Shift2 podcast #1 - 15 years of SIM Caribbean
The very first episode of the Shift2 podcast is online! In this episode, we look back on 15 years of SIM Caribbean with Mike de Ruiter, Managing Director of Shift2, and Wesley Eleonora, Managing Director of SIM Caribbean. Curious to hear the whole story?
A journey through time
SIM Caribbean, a subsidiary of Shift2, started in 2009 with the Aruban parliament as its first customer. Wesley Eleonora, who officially became Managing Director in 2010, talks about the early days of the company. "We started with one customer, and thanks to word of mouth, we grew quickly," says Wesley. Other clients soon followed, such as the Parliament of Curaçao and Fundashon Kas Popular.
Services that create connections
Today, SIM Caribbean offers a wide range of digital services. From websites and accessible forms to webcast solutions from Company Webcast and paperless meeting applications such as iBabs. Readspeaker, a read-aloud function for websites, and Spotler, for email marketing and webcare, are also part of the offering.
What makes this service special is the close collaboration with Shift2 in the Netherlands. "For a large part of our portfolio, implementation support is provided from the Netherlands," Mike explains. "The products are built at Shift2 and supported by our Dutch support team."
Looking ahead to the future
But it doesn't stop with the current successes. Wesley and Mike share their vision for the future, which focuses on further digitization. One of the most important steps is the introduction of online authentication options, similar to DigiD in the Netherlands. This step will significantly improve digital services and make them more efficient.
In addition, we are actively exploring the integration of AI technologies to optimize our services. "We also want to make our customers aware of aspects such as accessibility and security," says Wesley. "Even if they don't choose us, we want them to be able to make informed decisions."
Challenges and innovations
A key challenge remains bridging the gap between physical and digital services, particularly in the area of identity verification. However, there are promising developments on the horizon, such as the possible introduction of a social security number in the Caribbean, which would greatly improve digital authentication and service delivery.
Mike: "In the Netherlands, it is already possible to interact with the government entirely digitally. We want to bring the same possibilities to the Caribbean. It's about convenience and efficiency, just like with commercial platforms such as Amazon."
Listen to the podcast
Want to learn more about SIM Caribbean's fascinating journey, the challenges they've overcome, and their ambitious plans for the future? Listen to and/or watch the full podcast. Wesley and Mike share their personal stories, insights, and visions in a way you won't want to miss.
Listen to the podcast on Spotify Watch the podcast on YouTube