In this Q&A, we speak with Matt Matsui, EcoOnline’s new Chief Operating Officer, about his background, leadership approach, and vision for the future. While still in the early stages at EcoOnline, Matt shares his initial insights and ongoing learning as he works closely with teams. Read on for Matt’s thoughts on fostering an employee-led safety culture, leveraging AI for better decision-making, and building strong customer and partner relationships.
Can you share a bit about your background and what led you to join EcoOnline as Chief Operating Officer?
I began my career in technology with Anderson Consulting, working on large systems and data projects. I quickly realised technology alone isn’t enough—successful solutions need to consider people and processes alongside tech. This led me to operational consulting at Arthur Andersen, where I focused on optimising people and processes to enable technology. Over the past 35 years, I’ve applied this philosophy in various roles, particularly in SaaS. What drew me to EcoOnline was the opportunity to combine my experience with a company that has a mission to protect people and the planet. This combination made EcoOnline the perfect fit for me.
How do your past roles in the SaaS industry shape your approach to leading EcoOnline’s development and customer support functions?
In SaaS, I’ve learned that development and customer support are part of the same continuum. These functions must work hand-in-hand to deliver the best experience. For EcoOnline, this means ensuring customer feedback directly informs our product development, and our support teams are equipped to help customers make the most of our solutions. The goal is a seamless experience where development and support proactively address customer needs.
Working at customer engagement software vendor Calabrio, how have you seen customer service evolve, and what are the 3 basic needs that need to be met by every customer?
Customer service has evolved from a transaction to a deeper relationship. I believe there are three key needs that every customer has: functional, emotional, and social. The functional need is the most basic—customers want a product that does what it says it will do. The emotional need comes next—customers want to feel valued, heard, and understood. Finally, the social need speaks to the responsibility that organisations have to make a positive impact. Customers increasingly want to partner with companies that align with their values and have a positive social footprint. EcoOnline’s mission to protect people and the planet resonates deeply with this need and sets us apart in the marketplace.
How does EcoOnline’s mission influence your approach to product development and innovation?
The mission is the heart of everything we do at EcoOnline. For me, it’s not just about developing products; it’s about creating solutions that have a positive, lasting impact. The “why” behind what we do is just as important as the “how.” This mission drives constant innovation to ensure our solutions are not only cutting-edge but meaningful. It helps guide decisions, particularly when balancing innovation with responsibility. Passion for this mission fuels creativity and focus. At EcoOnline, we’re building solutions that contribute to a safer, more sustainable world.
Customer Colas commented, “We looked at a number of suppliers, and I think the thing that stood out was the product suited what we wanted. But also, we really like the people. They were very open and honest, and they lived up to every promise they made.” How do you ensure EcoOnline listens to customer needs and delivers on promises in product development?
Ensuring that we listen to customer needs and fulfil our promises is at the core of EcoOnline’s approach. We look at customer feedback as a key driver for our product roadmap. In fact, around two-thirds of our roadmap comes directly from customer needs, with the remaining third being driven by our responsibility to introduce innovative solutions that they might not have realised are possible. We engage through feedback loops, focus groups, and our ideas portal. It’s not just about listening, but also actively understanding their challenges through site visits and collaboration. By staying close to customers and being proactive, we can ensure we deliver on our promises.
What customer-centric frameworks are you excited to introduce to enhance onboarding and ensure long-term success for clients?
I’m excited about customer journey mapping, which ensures we understand every customer touchpoint. This framework allows us to see the experience through the customer’s eyes—from initial contact to deployment and ongoing support. The key is consistency, ensuring every touchpoint aligns with customer expectations. I also believe strongly in using the Voice of the Customer programme to collect continuous feedback. No news is not good news. It helps us assess whether we’re meeting our customers’ needs and whether we’re providing the best possible experience, and it gives us the opportunity to adjust quickly if we’re not.
You’ve developed workforce engagement solutions for customer-facing agents. How do you envision EcoOnline applying similar principles to foster a worker-led safety culture?
At the core of workforce engagement is empowerment. In my previous roles, I’ve seen how providing frontline workers with the right tools and information leads to better decisions and outcomes. This is crucial for safety culture as well. Safety shouldn’t just be rules from management but something workers actively manage. By giving them the right insights, we can help them make real-time decisions. AI assists by processing large amounts of data and highlighting risks that might be overlooked. The goal is to shift safety management from reactive to proactive, enabling workers to identify risks and take preventive actions. I’m excited about how AI can help workers manage safety more effectively, making workplaces safer and boosting productivity.
How do you see AI enhancing EcoOnline’s safety and sustainability offerings?
AI is a game changer when it comes to both safety and sustainability, though it applies differently in each area. In safety, AI detects emerging risks by analysing data to identify patterns human workers might miss, allowing for proactive intervention. For sustainability, AI helps companies make smarter decisions by assessing the environmental impact of their actions, such as reducing waste or optimising energy use.
As our CEO, Tom Goodmanson, has said, AI is central to the journey from compliance to visibility to predictability. Initially, AI helps with compliance, but as we move forward, it will offer visibility into trends and eventually allow companies to predict risks and impacts before they happen.
These are my initial thoughts, and I’m still diving deeper into sustainability. I look forward to working with the teams to explore AI’s full potential, not only in safety but also in predicting the environmental impacts of business decisions, which will be crucial for our ESG goals.
How can EcoOnline strengthen relationships with partners to ensure mutual success as the company evolves its product offerings?
Building strong relationships with partners is vital to our mutual success. Partners are not just an extension of EcoOnline but of our customers—representing their needs. This means offering them the same support, training, and resources that we offer our internal teams, and ensuring they have everything they need to successfully support our customers. We also need to listen to our partners, understand their challenges, and work together to address them. Ultimately, our success depends on their success, so investing in collaborative relationships is key.
Could you share your working philosophy and how it drives your leadership approach at EcoOnline?
I believe in a growth mindset. It’s not about success or failure; it’s about learning and evolving. I want to create an environment at EcoOnline where people feel empowered to experiment, innovate, and grow. This mindset encourages adaptability and resilience. We all have the capacity to learn and grow, which drives us to push forward. As I continue my journey at EcoOnline, I’m eager to meet customers, collaborate with teams, and adapt my approach as I gain more insights.
