Maruyama：Yes, we do. While there are so many companies that use "human power" to do the behind-the-scenes system, i.e., matching and arranging nanny candidates to be dispatched, our system uses IT, so I think our strength is that customers can make reservations easily and quickly using our app. Nannies who have been requested before are displayed on the app as candidates with their photos, and you can choose from among them.
Editor: So you can complete your booking quickly online. Do you have any other features?
Yamada: Our company achieves a "100% response (dispatching a nanny)" even for same-day orders. No matter how urgent the request, we always arrange staff, which is a strength that no other company can match. Recently, we have seen a great increase in the number of orders outside of normal hours, such as from parents in the service industry who must work even when nursery schools and kindergartens are closed on Sundays and holidays, police officers and government ministries, and foreign securities companies who must respond to early morning and midnight markets. Our company's "24 hours a day, 365 days a year" is a revolutionary service format, and we also offer "services that basically do not say 'no'", such as "English language support" and "support for newborns and sick children".
The "Poppins System" that has continued to revolutionize the old-school nanny industry
Editor: I understand that the "Poppins System" is updated approximately every five years, in what year was this Poppins System released?
Maruyama: The current Poppins System 2015 was released in 2015 and allows you to take orders and view your reservations on your computer or smartphone. The app was also released in early 2019. We are currently developing a new version which we call internally "Poppins System 2020".
Editor: In versions prior to 2015, was it not possible to make reservations online?
Yamada: When the previous version of "Poppins System 2012" was released, smartphones had not yet become widespread. Instead, we made it possible for customers to place orders using so-called "gara-kei," which I think was the first initiative of its kind in the industry. At that time, we had to manually contact the nanny after the order was placed and send an email to introduce the product. What was revolutionary about the "Poppins System 2015" was that it could be viewed on smartphones as well as smartphones, and the coordinators could contact nannies and introduce customers, which had been done manually, fully automatically.
