The 10 Most Recommended Consulting Companies.

Modern technological advancements are born from the radical vision of ambitious tech legends who aspire to positively impact society through futuristic innovations. SBL Knowledge Services Pvt Ltd is one such forward-looking technology enterprise committed to redefining the modern industrial landscape with future-oriented digital transformation solutions that promise to reshape lives and society.

Founded in 2005 by Mr. Gopakumar Pillai , the Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) , SBL Knowledge Services Private Limited is a global Information Technology Indian Multinational that focuses on offering best-in-class technology solutions and services to businesses across the globe.

Regaling the SBL saga, Mr. Pillai says , “From a small business venture with 30 employees, we have grown into an established digital transformation leader catering to diverse verticals, including Technology solutions and services, Geospatial Science, Business process management services, and Multimedia services.”

With a solid adherence to the principle of ‘Success through Partnership, ’Mr. Pillai and his team of experts work passionately to spearhead digital transformation across the B2B, B2C, and government sectors. As a firm, they strive to be a leading knowledge organization that upholds the values of trust and integrity and fosters a culture of continuous innovation.

India’s Fastest-Growing Knowledge Organization

Being a dynamic leader, Mr. Pillai oversees the business’s operations, technology, and services, division. In addition, he is responsible for building strategic technology partnerships and driving the growth of the international business wing of SBL.

Prior to SBL, he was the Founder and Managing Director of SITCO India, where he spearheaded the launch of a multitude of textiles and plastics manufacturing units. He also served as a Consultant at Ocean Industries and was the architect behind the company’s business turnaround. Mr. Pillai was recognized for his insightful approach to converting underperforming manufacturing units to profitmaking industries.

Mr. Pillai started his career in the textile industry with Vardhaman Group. He served as a management consultant and led the establishment of textile and plastic manufacturing units in the African region. During this period, he successfully orchestrated many business turnarounds and exhibited his entrepreneurial skills with the innovative design of thermoplastic processing machinery.

After returning to his hometown, he founded a 30-member ITES company in Ochira, Kerala, with a vision of providing digital solutions to customers in the UK. Simultaneously, in his brief stint as a Consultant with Ocean Industries Ltd between 2000 and 2003, he identified the best practices and re-engineered the business process to enhance the company’s profitability.

In April 2003, he ventured into SITCO India (Kerala). As the Founder and Managing Director, he was instrumental in the growth of SITCO from a small home business to a diverse manufacturing and export business group with a strong foothold in ten different business verticals across four continents. In addition, he mentored many large turnkey projects providing strategic business consultation encompassing technology, finance, and change management.

He founded SBL in August 2005 to provide Genealogy services to the UK. As the MD and CEO, he directed the growth of SBL from a 30-member team to a business conglomerate rendering geospatial, image editing, business transformation, and software services. Under the stewardship of Mr. Pillai, SBL has a successful photogrammetry division offering global LIDAR Building Information Modeling Service and a highly acclaimed eParliament solution – the first digital parliament of the world.

A post-graduate in business management, Mr. Pillai is proud of the recognition and accolades his flagship venture, eParliament, has garnered. Himachal Pradesh government recognized the exemplary mission behind SBL’s eParliament with the highest civil service award, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has selected the project for implementation on mission mode across India

Sharing the inspiration behind his venturing into the digital niche, Mr. Pillai says that back in the early 2000’s India was emerging as a preferred global outsourcing destination.

“During my decade-long career at Vardhman Group and as a business consultant with some of the leading global consulting groups, I was always eager to join India’s IT boom and bring technological growth to the country’s remote areas,” he reveals.

Seeing the way the emerging technology opportunities were getting limited to the Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities, Mr. Pillai was inspired to venture into the IT and BPO segment with a new business model that leverages the untapped potential in Tier-3 and Tier-4 cities. He reflects, “ I believed this could transform the lives of the rural youth and increase their standard of living .” Motivated by this vision, he started SBL Knowledge Services in 2005 in a remote corner of India.

