In conversation with Atul Chopra, COO, Tecnotree, on life after the merger of Lifetree and Tecnomen into Tecnotree, the journey so far and the road ahead.

Could you tell us how your association with Lifetree Convergence started? Why and how did you decide on a product business, given that there were not many Indian examples to learn from?

It was the year 2000 and dotcoms were the in thing. Quite naturally we were also drawn towards the IT space. However, rather than focus on the more common IT services, we saw an opportunity in being a product company. Then again, since most of my relationships were in the telecom industry, we decided to focus on this vertical. Billing is a big pain point for telcos. So, we acquired a boutique player with a billing solution and jumpstarted the journey.

		"Billing is a big pain point for telcos. So, we acquired a boutique player with a billing solution and jumpstarted the journey.”

Could you please elaborate on the Lifetree journey, giving some examples of successes as well as challenges.

A significant deal marked our entry into Africa where we replaced the incumbent vendor. To get the deal, we went through the whole drill. The client made a site visit. We had to give financial and performance guarantees; and rather than shy away from it, we took the risk, betting on ourselves and went ahead. The client was impressed with our agility and flexibility and awarded us the work. Since then, we have built on this break and gone on to stitch together relationships with other leading groups like the MTN, for instance.

		"I would like to emphasize that it is our attitude towards the customer – responsiveness, finding a swift solution when something does not go as planned and paying personalized attention – that has taken us this far."

Here, I would like to emphasize that it is our attitude towards the customer – being responsive and finding a swift solution when something does not go as planned and paying personalized attention – that has taken us this far. I have personally managed the MTN relationship since the time we got our first break when we implemented a rather modest proposition.

Now, moving on to the present, what were the top reasons for opting for a merger-led growth strategy?

The key motivation was building scale in quick time. Tecnomen was the ideal partner with a presence in markets that were important for Lifetree. Tecnomen was also excited about Lifetree’s portfolio of offerings and this paved the way for the emergence of Tecnotree.

Please describe the transition from Lifetree to Tecnotree as a brand. How do customers now perceive the company? What kind of impact has it had on the employees?

In all honesty, the implications are still sinking in. There are a fair number of nuances to be dealt with in a cross-border merger such as this and we are addressing a multitude of issues which we have carefully thought through. That said, we are clear that the agility and customer-centricity that brought us this far will continue to remain at the core of our values. Customers of Lifetree and Tecnomen are happy with the broader value proposition that comes with Tecnotree. Employees are delighted to be part of a company which opens up more opportunities.

		"Customers of Lifetree and Tecnomen are happy with the broader value proposition that comes with Tecnotree. Employees are delighted to be part of a company which opens up more opportunities."

What is the road ahead for Tecnotree? Where do you see Tecnotree, say five years from now?

My dream is to see Tecnotree on the top of Gartner’s magic quadrant in the BSS/OSS space.

What is your advice to young companies that are taking the product route and/or companies that are evaluating scaling their business?

I have four pointers; first, build something that requires strong domain capabilities. That will help you differentiate. You must be able to take calculated risks. Focus on marketing from the beginning and practice financial discipline.