Established in 1991, Software@Work focuses on providing solutions that are designed specifically for SMEs and distributed enterprise markets. To expand its territory it started developing custom software applications for inventory control in early 1992. Right from the beginning, the company emphasized on solutions tailored specially to the mid-market as it was easy to implement and provide a quick return on investment and low total cost of ownership.
It observed that SME’s don’t operate with documented processes and hence it was challenging to automate their processes. It then added Tally an emerging product as an off-the-shelf software offering. This initiative was appreciated by the customers, who saw immense value and could computerize their accounts. It also developed customized solutions in and around Tally so that the best of both worlds was available to the customers.
Software@Work has been successfully running over for two decades and has a strong customer-base counting over thousands. The company has left an impact on the lives of many and continues to expand its outreach by providing convenient services and solutions. Over the years, it has also added Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Goldmine- A CRM software to its offerings. It has recently added SAP Business One to its portfolio.
A Resourceful Founder
Diligent personality is what describes Vikram Seth, the Founder of Software@Work. He is a chartered accountant by qualification having an extensive experience of over two decades in the IT field. He studied database programming at New York University (NYU) and is a Commerce Graduate from Sydenham College of Commerce, Mumbai University and qualified as a Chartered Accountant after that.
During the process of auditing large clients, he noticed that the clients had access to a well-defined software, experienced consultants and higher budgets. However, SME’s did not have access to qualified consultants or reasonable software. Hence, he started the journey to make great business software accessible to Indian SME’s.
When business owners try to find software beyond the realm of accounting , they are flooded with options and have sales people chasing them to buy their solution which is the best. Sometimes, unfortunately they end up buying software on the advice of a sales person and later realise that it was not the right decision. Business owners needs unbiased advice on what technology or software to acquire since they may not have time to find the right solution
“Whenever we meet a prospective client, an analysis of needs and challenges is done with a view to determine the best solution. Our goal is to offer business software that runs immediately and is affordable to buy and maintain. We customize software only on a need basis to ensure that there is a balance of cost, time and product fit”, adds Vikram.
The services do not remain limited to one or two software products, but crosses the spectrum of many products currently available. It keeps scanning the business software product horizon to ensure that great software and solutions are made available to its customers. That’s what led the company to launch SoftwareHunt (www.softwarehunt.in) a platform to offer quick and cost effective solutions using the best software products.
Fostering with Amenities
Software@Work concentrates on offering the customers with readymade or customized solutions in a personalized manner. It believes in focusing on what the customer needs rather than what the company wants to sell. The company assists organizations in defining the customer’s needs, matching the needs to available functionality and making the right business software choice for the organization.
Rather than just promoting specific software, SoftwareHunt tries to enable and educate business owners. Some of the blogs educate customers on topics such as:
- Why you shouldn’t be running your business on spreadsheets
- Top 10 ERP implementation mistakes
- 11 mistakes SME’s make while buying business software
- 10 Phases of the ERP implementation process
- The right business software can make a business while a wrong one can create much damage.
The company goes through a diagnostics process with a client and documents their key needs and challenges. Once this process is completed, it starts with another process of matching the needs with available solutions. Some of the solutions are directly sold and implemented by third party vendors based on the company’s recommendations. “The client is under no obligation to procure the software and related services from us and we point them to the best service / solution providers where possible”, concludes Vikram.
Software@Work is associated with reputed partners like Tata Teleservices / Tata DoCoMo, Yahoo India, Maharashtra Airport Development Company Limited (MADC), BMW, Mercedes-Benz and HBSC.
The Existing Picture
A number of businesses operate using spreadsheets and in some sectors like SME manufacturing, the quality of software usage for production planning and inventory control is on a low scale. Accounting software is the most commonly used business software by Indian SME’s and many organizations have not automated beyond that.
Events like the implementation of GST will push organizations to automate their processes and data interchange. Until now, each organization is like an island of data with no connections to eternal entities. With the invoice matching concept under GST and other requirements to automate, organizations will look at interchange of data with business partners. This will result in the next level of software adaptation unlike seen before. The upcoming years will be exciting as the usage of ERP will become widespread amongst even small businesses due to the availability of good and affordable business software.
Guiding the Aspiring Entrepreneurs
“To put it in short taking a consulting approach rather than a sales approach is absolutely essential. It’s about time that our growing organizations automate and get ready to scale up. The Indian startup ecosystem is flourishing and needs more entrepreneurs to take their solutions to the market” advices Vikram to the upcoming entrepreneurs.
Fast-Tracking with Time
There is an immense potential for SME’s to adapt and reap the benefits of automation by using well-defined business software like an ERP. Software@Work intends to keep help growing businesses by automating their processes and reducing reliance on costly manpower.
Some great software products are now being developed in India, which are unable to reach customers and the company intends to help reach these good products with their last mile reach. The company has a wide network of partners throughout the country with an aim to expand by reaching out to many.
“We are also working on creation of vertical specific solutions so that they can be rapidly deployed even after taking into consideration the unique industry needs of an organization. By using rapid application development tools, we will also be helping organizations build custom applications in a very short time, with minimal coding”, concludes Vikram.
Source :-The 10 Most Essential Business Service Providers of 2018
