Innovation is the essence of what puts a company in the comity of successful ones. It’s the very essence of what makes one company’s products and services better than the other. Keeping this mantra in mind, Nitin Chacko, MD and SBU Head of Ican BPO made his foray into business with a drive to challenge the status quo.
Ican BPO is a professional outfit run by experts and experienced talents, having retail online experience in the US and assisting in getting prominence on the Web through Pay per Click (PPC) on leading search engines like Google, Yahoo, etc. It is a one stop solution for all call centre requirements including. and not limited to backend finance and accounting but also payroll and tax management.
It was All about Establishing the Business
Being a thorough professional and having worked with names like Sitel, Wipro, InfoSys, Adventity, and managing accounts with annual revenues of over USD 10 mm, Nitin had gained enough experience and exposure to begin his entrepreneurial stint. The risk taking appetite came along with Nitin’s last stint as an employee with Adventity where he was fortunate enough to get a free hand in running one of the verticals. It was there along with Jagdish Iyer, his boss (Co-founder of Adventity) and now a partner where they conceptualized Ican and moved on to start it when Adventity got acquired by Sutherland in 2009. The mission at the outset was to create a bootstrapped company that stayed profitable from the word go and close to 8 years into it, they continue to do so.
Making the Natural Progress
Among the 4 partners, they share the responsibilities such that the key roles in IT, Operations, Business Development & Transitions, Finance, HR, Admin &Operations and Quality are covered. Each one of them wears multiple hats and while PAN India rolls into Nitin, he manages the IT and Finance teams across their delivery centres in multiple geographies and partner sites.
Crossing the Hurdles
The age never bothered and was never a hurdle for Nitin because the rich 10 years of experience benefited him. Yes, the lack of experience particularly in setting up a firm in India given that as opposed to the U.S., where one can incorporate a company in three days within $300, in India the mundane processes and licenses consume ample time and money, not to mention the under the table reprobates. Nitin further comments, “The old British policies require a huge round of revolution. The tax lobby should be made into one flat flap.”
Finding its Niche through Unique Approach
While most BPO consultancies cater to the needs of the large corporate houses and Fortune 100 or 500 companies, Ican extends its adroit services to the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME). SMEs maintain a laser-like focus on ROI and prefer taking measured steps after trying and testing and checking how the ROI is. Thus, a specialized and flexible dashboard management system is required. Outsourcing dashboard management system hence becomes the most viable recourse. This is when Ican come into play. With the adept workforce and support, Ican aids to all requirements of the SMEs.
The issue that SMEs confront very often while working with larger centres is the rigidness to do things on the fly and dynamism. Ican initiates the feel of the larger centres but at the same time willing to expedite things and work around to enable their clients to realize quicker ROI with unmatched cost benefits.
Management level interaction and quick access which typically is not available with other centres thereby enabling things to be fast tracked towards the betterment of the process or program, adds to the USP of Ican.
Setting the Right Tone
To make all this happen, Nitin needed to formulate a set of clear strategy like the ability to fold your sleeves and literally do everything that your junior most staff can do is the biggest lesson that has impacted the way he worked. Nitin goes on to say, “This in the true sense is what makes you lead by example. “
On a Lighter Note
Nitin asserts that qualities like Adaptability, Perseverance, Risk taking ability, Accountability, Farsighted, Dynamic and Maverick are some of the required traits of an entrepreneur.
Nitin’s Attribute towards Success
Nitin was fortunate and lucky to have been groomed by wonderful bosses, who have trusted him to take ownership, which allowed him to learn from mistakes. Sowing the same seed in his people’s mind has unearthed quite a few leaders who have lived up to his expectations, but this backfires once in a while. So, Nitin attributes his success to people who he has worked with and worked for.
Nitin Chacko: An Agile Entrepreneur with Broader Vision
