We are pleased to carry an interview with Mr. Vipul Doshi , COO of InterGlobe Technologies (IGT). Mr. Doshi recently joined IGT from Kanbay where he was managing a key account. During his stint at Kanbay, the Household Bank International account witnessed a phenomenal growth. He will be providing us with some valuable insights based on his experience. Could you please share your experiences in managing accounts at Kanbay. At what stage did you enter and where did you take it? Please enumerate some of the key reasons, in your opinion for this growth. The HHB account at Kanbay is a good example of an account starting from modest proportions growing to a sizeable one. There were several factors that contributed to this growth.

At the initial stages, there was no plan or structure in place for managing the account. There were issues with delivery and lack of good understanding and knowledge about the customer’s situation. What we did was put together a team to handle all the issues related to HHB. We put together a strategy and a structure to handle large accounts.

Companies have to understand that IT service providers have to look at themselves as contributing to client success. Consequently, there should be no delivery issues from your end. We have to constantly look at our own skill sets and competencies. What many companies do is track what is important for themselves. We looked at it differently – we felt that we have to track what is important to the client – for e.g. CMM tracking data is not directly relevant to  the client but parameters like for how much time was the system up, whether it was up during critical times like Monday mornings and so on, are more pertinent. Hence, using the right metrics sends a very positive image to the client and reassures them that you are working for their best interests.

Also, it helps if the client is made to understand the business value that they are getting from the IT services provider. Cost savings is an obvious benefit, but not the only one.

Client Engagement Managers (CEM) and Delivery managers play critical roles in account management. In my opinion, a CEM’s role involves understanding the client systems, business issues and had to play the role of a strategic IT consultant for each BU VP. Of course, size of the project dictates the need for a CEM for each BU. By separating the roles of a CEM and a Delivery Manager, you have very clear cut responsibilities and deliverables, rather than integrating the two functions into a single one.  

At Kanbay, account management was given lot of emphasis. For example, the CEM or relationship manager always accompanied the client during visits to India . A key reason for this was that Kanbay got undivided attention from the client during the flight. A lot of effort went into planning these client visits including minor details - in short detailed scripting of the entire visit. All presentations to the client were reviewed carefully.  

The Relationship manager and CEO at Kanbay were locals. They would pay a lot of visits to the client and took the relationship beyond a business level. Socializing through golf games and cultural programs helped make inroads into the organization. 

CE managers were mostly Indians as they needed depth of subject and good communication skills.

3.    What are some of the strategies that you use to keep the customer happy?  

a. Communication with client by account manager

It is important to lay out a strategy for communication also. You should be able to map out who should be interacting with whom from each side, the frequency of communication with each individual and within each level at the company.  

For e.g. at Kanbay, the Client Engagement Manager based in the US would visit the client every week. The Pune based Delivery manger would visit every month and so on. Other than this, hallway meetings and the grapevine were important means to ensure a constant presence.

b. How do you convince customers to grow the relationship? 

Some clients have the notion that they can outsource only a certain % of IT as otherwise it would  mean outsourcing too much knowledge. It is our responsibility to educate them that is not the case. We have to reassure the client by making sure the documentation is complete and projecting ourselves as being an extended part of the client organization.

4.    What tips would you give for handling situations where the key customer is going through a rough patch? For e.g. your major customer who gives you a sizeable business is caught in the US downturn and wants a drastic/significant price reduction.  

If an account has been managed correctly, the IT service provider should not be hit too badly during downturns. If relationships have been developed at key level and quality is maintained throughout, there should be no complaints during bad times. You have to make sure that the client trusts you. Kanbay nearly doubled its growth during bad times and a key account has also started to outsource critical jobs now. So, recession is not bad if relationships are good.  

5.    Based on your experience, tell us how you could identify new opportunities by using sound account management strategies?  

You have to map out the account based on the clients’ strategy. Basically, you have to understand what the client requirements are and plan accordingly. This way you will have a good grip on possibilities at the clients and determine what work could be done for them  

This involves taking a holistic as well as a detailed approach. You have to go through each area to understand the gaps and issues. For e.g. if you are offering coding services for a department, you can also offer testing services, project level work etc. Similarly each area can be combed to identify new service offerings.  

6.    How do you handle account management? Is there a plan for each account with clearly laid out goals and objectives?

Effective account management is possible only when the company is ready to make investments in it. You need to have reviews with delivery managers and CEMs on a quarterly basis. A key discussion pertaining to the relationship should be:

• What stage is the account in – are we viewed as contractors or vendors or consultants or advisors?

Once this question is answered, we can then devise the strategy for each area. Here again, knowledge of the BU, its Technical, Business, Functional and Application objectives are very critical.  

7.    How will you handle a demanding customer?  

Well, every company goes through this situation where the client is not happy with what was delivered. It is how we turnaround the situation that is important. One thing that can be done is to invite the upset customer for a site visit and present the offshore team to them. Clients should have the opportunity to interact with the development team through video conferences, telephone calls etc. The idea behind these visits is to showcase from the VP level downwards, our processes, rigor, understanding of the scope of work, delivery capabilities and so on.  

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