Business solutions on cell phone

Mobiles are superseding computers in every role- play, the recent one being back-end business problems. In a conversation with Aadeetya Sriram, Mr. Siddharth Aggarwal, Founder, Mobicule Technologies talks about his pet project and his future plans.

Aadeetya Sriram(AS): Tell us about your company?  When did it come into being and what sort of services are you providing? Please elaborate on this.

Siddarth Aggarwal(SA): Mobicule Technologies is in existence since late 2008.What we provide is back-end business solutions which need not require any sort of computing application other than your own mobile phone. The base of this model is the sales person who is face of the company and is the regular source of pivotal information. This information could vary; with regards to dealers to find out their payment outstanding, status of their previously placed orders, stock price amongst others. Lack of basic infrastructure such as PCs, internet and electricity has limited the prospects of various business organizations. Mobile phone comes as an answer to this problem given the penetration, familiarity and widespread reach of the device.

AS: In which areas of retail does it work? Give an example of its modus operandi?

SA: There is no particular segment in retail that we cater to. Our networking solutions can vary from need of a warehouse storage facility to the back-end for a major sales firm. Be it distribution oriented, FMCG, electronics etc.The sales person now has access to information pertaining to stock levels at the dealers point. They could view stock information, create and submit orders and inform dealers of their outstanding payments and order status. These reduce errors and miscommunication, increase productivity, fastens sales cycle, data security, and also real-time information about their competitors is available to them.

AS: What remains to be the USP of Mobicule Technologies? How strong is Research and Development team?

SA: We do not have any one feature in particular that stands as unique but our entry into this segment of business solutions gives us the First-Mover Advantage; We provide services to cross-platform segments, this means our services are not limited to any particular segment. Lastly, the kind of products we are providing, these are out-of-box, in the sense that such products may form the crux of business solutions in the near future, but for us, our initiation might stand us in good stead. In the current age of cut-throat competition and price wars which all consumer goods companies face - Mobicule solutions comes as a key piece to augment the companies growth, reduce the sales cycle, cut costs and have real time information for better decision making.

AS: Who are your target consumers?  Does your client list also include small and mid-sized retailers? What is the minimum cost of implementation of any Mobicule applications?

SA: We cater to businesses in general, who require business solutions. In large and mid-sized companies especially if issues are not addressed with utmost care, it could lead to delayed or incorrect orders placed further leading to lost sales, dissatisfied dealers due to cancelled orders, sales person losing critical time in back office activities and lack of visibility of the sales activities. This was when the team at Usha International was contemplating if there was any technological implementation that could help smoothen out these creases. The process to implement our products is hassle-free. You just need to log-on to our website, register your query to us. Then our sales people will revert to your request and provide with you with offers that cater to your business. Then we provide you with live web-demos, which makes the whole understanding of our products interactive. Our products range from Rs 7000 – Rs 12,000 per user; this means if an organization employs 100 people, then the costing comes to about Rs 70,000 in general.

AS: What sort of after sales services Mobicule is providing? Can you mention the products you provide?

S A: Our products include; Msales: This helps in easing sales order transactions. Orders never get delayed, misplaced etc.

Warehouse automation: As is suggests, any record related information on warehousing data is handled, organized in a collective and ordered manner.

Pre-sales activity: Businesses can enable this service and assess the feasibility of their business, so as to be certain of fruitful existence.

AS: Do you have training programmes for your partners and clients?

SA: Our clients go through rigorous training programme that varies from 3-6 months for programmers to 2-3 months for sales process inductions. We give them the assurance that the products we provide are definitely worth the cost, as it reduces the sundry expenses of their business considerably.

AS: During your 3 years existence, what sort of results have you attained? What all other segments  of the country do you plan to venture into?

SA: Our first phase of initiation has been quite satisfactory; we have returns of around Rs 15cr for the first 3 years. We already have plans to venture into Tier II & III segment, as we have analyzed that potential and market knowledge in those areas is quite amazing and which is there to be utilized for us in the near future.