Author Archives: Surabhi Ghosh Chatterjee

Surabhi Ghosh Chatterjee

Surabhi Ghosh Chatterjee is our soft spoken Marketing Communications Manager with an extensive experience in B2B marketing in the tech domain.

Employee profiles Human Resources

Getting to know Abhishek Raj, Presales Consultant

May 31,2021 / By Surabhi Ghosh Chatterjee / No Comments

At Robosoft, our mission is simplifying lives with delightful digital experiences. Our talented team of product strategists, designers, software engineers work towards driving this mission.

In this interview-based series, we chat with our ‘behind the scenes’ experts – to know more about their values and inspirations. We also try and understand what drives them to create digital solutions that touch the lives of millions and drive business results.

Today, let us get to know Abhishek Raj, a presales consultant at Robosoft. Abhishek joined our team last year. He comes with over 12 years of experience in the IT services and product industry.

Q: Can you tell us about yourself – your family, interests, and work philosophy?

I am from Giridh, Jharkhand and I was born in a family of four brothers, just like the Ramayana 🙂 I am married and have a lovely son.

I have 12+ years of experience in the IT services and products industry. From lead generation to project delivery, I have worked on end-to-end aspects of the IT business. Digital transformation is one area that always keeps me excited. That’s the reason why I chose to work in this industry.

My family is in the dairy business. We have a dairy farm in our hometown where currently we have close to 200 cows. In my free time, I prefer to spend my time in the farmhouse and use my sales skills to help my family with the right marketing and sales plans for the business.

I love playing badminton, solving puzzles, watching movies, and listening to music. My favorite getaways are mountains and beaches. I also write poems though they never rhyme.

Q: What made you choose Robosoft & what is it that inspires you?

I have spent over a decade in the IT industry and have donned many hats during this time. I have worked in sales, generated leads, negotiated, and won new business’. I have also been a business and system consultant, project & account manager, business analyst, and even a software developer at times. I have absolutely loved every aspect of my experience.

I wanted to route my career towards solving business problems for clients through digital and technology consulting. Robosoft gave me an opportunity to do exactly this, and I came onboard. At Robosoft, as a presales consultant, I am using my experience to support the sales team in providing optimal solutions to the client and ensuring that the right effort is being allocated for every project.

Robosoft is growing exponentially and at this stage, I believe I can learn immensely, add value and grow with the company. My motivation comes from client success. With every project, my aim is to work with the team and create the best possible solution for them.

Q: How has work from home been for you? What is it like to manage home and work responsibilities? Any advice to peers?

Work from home has been both good and tragic for me. I lost my father to COVID recently. Thankfully, I was able to take care of him and spend time with him in his last days.

On the brighter side, WFH has provided a lengthy stay with my family. I have got an opportunity to spend weekends with friends and family in our farmhouse, help my brothers in their dairy farm business, play badminton, learn about new IT trends, and much more. This would not have been possible if we did not have WFH.

The WFH mode has its pros and cons. We could spend such a long time with our families after a long time. However, it does intertwine the professional and personal life to an extent. But then, in my view, it is difficult to demarcate professional and personal life completely.

With WFH becoming a reality in the post COVID world, the focus of companies has shifted from working hours to results.

To make WFH effective we must try to set a boundary between our personal and professional life during working hours. Since we are no longer on the office premises, it is essential that we self-monitor ourselves and ensure deliverables are met with respect to work. We should also try to utilize our free time judiciously and upskill ourselves.

Q: Your advice to students & freshers exploring opportunities in this field?

My advice to the freshers joining the workforce will be – keep up to date with the latest IT trends. Never shy away from learning new concepts and IT development frameworks. Along with technology find some time to add expertise in one or two chosen business domains. Instead of being a hardcore technical person, it’s always better to become a proficient technology expert who understands the business aspects as well.

Q: In your view, what is the scope of this industry in the years to come?

The IT landscape evolves at an exponential rate. Hence many firms find it tough to keep up the pace with shifting IT needs. For every business entity which deals with IT services, change is the major factor that can decide its growth and sustainability. Enterprises will need to be proactive to embrace the advances in technology and evolve their business models to expand offerings.

It will also be critical to ensure that the workforce is continuously being upskilled. This will help enterprises deliver on ever-changing client requirements, retain talent for longer, and also help employees have skillsets that are not obsolete.

