With a paradigm shift towards SaaS-based technology, organizations across the globe are looking for products that can simplify complex workflows and boost operational efficiency. In such a scenario, there is tremendous scope for business communication platforms that enable companies to communicate with clients through voice and SMS technology.
Today, we are fortunate to have interviewed Mr. Mohammad Imran Shaikh, Founder of TrustSignal. He talks passionately about his journey and how he set up TrustSignal to build tools that remove barriers to enterprise communication.
TrustSignal is all about accessing the right applications, services, and operating systems to deliver a seamless user experience. With this philosophy, Mr. Mohammad Imran Shaikh throws light on his journey, mission, and long-term vision for his product.
In Conversation with Mr. Mohammad Imran Shaikh, Co-Founder at TrustSignal
Here’s an excerpt from the interview:
A warm welcome from SoftwareSuggest Mr. Mohammad Imran Shaikh. Our readers are keen to know what prompted you to create TrustSignal? Tell us about your journey so far.
Thanks for having me. “There is a huge opportunity for SaaS companies now a days”. Today, TrustSignal is the emerging ‘Cpaas’ company for enterprises that communicate with clients through SMS & Voice . We set up TrustSignal, with a mission to build the tools that remove barriers to enterprise communication. That is what has driven us ever since.
What is your success mantra? Something you have followed personally that has helped you in your journey
It’s been a great experience and we have come a long way from where we started. Today, we send 100+ Million messages per month to more than 250+ enterprise customers. Our customer ecosystem incorporates an elite list of organizations including OLX, Paisabazaar, Maruti Suzuki, Baazi Games, and MYPROTEIN, among others.
We are currently a 14 people strong passionate team. We’re focused on creating a SaaS ecosystem where companies succeed based on the strength of their own products rather than their ability to manage and scale complex operational processes.
Akash Gupta my co-founder, helped me scale the fledgling business. We saw that as the business grew, more and more of our time was being taken up with the operational side of running the business. We pivoted the business and decided to focus on providing a trusted and scalable solution to help companies in their customer communication.
How has TrustSignal equipped itself to deal with the Covid-19 situation better?
Although the pandemic has been catastrophic across the business world, something that has helped organizations keep their neck above water is the proactive investments they made in technology, including the execution of an effective communication strategy to engage their customers.
The customers do not intend to merely purchase products or services; they are in pursuit of buying holistic experiences from brands, and effective communication plays a significant role in ensuring the delivery of the experience they desire. That’s our niche.
TrustSignal is an enterprise messaging and voice communications platform helping brands connect with their customers. Our solutions include OTP, alerts, Promotional messaging, IVR, missed calls services, OBD, and more which are being used by leading clients across the country.
Initially, most software companies faced a reckoning in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Businesses needed ways to cut spending on anything that wasn’t considered essential. As a result, March 2020 was the biggest month ever for churn in SaaS history.
This huge spike in churn was followed by rapid growth for many SaaS providers, as new working patterns drove businesses and consumers to adopt new tools and services. As a result, over the first nine months of 2020, the SaaS industry saw growth equivalent to what we would expect to see in three to five more typical years.
The pandemic interrupted and changed the way we live, connect, and work. We have planned to rethink and activate business continuity and customer engagement plans.
As the pandemic takes hold, we have realized that our tactics are not adequate to meet the immediate challenges presented by changing medical guidelines, government mandates, and customer behaviors.
We keep the Customer at the Center. Remind employees at all levels that it is a stressful time for the customer and to continue to go the extra mile with a heavy emphasis on empathy. Enable them to handle difficult and emotional interactions by (virtually) providing updated soft skills training and leveraging technology to automate manual effort.
Proactively call long-time, high-value customers to check on them. The customer will remember -and respond- to how they were treated by you during this important time.
What is your vision and plan for taking TrustSignal to greater heights in the next 5 years?
In the coming years, the software will continue to change the way we work, shop, and keep in touch with the people around us, becoming more fundamental than ever before. The software will also become the competitive differentiator.
As technology evolves, people are going to care much less about what device they can use for something. It will be all about accessing the right applications, services, and operating systems, and people will expect a coherent experience as standard across any device.
Lastly, the notion of software companies defining themselves by geography will also become outdated. The future of running a business is about being global and international, servicing as many countries as possible. This opens up the global talent pipeline and results in a team built of people from across the world with experience gained across the world.
What motivates and strengthens you to keep up with the competition?
It revolves around a combination of different aspects that we excel in. Firstly, we have an extensive amount of reach and presence, which enable us to react faster, engage more, and have meaningful face-to-face discussions with our clients. While this brings a personal touch to the services we provide, it also allows us to create tailor-made solutions for our clients.
It’s always our predominant mission to provide our customers with remarkable experiences by going beyond expectations and delivering consistent, personalized service. We help them get up and make running in no time, whether it’s assisting with integrations, messaging best practices, or solutions consultancy. Our solutions Indeed are designed to adapt to the
constantly changing market and communication trends at speeds and levels of precision and personalization that only an in-house solution can offer. Above all, when it comes to client servicing & service uptime, we are committed to 99 percent service uptime.
What advice would you give to young entrepreneurs starting out in this field?
Being successful often means learning from those who have already achieved their goals. Having a mentor is an amazing blessing to an entrepreneur, but not everyone can find one in person so you have to challenge yourself, Believe in yourself & have a vision.
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