Today they are a global leader in digital transformation and a pioneer in building eco-friendly parliaments with historic achievements like the implementation of India’s first hightech legislative assembly (eVidhan) and India’s first NeVA to their credit . He conveys, “ Indeed, my biggest motivation is when I see SBL emerging as a platform for youth to innovate and contribute to technological progress .”

With vast experience in the legislative automation domain, SBL recommended a structured way of NeVA implementation for its successful rollout. The whole project scope was divided into six major steps, as detailed ahead,

Detailed Project Report (DPR) presented to each of the state assemblies for implementation of NeVA is a templated DPR (i.e., a DPR that is prepared chiefly with generic objectives and brief specifications without going into detailed requirements). Hence a detailed system study had to be carried out to assess IT hardware and networking requirements, and detailed architecture, Bill of materials, and specifications were arrived at.

NeVA is a centralized application developed with standard process flow in mind. To roll it out effectively in each State Legislative assemblies, a detailed system study is carried out to map NeVA process flow with respect to existing processes in the State Assembly. Business Process reengineering is carried out, effecting minimal change to adapt NeVA to the State Legislative Assembly process flow. SBL coordinated with the NeVA team to carry out essential changes in the base code as well. An exhaustive workshop was carried out with all stakeholders to freeze all relevant process flows, and a detailed BRD document was made at the end of the System study.

Implementation of NeVA is carried out in phases. In the first phase, all module workflows are created and tested in the Test server. All relevant stakeholders are practically trained on the test server. Once the users are familiar with and confident in the workflows, the module workflows are configured in the live server in the second phase.

In the third phase, before the start of a session, all modules used for the generation of the LOB, like Question processing, Notice processing, Bill Processing, etc., are brought live systematically. In phase four, during the session, in-house modules line eBooks, Business controller, Display controller, etc., are effectively deployed. In phase five, all relevant documents are published in the web portal. Finally, all hardware and Networking components are procured, installed, and commissioned as per phased requirements.

Overall evaluation and study are made related to hardware, networking, and infrastructure areas, and the findings are documented in the BRD. Based on the proposal and BRD, SBL ensured procurement of top-of-the-line IT infrastructure components from reputed OEMs within the stipulated time frame and quality audited them before affecting supply. Furthermore, SBL engaged experienced supply chain management engineers for systematic OEM follow-up, as well as competent network engineers for timely installation and commissioning of the hardware, networking, and infrastructure. Apart from the standard BOM suggested by the NeVA team, additional items required to implement complete IT infrastructure are identified, and the same is procured and implemented in the assembly.

Every user of NeVA required detailed training in the NeVA application and domain. This is made possible by preparing a training calendar with the assembly’s core team; based on the same, detailed training is provided. This covers the officials of the assembly, honourable members, and other department users.

All users of NeVA will require support to use the application, especially during the initial stages and during sessions. This is provided by the experienced resources of SBL.

The success of the project depends on how effectively the project is managed. Therefore, SBL has deployed senior resources that have more than 20+ years of experience in project management and implementation. This ensured that the project was monitored by a central project management team and timely advices were provided to the onsite team for successful implementation.

Mr. Pillai and his SBL team’s approach to ensuring a successful implementation of NeVA was thorough. He states , “We followed a detailed step-by-step, incremental deployment approach for NeVA implementation. Our approach, starting from system study, BRD preparation, obtaining sign-off from stakeholders, analysis of hardware/networking requirements, detailed site survey related to civil, electrical, and other areas of work, detailed training plans, and clear-cut go-live plans covering every aspect of software and hardware, paved the way for successful implementation. This ensures that assembly is getting benefits and maximum ROI.”

According to him, there were significant immersive benefits of the services/solutions that his team provided to the Mizoram Legislative Assembly. SBL’s vast domain experience, system integration, and project management capabilities have resulted in the successful implementation of the application at the Mizoram Legislative Assembly. He elaborates, “ Our onsite and offshore team consisting of resources with vast experience in software, hardware, assembly automation, and system integration helps the assembly to get the best solutions to the requirements raised .” In addition, SBL’s systematic approach and planning sessions with the concerned officials ensured that the assembly requirements were met accurately.

