Accelerating LINE Sukimani’s Rise in the Gig Economy with Appointment Setting

Case Study: LINE Corporation

Industry: Technology & Communications

In March 2021, LINE Corporation, the creator of Japan’s leading messaging platform, launched Sukimani, a service designed to connect individuals looking to work “for just a few hours” or “as soon as tomorrow” with companies in need of flexible staffing solutions.

The platform aims to create a more adaptable and efficient work environment wherein workers can work when and where they want while still receiving fair wages.

To drive the adoption of this new platform, LINE Corporation partnered with TMJ to develop and execute strategic outbound operations, focusing on securing business meetings with corporate users. Through this initiative, LINE continues to support businesses in optimizing their workforce while providing individuals with more flexible work opportunities.

The Challenge

LINE Corporation faced several critical challenges in launching their new employment matching service:

• Market Awareness: LINE Sukimani was not yet well known among its target corporate users, particularly in the logistics, retail, and food service industries.
• Resource Constraints: While initial attempts with the internal sales team proved that outbound calls were effective, they lacked the resources to handle everything in-house.
• Process Complexity: Moving leads from initial contact to business negotiation and final contract required significant time and effort.
• Scale Requirements: There was a need to reach recruiters directly on a scale to increase the number of business negotiations.
• Implementation Speed: A rapid deployment of an effective outbound strategy was required to build market presence.

The Solution

After evaluating multiple potential partners, LINE selected TMJ to develop and implement a comprehensive outbound marketing solution.

1. Strategic Planning & Analysis:

• Provided detailed and realistic performance simulations
• Developed clear ROI calculations
• Created accurate projections for man-hour requirements
• Leveraged previous experience working with LINE to enhance planning

2. Implementation Approach:

• Took a methodical, step-by-step improvement approach
• Demonstrated strong commitment to results despite uncertainties
• Showed deep understanding of LINE’s work processes
• Established clear communication protocols

3. Quality Assurance:

• Implemented robust performance monitoring
• Created feedback loops for continuous improvement
• Maintained high standards in customer interactions
• Developed systems for capturing market intelligence

“TMJ’s proposal was highly appropriate and reliable in terms of the simulation of the results of the outsourced work and the calculation of man-hours. Their attitude of starting from a down-to-earth place and improving step by step was particularly impressive.”

• Kohei Saito, Sales Leader, LINE Sukimani Team, LINE Corporation

The Result

The partnership between LINE and TMJ delivered significant results across multiple areas :

• Exceeding Expectations:
  • Increase in Lead Flow: Resulted in acquiring more business opportunities.
  • Response Time: Faster turnaround in responding to contacts and inquiries.
  • Implementation: Rapid deployment of improvements when needed.
  • Integration: Achieved collaboration that felt like an internal team rather than an outsourced partner.
• Business Impact:
• Market Expansion: Successfully increased corporate user base
• Employee Motivation: Early successes helped increase internal team motivation
• Market Intelligence: Gathered valuable customer voices and reactions through outbound calls
• Strategy Support: Provided insights helpful for future business strategy formulation

Operational Excellence:

• Communication: Maintained immediate responses to contact and inquiries
• Process Improvement: Demonstrated dedication to supporting LINE Sukimani’s future
• Team Integration: Operated as if working together within the company
• Quality Maintenance: Sustained high standards across all interactions

“TMJ’s ability to respond to requests and their speed of improvement exceeded my expectations. Generally speaking, when outsourcing, feedback on our actions can be slow. However, the people at TMJ respond immediately to our contact and inquiries, so it feels like we are working together in the same company. I am very happy that everyone involved in this project is dedicated to supporting “LINE Sukimani” with a better future in mind.”

• Kohei Saito, Sales Leader, HR Service Division, LINE Corporation

Looking Ahead:

As LINE Sukimani continues to address Japan’s ongoing labor shortage challenges, the partnership between LINE and TMJ plays a significant role in achieving their vision of becoming the number one platform in the field of one-time employment matching services.

This partnership has set a strong foundation for LINE Sukimani’s continued growth in the Japanese market, supporting its mission of creating a world where workers can choose when and where they work while receiving fair wages.

The collaboration has allowed LINE to focus on broader strategic initiatives while maintaining confidence in its outbound operations. LINE Sukimani and TMJ remain committed to driving growth through effective outbound operations and market intelligence gathering.

The success of this partnership highlights TMJ’s ability to support innovative companies in launching new services through accurate performance forecasting, a realistic approach to targets, quick response to requests, a deep understanding of client processes, and an unwavering commitment to results.