Publicis Sapient TechWiz Quiz: Gamifying Learning To Find A Novel Solution For A Traditional Problem

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For over three decades, Publicis Sapient has edged past competitors to become a leader in the world of digital transformation - utilizing the disruptive power of technology and ingenuity. How does it do that? In its own words, “by elevating customer experiences, modernizing organizations and unlocking value through technology and data.”

When it comes to empowering its business partners, Publicis Sapient works on digital transformation goals that are bold, yet achievable. It’s how the company has established a global presence, with 56 offices across 20 countries. And what’s its secret to success? Hiring the right people who share the company’s values and purpose. 

Today, Publicis Sapient has a skilled workforce of 20,000+ individuals. And it is constantly working to reward and engage its employees in ways that complement their skill sets. 

The following case study highlights how Publicis Sapient envisioned improving employee engagement. And how Unstop helped bring that vision to life in a seamless manner.

Keeping Up With The Employees

Publicis Sapient considers openness, collaboration, learning and unlearning as one of its core values. Naturally, it envisioned a way to improve employee engagement that simultaneously helped people improve their skills, test their knowledge, and gain valuable insights.

The goal was to foster learning and engagement but make it fun, moving beyond the traditional modes of engagement. However, effectively translating this idea into an actionable strategy and ensuring a smooth experience for all parties involved proved to be a challenge. Though a quizzing marathon appeared to be the ideal solution, it wasn’t easy to pull it off. 

Publicis Sapient needed a way to efficiently host daily quizzes, maintain a leaderboard and formulate questions on varied topics while limiting manual effort. That’s when Unstop stepped in, taking over the execution and fine-tuning the idea to eventually launch TechWiz Quiz.

Learning Through Gamification

Unstop understood the assignment - learning through gamification while promoting community building. It took the idea of a quizzing marathon and finetuned it to ensure that the core need is met - employee engagement. In early 2022, Publicis Sapient partnered with Unstop to launch its flagship property, TechWiz Quiz. 

TechWiz Quiz is a quizzing extravaganza that challenges participants’ technical quotient, based on Publicis Sapient’s engineering focus areas. Publicis Sapient and Unstop conducted the third season of the quiz in April 2023. 

A quizzing marathon, it includes the following rounds: 

i) Daily quizzes: This lasts anywhere between four to five days. Each day a quiz is conducted online. Together, the quizzes act as qualifier rounds.
ii) Semi-Final Round: Candidates shortlisted from the qualifier round participate in a live, virtual quiz. 
iii) Grande Finale: Participants shortlisted from the semi-final compete in the grand finale. It’s a live, interactive quiz, conducted virtually. 

Unstop ensured it undertook the three crucial tasks involved in organizing a quizzing marathon, namely: 

• Generating questions for daily quizzes as well as the final rounds. 
• Consistently conducting week-long quizzes. 
• Maintaining a leaderboard that enabled evaluators to shortlist candidates

Through Unstop’s robust tech platform conducting a daily quiz with active participation was made easy with no manual efforts involved. Automated reminders, maintaining leaderboards, and all associated tasks with conducting a daily quiz were executed on the Unstop platform. 

In a nutshell, Unstop leveraged its expertise in conducting comprehensive quizzes to offer a seamless experience to Publicis Sapient and its employees. And the result speaks for itself.  

This Is What Success Looks Like

Season 3 of the TechWiz Quiz was conducted earlier this year, in April 2023. Yes, in just one year, three seasons of the TechWiz Quiz have been conducted on Unstop. With each season, the quiz received an overwhelming response. Publicis Sapient was able to make employee engagement fun, while also promoting excellence at work. 

Anurag Kumar, an architect at Publicis Sapient, had this to say about TechWiz: 

“I recently had the opportunity to participate in the TechWiz Quiz '23 organized by Publicis Sapient, and it was an amazing experience! Not only did I have a blast testing my knowledge and skills, but I also learned a lot and gained valuable insights on some of the things I can improve upon. Really impressed by the high level of talent and expertise displayed by so many passionate individuals who have come together to challenge themselves and promote healthy competition. Thanks to Publicis Sapient for fostering a fun and collaborative environment to enable continuous learning and professional development. Our culture promotes excellence and encourages us to be the best we can be.”

Raghav Mohata, a software developer at Publicis Sapient, was a semi-finalist in season 3.

He expressed that TechWiz “was an incredible opportunity for me to learn about the latest advancements in the technology industry and test my knowledge. The quiz was challenging yet engaging, and I'm grateful for the chance to be a part of it.”

Vaishali Grover, an engineer with Publicis Sapient echoed Mohata’s sentiment. She too participated in season 3 of the event and expressed that the quiz was a “thrilling experience” that put her tech knowledge to the test, helping her learn a lot. 

“Events like the TechWiz Quiz reinforce the culture of learning and growth that is ingrained in the organization. I had a fantastic time participating in the quiz and connecting with like-minded individuals who share a passion for technology,” said Grover. 

Senior Associate (Data Engineering) at Publicis Sapient, Partha Sahoo, was transported to the good, old days of school.

As he puts it, “Quizzing was one of my favorite activities back in school, and it kind of felt like I was reliving that experience. While the cash prizes and rewards are great, I think the most important thing I've gained out of this is visibility. It feels incredible to be recognized at this level.”

Across three seasons, TechWiz enabled Publicis Sapient employees to relive the joy and excitement of competition and quizzing. At the same time, they also found a chance to learn from and collaborate with like-minded individuals, test their own knowledge, and gain visibility in the workplace. 

Publicis Sapient and Unstop partnered to change what employee engagement could look like. If you too are looking for novel solutions to traditional problems, contact coffee@unstop.com.