Being an experienced leader, Mr. Pillai shares his precisely astute opinions on how adopting modern technologies impacts the consultancy space and how SBL is adapting to the change. According to him, the incredible growth of SBL can be attributed to their foresight in embracing technology innovations and delivering customer-centric solutions for redesigning business processes. He informs , “ We follow a well-defined training plan to upskill our team and ensure that they are updated with the latest in technology . Our research division continuously identifies critical business challenges and resolves them through advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning, mobile communications, robotics, and eCommerce.”

In the changing scenario, on envisioning scaling brand SBLs operations and offerings in the future, Mr. Pillai divulges that with a strong emphasis on digital transformation initiatives, they plan to launch innovative products and services in IT and ITeS verticals. Since they are champions of green technology, they aim to spread awareness about the need for digitalizing not only the business sector but also government institutions. “ We would like to position ourselves as industry leaders in the end-toend digitalization of businesses and legislative bodies across the globe ,” he states.

Born to a devout family in the Kollam district, his father, Mr. KP Pillai, was an ONGC employee, and his mother Mrs. Vasanthy, a housewife. Imbibing strong moral values from his parents, Mr. Pillai is a staunch follower of Shirdi Sai Baba, the great spiritual master of India. He follows Sai Baba’s teachings of love, forgiveness, compassion, charity, contentment, and devotion to God and the guru and sets an example for others. Keeping the values of his spiritual master alive, Mr. Pillai believes that the greatness of a person is not the money but the positive impact and benefits he can bring to the lives of others .

Similarly, Mr. Pillai’s advice to budding entrepreneurs aspiring to venture into the consultancy space is wise. He says, “ Persistence is the key to success in any field of work and life; success comes from repeated hard work. There are no shortcuts. Do not be disheartened by setbacks; rather, train yourself to see an opportunity in every challenge. Be innovative and open to change, as it is imperative for survival in the digital era .”

Neeraj Khetawat, Managing Director A & N

Sales automation can minimize the cost of sales by reducing the time spent on administration and reporting. By automating outreach to customers throughout the sales funnel, it may also boost earnings.

However, a large number of decisionmakers are either unaware of—or have not yet utilized—the value that sales automation can generate across an expanding range of use cases. Sales companies must adapt their methods of operation and technological foundations to take advantage of the new opportunity and ensure that sales representatives and automation solutions complement one another.

Early adopters of sales automation routinely report longer periods of time spent with customers, higher levels of customer satisfaction, efficiency gains of 10 to 15 percent, and the potential for up to 10% growth in sales. A&N Sales Services Pvt Ltd is a start-up establishment recognized by the Indian government that was established with the novel idea of offering sales services to both MSMEs and large organizations.

With the company’s expertise in sales and marketing, clients will be able to give their sales teams the specialized tools and process excellence they need to increase sales efficiencies and produce a meaningful pipeline of active opportunities that will allow them to meet short- and long-term revenue and growth targets.

A&N’s success depends on the client’s actual business growth since it engages its team to work with the client in their market for business development and sales closing. This approach ensures growth. With increased focus from Govt. of India on “Make in India” and especially on the MSME sector, the management feels that more manufacturers will look forward to a long-term “sales partnership” with A&N. It offers organizations an alternative to the traditional sales model and thus Peace of Mind.

A&N provides services to medium and large companies in the areas of channel sales, sales organization strengthening, market research, sales problem solving, etc.

A Plethora of Distinction

A&N offers organizations an alternative to the traditional sales model; internally, the excessive costs & headaches of staffing makes it different from other ‘consultancy’ companies.

A client’s needs may be:

•A consistent sales effort in the market is key for a healthy funnel of sales opportunities

•The right channel partners so to be visible and serve the markets

•It is imperative that somewhere or other, a company gets short of sales plan, and it is important to understand the root cause for correcting the path at the earliest to win the market

•To grow faster, a company would need a well chalked mid to longterm, i.e., a three to five years plan for its sales, and thus would need to organize the sales team to cover all the territories and the welldefined processes for long-term sustainability and smoother sales operations

•A best and most motivated sales team needs good training, coaching, value selling, periodic reviews

At A&N, a client gets all the specialized and customized sales services under one roof to answer the above needs and ensure a better understanding of the company and products for a better outcome.

