We interviewed Mr. Takuya Kakikawa and Ms. Chie Hagihara from the Information Systems Group, Business Administration Department at Encourage Technologies Co., Ltd., about the background behind introducing Repsona and their experience using it.

Please tell us about your business.

Ms. Hagihara:
Encourage Technologies is a company that aims to realize the ideal form of system operations for our customers.

Rather than simply responding to requests, we engage in active discussions and interviews with our clients to uncover the true intent behind their challenges and needs. Based on that understanding, we develop and provide packaged software that creates new value.
One of our main products is ESS REC, software that records system operations. While most operation logs are text-based, ESS REC records them as video, allowing users to review them just like watching a video. Unlike text logs, which require interpretation, the visual playback makes it much easier to understand what actually happened—and this has made the product very popular.

In addition, we develop and provide software that ensures the safe operation of systems, such as file sanitization tools, privileged ID misuse prevention, and access control solutions for critical systems.

ESS REC – A system operation audit and traceability solution

Please tell us about your role at the company.

Ms. Hagihara:
We belong to the Information Systems Group within the Business Administration Department. This department doesn’t handle product sales; rather, it provides a shared operational foundation for the entire company. We manage company-wide software such as attendance management, customer management, and accounting systems.
We’re also responsible for system operations that support all employees—such as maintaining network infrastructure and setting up employee computers.

We held a remote interview in a very relaxed atmosphere.

What issues did you face before using Repsona?

Ms. Hagihara:
There are four of us managing system operations (both applications and infrastructure) for a company of 200 people. The range of tasks we handle is broad, and the workload is enormous. Since I joined the company, it has felt like we’ve been riding endless waves of busyness.

Mr. Kakikawa:
Originally, I managed everything in Excel—a kind of task management sheet based on our monthly report format. I would insert rows, add tasks, reassign people, and manage parent-child relationships by cutting, copying, and moving cells. But as our team grew and the number of tasks increased, it became too much to handle.

Ms. Hagihara:
Excel-based task management was just too hard to use. We couldn’t easily see who was responsible, what the deadlines were, or how far things had progressed. I thought, “This isn’t working—let’s find something better!” and started looking for a tool.

Mr. Kakikawa:
“She said, ‘Let’s stop being Excel craftsmen!’”

Ms. Hagihara:
Yes! I believed there had to be something better than our current setup—something simple and affordable.

In my previous job, I used MS Project. By entering man-hours, you can quickly visualize the overall schedule on the Timeline (Gantt Chart). Conversely, when you have a delivery deadline, you can work backward to see when each phase and resource allocation needs to be completed. That feature was very convenient, so when choosing a new tool, we looked for one that met these key requirements:

• Usable Timeline (Gantt chart)
• Task management with TODOs
• Ability to comment on tasks

And among the options we found, Repsona met all of them.

Why did you choose Repsona?

Ms. Hagihara:
There were many task management tools available, but those that included a Gantt chart function were often too expensive for our budget. When I tried Repsona—which lets you use the Timeline (Gantt chart) for free—it was so good we wondered, “Is it really okay to use this for free?” So we decided to go with Repsona.

In our case, there are many job categories, and in practice we wanted to create and manage multiple projects, so we switched to a paid plan. Even then, I think it’s still very affordable for a product that includes a Gantt chart feature.

Repsona with free Timeline (Gantt chart)

How do you feel about using Repsona?

Mr. Kakikawa:
I use Repsona every day, and it’s incredibly convenient. Unlike before, the status of each task is now clear—we can instantly filter by deadline or assignee, and it’s easy to manage a large number of tasks. The era of “Excel craftsmen” is over.

Ms. Hagihara:
The support has been excellent. Whenever an issue arises, the response is very quick. I was a little concerned about chat-based support, but they replied right away—it felt like getting an instant FAQ.

I also appreciate how fast the updates are. Various features have improved in such a short period of time. Normally, specification changes can be hit or miss, but Repsona’s updates always feel right.

What do you expect from Repsona in the future?

Ms. Hagihara:
I hope it will continue to evolve and adapt. I think Repsona’s design is rooted in managing development schedules, which makes it especially well-suited for “projects with clear delivery dates.” However, in our work, some tasks are long-term with no fixed deadline, while others are one-off tasks that come up frequently. That’s why I feel Repsona could benefit from a bit more flexibility in how tasks are completed. With that, it would become even more accessible to people in a wider range of industries and workflows.

Mr. Kakikawa:
Right now, I mainly use task management and the Timeline (Gantt chart). Repsona also has other useful features like charts and productivity tracking, and I’d like to explore those more. I’d love to see more examples or best practices from other companies, too. Since it’s affordable and easy to introduce, I hope to roll it out to other departments within our company.
First, though, we want to master it ourselves and then share that knowledge company-wide.

I’m also looking forward to updates that make day-to-day work even more convenient—such as color-coded statuses, activity displays, and print exports for reporting.