From Work Human to Woku: The Story Behind Our Name
How a simple name change transformed our vision into woku, the software that simplifies customer experience management with clarity and purpose.
At the end of December 2022, Diego and I decided to start again. We saw a great opportunity to help companies capture customer feedback and, at the same time, recognize the efforts of their workers. The idea was clear, but we lacked something essential: a good name.↓
We wanted something short, memorable and that would convey our vision. So, after a lot of thought, we arrived at “Work Human”. We liked the concept, but there was a problem: it was too long and in English, two things that didn't go with our idea of simplicity. So, we're still looking for something more direct and simple.↑
Less than five letters. That's key
Many brands we admire have short names, five letters or less. And the best part is that they are easy to remember. Thus, little by little, we arrived at “woku”.
We loved it. It was short, easy to pronounce, and we decided to leave the name in lower case to keep our techie approach, as if it were a programming variable. In addition, the domain woku.app was available, so we didn't hesitate for a second. We bought it right away. It was a quick decision, but it was fundamental to what is our brand today.3,4
The time to pivot... and not change the name
In September 2023, when we decided to make a shift to customer experience management software, we didn't even consider changing the name. Why? Because an incredible thing happened with “woku”: the brand started to work on all levels.
- The company is called Woku.
- The app is woku.
- And the tool for capturing reviews is also a woku.
It's a lot like what happens with TikTok: the brand, the app and the content you see all have the same name. This same idea was what we explained to Fernanda, our COO, when she joined the team. At first, I wasn't sure what exactly “woku” meant, but when we used the analogy with TikTok, she understood right away.3,4
Do you remember “Benefit”? We'd rather not do it
Before all this happened, the tool had another name: Benefit. A name that, honestly, was not very good or fully understood. It was Diego's idea, and although he's usually not very accurate with names, he's always willing to recognize when a better option appears. And so it was.↓
When we started using “woku” for the most important assets, everything came together so naturally that we didn't need to look any further. The simplicity and clarity we lacked with Benefit was now felt in every interaction with our brand/.
Today, “woku” is not just a name, it's our essence: simple, direct and powerful.