the new hr

STARTUP
IVR services are a
must for any modern
enterprise looking to
make the best of their
limited resources.
technology that can promote and
accommodate both these trends.
Products and services
We have three main products:
SuperReceptionist is our best-selling
product. This is a virtual assistant,
front office receptionist, lead manager,
and CRM rolled into one.
SmartIVR creates the impression of
a professionally managed company at
a low cost. It can help create multiple
departments within
your company. IVR
services are a must for any modern
enterprise looking to make the
best of their limited resources. It
provides an option for afterhours
or holiday customers by routing
calls to voicemail or night support.
Unlike conventional IVR systems
that are expensive to install and
maintain, Knowlarity’s SmartIVR is affordable
as you spend for what you use and there is no
excess capacity.
SuperConference is a conferencing system on the
cloud that gives a high-quality sound experience
connecting teams anywhere, any time. It is secured
with a unique PIN and ID number.
Knowlarity’s flagship products, SuperReceptionist
and SmartIVR, can process over two million calls
an hour. We are a SaaS (Software as a Service)
company with a pay-as-you-go subscription model.
use it to reach out to businesses.
Businesses too would need some kind
of telephony solution to handle these
calls, and they have a choice between
on-premise and cloud telephony.
Cloud telephony has no downtime,
automatically scales up and down, and
gets updated quickly.
Many players have entered the
market after we got funding from
Sequoia Capital in 2012. Among
the prominent players in the cloud
telephony space, there are firms
such as Exotel, Ozonetel, Unicom,
SMSlane, and VMC Technologies, to name a few.
But in terms of competition, Knowlarity has
around 95% of the market share. However, the
Indian cloud telephony market is extremely tough
to survive and many players will either shut shop
or merge.
Future plans: gaining global presence
Knowlariy is bullish on the emerging markets of
Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America,
where it sees a lot of growth opportunity for
cloud telephony.
We are at present working on improving our
mobile platform and user experience. Our aim is
to provide the power of a mini call centre in every
smartphone. We expect to grow five fold over the
next three years and achieve our interim goal of
becoming a billion-dollar company.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ambarish Gupta
is CEO and
Founder, Knowlarity
Communications.
Indian cloud telephony market
Cloud industry is specially suited for entrepreneurs
in emerging markets which lack proper
infrastructure unlike developed economies. They
need not be concerned about taking care of and
maintaining hardware. They would have a hasslefree
software, managed on the cloud which is
1/10th cheaper than installing it on premise.
Owing to these reasons the cloud industry is
growing in leaps and bounds.
Today, almost everyone uses a phone, and many
Customer base: The number of customers
grew from 6,500 in 2014 to 12,000 in 2015.
Funding: The startup received a seed funding
of $400,000 in 2009, and angel investment of
$1.6 million the next year. Sequoia invested in
Knowlarity in 2012, and they raised $15 million
from Mayfields in 2014.
( As told to Titash Roy Choudhury)
I NDIAN MANAGEMENT NOVEMBER 2015 79