mYngle – Language at your Fingertips!

Marina Tongnetti- mYngle

mYngle

Online education has proved to be one of the most effective ways of teaching and learning alike. Teachers are not only able to impart students effectively but also in a more engaging way and the students have the luxury to attend these at the luxury of their space and time, also enabling a more focused environment among both of them.

This rise in online educations and its demand has given rise to learning culture among the population, thus, people are looking forward to more interesting and unique courses, workshops, etc. to not only enhance their knowledge, give a boost to their career, but also to learn something they always wished to but did not have the time to go out and attend the same.

Courses, workshops, etc. are important but languages are the most interesting course which has always pulled a lot of people towards it but only a few could attend it due to the same issues with every other physical class. Now, since these courses are available to you over the internet, you should invoke that polyglot in you and attend these language courses from one of the best online platforms.

mYngle is one of the best when it comes to looking for a place to learn languages. They are not only the experts of providing these courses online but it is due to their delivery and manner in which they conduct these courses which have not only made them a highly popular company in this niche but have also established a dominant place among the competition in the market.

They have a team of expert coaches, providing one-on-one lessons, and if one has a doubt, regarding what language do they teach in, well they can impart these languages in 45 different languages, not only making them unique but also providing their excellence and unmatched services in the market and amongst the customers.

In conversation with the CEO of mYngle, Marina Tognetti. Let’s hear more about mYngle, the company’s services, and the CEO’s professional journey.

Please tell us about mYngle and the initial challenges faced after the company was founded.

mYngle offers customized language training programs through video conferencing in 45 different languages anytime, anywhere. Our lessons are one-on-one, with highly qualified native coaches, and related to the learner’s job position. Our virtual classrooms enable learners to take classes 24/7. mYngle is the solution for busy professionals who need language training to be successful in their international business, and for Companies that want great learning results and a transparent and controllable learning process to make their investment a success.

Building a business from scratch is always challenging, building a tech start-up disrupting an industry as traditional as that of education is exponentially more challenging (especially more than 10 years ago, when we started).

When we started, we were pioneering, amongst the first to provide one-to-one teaching of all languages over the internet. That meant that we had to bypass all sorts of resistances – those of a still immature market- especially the stereotypes that consumers had in their minds about education. Now online language education is setting the standards in terms of quality and flexibility. And we have been part of that.

Tell us about the services offered by mYngle and the factors that keep these services ahead of the competition in the market.

In mYngle we nurture an obsession for customer satisfaction, and this is also one of our key strengths. We look to continuously improve our service. We do so by constantly listening to users’ feedback and improving accordingly, as well as leveraging new technologies to our advantage.

This is also reflected in our internal evaluation systems and how we assess our job. We constantly monitor our users’ reactions and try to adjust accordingly, using adapted versions of NPS (Net Promoter Score), which defines that only excellence counts. Our average lessons’ scores are 4.9/5.0. And our first corporate customer is still with us, 10 years later… Results speak for themselves!

mYngle was one of the pioneers in live online (language) training, so now that we are at the cross-road, we can benefit from many years of experience and proven capabilities to deliver successful online training.

Innovation needs to add real value, everything should start and end with the customer. I order to achieve innovation, being agile is paramount. Throughout the past years, a lot has changed, in technology, the needs of customers, the economy, and now COVID. We’ve been able to secure our position as one of the leaders in our segment by being diligent to build solid principles, work processes, and a team that has the capability and will to change and adapt according to our always evolving surroundings. 

Tell us about your professional journey and any highlights you wish to share.

I am a tech entrepreneur, founder of myngle.com, but the passion for entrepreneurship came later on in my career. When I graduated from University was an era when entrepreneurship was not very common for academics. I, therefore, built first a successful career with large multinationals, Procter & Gamble, Philips, Sara Lee, The Boston Consulting Group, and eBay; living and working in different countries, and got an MBA from INSEAD.

It was when working as a consultant on a project on internet strategy that I first saw the potential of the internet to disrupt entire industries and change forever the way we buy/sell/interact. I had to be a part of that! That was the driver to start an innovative company as mYngle, as I knew I could make a real difference, putting in practice all I had learned in my career till then.

mYngle has won numerous awards as recognition for its contribution to online education: Accenture Innovation Award, European Ventures Summit Award, Benelux Venture Summit Award, and more later on. I also received numerous awards as founder and CEO of mYngle, such as 50 Most Inspiring Women Tech Leaders in Europe, 50 Most Inspiring Women in the Dutch Technology Sector, Iconic Women Creating a Better World for All, and many others. 

The best recognitions, however, are always those that come from customers. Our customers are extremely satisfied. Our average lessons’ scores are 4.9/5.0. And our first corporate client is still with us, 10 years later. Results speak for themselves!

How are the work culture and team of mYngle?

In mYngle we stimulate a culture of experimentation and allowing mistakes. Innovation cannot exist in a culture of fear of consequences. We try to develop people that think and not only do ‘’jobs’’. We look in our staff for entrepreneurs, people who do not keep the status quo but push themselves beyond their comfort zone. If you try ten new things, some will fail, some will be OK, and one will make a difference. We are looking for that ‘’special one’’.

What got amplified now with COVID’s lockdowns, is that employees’ well-being is even more vital, and encouraging and supporting employees through this time is almost more important than productivity. It’s about support, empowerment, empathy to keep a sense of belonging, let our people know that we are in this together. That means having a steady stream of communication, from the managers and between team members, to keep people updated on what’s going on and drive more virtual connectivity and culture.

Your take on the competition in the market and how it affects you or mYngle? 

Even before COVID, the (language) training market was already in the transition from offline to online, the shift accelerating in the past years. This age of quarantines, social distancing, and remote working fast-tracked the trend, and online education has become in many cases the only possible way of learning.  

In response to this increase in demand for online training, many traditional offline players have been rushing to find a quick-fix, moving their existing solutions online. Good remote training, however, is not just a matter of adding a tech solution for the virtual classroom and moving a teacher from a physical classroom to a computer, but it requires a whole new set of expertise and capabilities different from those of offline education. The way the training is delivered, the teaching, content, interaction, etc., all need to change to provide a good user experience.

I strongly believe that the key to success is not constantly comparing with competition, but aligning with what customers want. Constant focus on customers and their needs are one of our pillars and key strengths. This is particularly important when you are in an industry that, like that of online education, is in a transition or evolution phase, where the main challenge is not competition but the unawareness or inexperience of customers.

Education was (and in large part still is) operating in the old traditional way, offering learners what is available, not what they need. But “One size does not fit all.” By understanding the customer and diversifying our offer in terms of teacher- content- frequency, we can match each specific need.

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