of remote work is getting help from colleagues on time. 

“If you are ‘online’, the distance becomes much smaller if you have teams in two different countries”.

One of the shortcomings of remote work is the unstable Internet connection. Luckily, it’s a rare issue for both offices.

Remote helps to learn more about your staff

Working remotely brings a lot of funny moments to ArchiDutch.

“Some funny situations happened to us during the isolation days: during the online meetings from home, you could often hear kids in the background screaming or dogs barking, which was a good chance to know the whole family. It was an opportunity to learn more about your staff who are parents, brothers and sisters out of the office walls”. 

Vanadzor Technology Center (VTC) is aimed at turning the city into a regional high-tech hub by creating a dynamic environment of opportunities and services that will promote job creation, support talented youth and organizations in implementing innovative business ideas. The ultimate goal of VTC is to contribute to the sustainable development of the region.