The company generally categorizes its services as per following:

•Small Companies :

•Start to End (or in part) sales closing for a B2B client

•Setting up Sales Organization and Processes

•Value Proposition

•Research

•Medium Companies

•Lead generation enhancement

•Setting up sales processes and automation

•Sales Staff recruitment and training

•Value Proposition and Product Positioning

•Market Research

•Setting up the Distributor network

•Large Companies

•Sales Process Automation and execution

•Problem Solving (3-5 days) exercise

•New Product Positioning and Launch

•Market Research

•Evaluation of Distributor Network and Performance

•After Market Business

Excellence

• MNCs : Choose from the above bouquet of services

Exhibiting Brilliance

Neeraj Khetawat , Managing Director at A&N, holds 25 years of expertise in the mobile communication, building materials, and industrial products industries. He has worked for both Indian and multinational corporations.

He has worked with international teams from China, Japan, South Korea and the United States. With careful and impressive teamwork, he won numerous achievement awards in the sales and after-sales businesses.

His career has been marked by creativity and business turnarounds. To name a few; today’s burning issue of diversity was introduced in industrial sales 13 years back by him; an industry-first intra-country distributor network was created from scratch 15 years ago and which is still running in a well-organized and continuously growing business; bringing after-sales service business to profitability in the very first year of responsibility; Conceptualising and implementing the strategy to launch new technology at a premium in India against a global leader, Introducing NPS culture for improving repeat sales; etc.

With such a vast experience, it is easy for A&N to understand customer issues quicker and enable it to provide the right and practical solution. He asserts, " Attracting the right and best person in the team is the most critical activity for a Start-up as, without the best team, it is difficult to win. We are sure this is a common issue, and the same gets resolved to a greater extent as we move on.”

His Better half , Anubha Khetawat, Director , has strength in creativity, an important aspect for providing a better solution to our clients. She is an apt Designer Cake artist with the name ‘the whole cake.’

A&N is positioned to become the top provider of sales-related services that assist enterprises in getting the outcomes they anticipate. With its expertise in sales and marketing, clients will be able to provide their sales organizations with the tailored tools and process excellence they need to increase sales efficiencies and produce a meaningful pipeline of active opportunities that will allow them to meet mid- and long-term revenue and growth expectations.

At initial phase, manufacturers frequently struggle with employee retention and control challenges due to a lack of time because the majority of Factory Operations, Procurement, Accounts, and Sales work are handled by promoter.

A&N offers them an alternative to the conventional sales model, as well as the significant expenses and hassles associated with internally hiring people. To bigger clients, A&N team provides them with enough time and experienced boutique services; otherwise, a big consultancy company may only be able to provide after charging a much higher price.

A&N team currently works out of Navi Mumbai and Jodhpur. It is in the process of strengthening its organization from these two locations. Next year, it may expand to two more cities and so on. Neeraj and A&N team firmly believed in the scalability potential of the company’s business model.

With an ever-increasing rate of acceleration, change is continual. Advertising and promotion patterns have evolved in the age of social networking applications. The accessibility of E-Comm platforms for FMCG and other goods has improved reach and speed in ways never imagined before.

A business's fortunes can alter with the correct combination of sales and marketing. The management at A&N makes use of the greatest digital marketing services now on offer while concentrating on offering direct services connected to sales. For all levels of businesses, sales process automation with SFDC, Zoho, etc., is essential for gathering all the data which will be utilized for decisionmaking in the future.

Pearls of Wisdom

“It’s important to believe in self and start it, and one will see success sooner or later,” says Neeraj. Though there would not be any alternative to arduous work but at the same time, a technosavvy style will make your journey quick and smart.

In Neeraj’s experience, it is important to start with firm footing, preparing well own base infrastructure, create some good initial business references would not only get one good name in the market but also help him or her gain enough confidence in their business.