Communication with users is activated through review submissions. This has greatly contributed to raising motivation within the company.
Case Study Interview
Global Power Co., Ltd., the operator of "NINJA," a job-hunting and recruitment website for foreigners living in Japan. After learning that companies in the inbound tourism sector were adopting review tools, Global Power decided to be a pioneer in the HR industry by implementing U-KOMI. This move revitalized communication with users and boosted the motivation of the company’s staff. We
spoke with 利重様, who is in charge of U-KOMI operations at the company, to learn about the reasons behind the implementation and its effects.
Operating a job-hunting and recruitment site for foreigners living in Japan
First, could you tell us about your business?
We operate “NINJA,” a job-hunting and recruitment site for foreign professionals living in Japan who possess business-level or higher Japanese language skills. The companies posting job listings are based in Japan and range in size from startups to small and medium-sized businesses to large corporations. We specialize in office-based roles such as international sales, trade administration, and customer support.
What are your strengths compared to other job services for foreign talent?
93% of members registered on “NINJA” reside in Japan, and over 78% have business-level or higher Japanese proficiency. This allows companies to recruit foreign talent who understand Japanese culture and business practices, enabling them to conduct hiring activities with peace of mind. Additionally, the ability to verify residency status and expiration dates before scouting, combined with the fact that it is a completely success-based fee model with no upfront costs, means companies can get started without risk—a significant benefit for hiring firms.
After learning about case studies from companies in the inbound tourism sector, we decided to implement U-KOMI
Please tell us about the challenges you faced before implementing a review tool and what prompted you to adopt it.
We didn’t have any specific issues with user reviews to begin with, but I happened to meet with a U-KOMI sales representative and heard about case studies of review tools being implemented by inbound-related companies such as hotels, ryokans, and e-commerce sites. Based on my own personal experience—where I’ve increasingly relied on reviews before purchasing products—I began to feel that users of NINJA might also need access to user reviews.
Additionally, I realized that few companies in Japan were effectively utilizing reviews on job-search platforms. I believed that implementing a review tool now would help us stand out from competitors and provide valuable information to our users, which is why I began to see the potential in review tools.
Did you consider any services other than U-KOMI as a review tool?
We compared and evaluated two other services in addition to U-KOMI. One was provided by an overseas company, and the other was from a different domestic company.
However, with one of them, I felt uneasy because the details and breakdown of the quoted price were unclear. While their proposals regarding support and sales were good, the pricing structure based on features and services was difficult to understand, so I felt it would be difficult to proceed with a deal.
The other company offered a service with a strong visual appeal, but we felt it wasn’t a good fit for our own services, so we decided to pass on it.
What were the deciding factors in choosing U-KOMI?
There were various factors, but I particularly appreciated that we could request reviews only from people who actually used the site to secure a job or change careers, and that we wouldn’t collect reviews from people who didn’t use it. I also found it very user-friendly that we could blur out proper nouns like company names and contact names in reviews before publishing them
, and that the “Pickup” feature allows us to highlight specific reviews we want users to see at the top of the list. The masking feature for proper nouns, in particular, is something other services didn’t offer, so we find it very useful.I also find it
convenient that we can request reviews separately for the site itself and for individual recruitment agencies, allowing us to collect feedback on each separately.
Incidentally, when searching for “NINJA Reviews,” we currently appear at the top of the search results. Previously, summary articles containing reviews from people whose actual usage was unclear would appear at the top, but since we were able to change that, I feel the SEO impact has been very significant. The support
response time is fast, and I’m glad we implemented this.
Collecting reviews has boosted internal motivation and revitalized communication with users
What kind of results have you seen since implementing U-KOMI?
Since the period when we implemented internal SEO measures overlapped with the time we introduced U-KOMI, I can’t provide quantitative results, but the biggest benefit has been a boost in internal motivation. In a business that relies on recruitment platforms, there are rarely opportunities to hear “thank you” directly from users; interactions are typically limited to handling inquiries about issues or complaints.
However, since introducing U-KOMI, the number of times we receive positive feedback—such as “Thanks to NINJA, I was able to land my dream job”—has increased dramatically. This is incredibly rewarding for our operations staff and has boosted their motivation to improve our site and services. Eventually, we hope to use these reviews as material for advertising and PR.
Another major benefit of the implementation is the increased volume of communication with users. Previously, we primarily disseminated information unilaterally through newsletters and similar channels, and could only gauge user satisfaction through metrics like click-through and open rates. Since introducing U-KOMI, we’ve been able to engage in two-way communication, allowing us to capture users’ more genuine needs and sentiments.
Finally, could you share your expectations for U-KOMI moving forward, or any potential use cases you’re considering?
In the future, I would like to be able to send review requests at specific times tailored to each user. Currently, we set a uniform timing, such as “send X days after registration,” but I believe the service would be even better if we could send requests flexibly at our discretion—for example, immediately after a hiring decision is made or right after sending a gift card as a congratulatory gesture.
