A Week to Remember! Creative Virtual Takes on India

By Shantanu Purandare, Executive Director, India

What a week!  Last week was easily one of the most exhilarating weeks I have ever experienced. I can definitely say that this has been one of those times which will be seared in my memory for a long time to come. We launched Creative Virtual in India, started our new office, had a number of exciting meetings with prospects, and are gearing up to increase our development and support team – many activities culminating and packed in one week.

Reflecting upon the run up to the launch in India, and the event itself, I feel it could not have come at a better time. Having recently taken our first implementation live in India for Citibank, it seemed like the right time to let people know what we are doing and our commitment to the region. We teamed up with UKTI, whom we have worked with in other parts of the world as well, for organizing the launch. Their wonderful team left no stone unturned to ensure a successful event.

WHAT PEOPLE WERE SAYING

In an emerging market like India, and similar economies, the adaption of technologies and newer practices spreads fast.  This is mainly attributable to the sheer volume of people that these are exposed to, and also the fact that these economies have setup their modern infrastructure in the past couple of decades, so the latest and the best is often the way to go. The quick adaption also leads to more demands from the customers, and soon the core services are not enough. This presents great opportunities to put in mechanisms that will go beyond the binary systems and add the human element.

During the launch, there was a lot of excitement from the industry representatives about our solutions. It was extremely satisfying to see multiple ‘This is what I was looking for!’ responses from folks in the room and to be there to discuss how we can help them through the journey. It is an interesting proposition to work with an audience who has quickly adapted to changes in technology and is now at a point where consolidation is important and key.

A common thread we noticed throughout our discussions with key stakeholders is the presence of information silos within the organizations and the need to consolidate and present a unified customer experience. Nearly each and every person in attendance echoed that it is not only when there is a need to improve the customer experience that innovative technologies can come to assistance, but also to enhance the existing customer experience presented to the user.

CITIBANK INDIA WAS THE TALK OF THE EVENT

Citibank India played a key role in creating a lot of buzz for us. They stood by us in the event and gave a very truthful and factual tribute to the work that we have done which was very important to the local industry representatives – a perfect example of enhanced customer experience! Not surprising, a number of folks in the room were very keen on understanding how we are helping Citibank in their journey. I can’t thank them enough for taking the time out of their busy schedules to share their experience with Creative Virtual and our technology.

GOOD FOOD, DRINKS & GREAT COMPANY

Rajkumar and Avinash, important members of our India-based R&D team, also ensured that all the attendees were well engaged with our company vision. Their presence made a big difference in the event, and I thank them for being with us that evening.

All of this was enhanced by a wonderful dinner with the team. Unlimited drinks and kebabs seemed to be the magic food to get us through the barrage of prospect meetings and the famous Mumbai traffic. Why, Mr. E. (as Creative Virtual Founder & CEO, Chris Ezekiel is known to us) even offered to drive! Well, I suggested and he had accepted – but then Rohit (CEO of Creative Virtual India) got a bit edgy…!

If last week felt a bit too hectic, then we can only imagine how the coming weeks will be as innumerable follow ups and demos await us in a short span of time. Lots of excitement, lots of possibilities…and as Mr. E. would say – Onwards!

SEE THE PHOTOS

Check out some of the photos from our successful launch event in our Facebook Photo Album.