Human Resources

Getting to know Mohanakrishnan Rajasekar, Senior Technical Architect

Apr 29,2021 / By Surabhi Ghosh Chatterjee / No Comments

At Robosoft, our mission is simplifying lives with delightful digital experiences. Our talented team of product strategists, designers, software engineers works towards driving this mission.

Today, let us get to know Mohanakrishnan Rajasekar, Senior Technical Architect at Robosoft. Mohanakrishnan joined our team last year. He comes with a vast experience of over 19 years. In his earlier stints, he has worked with enterprises including Accenture, HCL, Mindtree, etc. leading product development for various domains like Investment Banking, Credit Risk Management, Materials Management, BPM, Supply Chain Solutions, and Insurance. He also has entrepreneurial experience and was the founder of a company that built a Recruitment Solution web application for specialized skills.

Q: Can you tell us about yourself – your family, interests, and work philosophy?

I am from Tamil Nadu. As an engineer, I love to learn new technologies and build innovative digital solutions. I am also passionate about farming and my vision is someday being able to provide affordable chemical-free food direct from farm to plate.

Challenging times have taught me the importance of determination and humility and gave me the courage to achieve my goals. I believe taking calculated risks is an important attribute to succeed. My principle in life is being honest and trustworthy both in professional and personal life.

Spending time with family and visiting my farm are my stress busters when I want to take a break and rejuvenate.

Q: What made you choose Robosoft & what is it that inspires you?

As a software engineer, the challenge of working with the latest technologies always excites me. The work that Robosoft is doing across domains and geographies, piqued my interest. I was excited to be a part of a team that is building such amazing digital experiences for global brands. Also, the fact that there are many talented engineers who have been a part of the company for long tenures inspired me to join Robosoft. I am really glad that I made the right choice. As a Senior Technical Architect at Robosoft, I am involved in building digital DTC (Direct-to-Consumer) experiences and e-commerce shopping experiences for clients in the US.

With friendly and helpful peers, and a supportive management team that believes in my technical and decision-making abilities, Robosoft has proven to be a comfortable workplace for me.

Q: How has work from home been for you? What is it like to manage home and work responsibilities? Any advice to peers?

These are difficult times for everyone. Over the past year all of us have been working from home and not going out unless required. It is tough not to be able to meet with your loved ones in person but only virtualy. These challenges have also made us understand the importance of human values and ethics. We are seeing tremendous changes in people around us. It has brought out the humanity and empathy withinin us. It has made us sit back and think about the things that we value in life. This year also has given me the opportunity to connect with my kids more, spend quality time with them and understand better.

At work front – it was initially challenging to connect with the team remotely. Especially right after joining, since I had not met them in person even once. It took a while to establish the connect with the team and its been smooth since then. We were able to work together efficiently and keep-up with the timelines and deliverables.

Work From Home has increased productivity but also has extended working hrs due to more calls and often results in ergonomic issues. Hence it is critical to take enough breaks and also inculcate a habit of exercising.

Q: Your advice to students & freshers exploring opportunities in this field?

Freshers and students must have an engineering mindset. This means they should be ready to learn, experiment, and innovate, rather than just being ready to do whatever is being told.

The technology trend changes regularly so do the customer expectations, it is important to keep oneself updated with the latest developments for a longer run in the industry. While ensuring you gain expertise in the technology you are working in knowing other trends and technologies will also be important for career growth. You will somewhere have to be “jack of all trades and a master of one”.

Q: In your view, what is the scope of this industry in the years to come?

The emerging trends show that in the coming year emphasis would be more on Digital First experiences, AI engineering, Total Experience or TX, Anywhere Operations Model, and Distributed Cloud.

More opportunities will unfold as the Anywhere Operations model allows for business to be accessed, delivered, and enabled anywhere. As per a Gartner study, by the end of 2023, 40% of organizations will have applied anywhere operations to deliver optimized and blended virtual and physical customer and employee experiences.

Clients will choose organizations that provide Total Experience (TX) solutions over their competitors.

Distributed Cloud is one of the safest areas for enterprises to bet on. Distributed cloud is the future of cloud which enables organisations to have services physically closer to help with low-latency scenarios, reduces data costs and adhere to laws that dictate data must remain in a specific geographical area.

A robust AI engineering strategy will facilitate the performance, scalability, interpretability and reliability of AI models while delivering the full value of AI investments.

Human Resources Uncategorized

Getting to know Pramila S Shetty, Senior Test Engineer

Mar 26,2021 / By Surabhi Ghosh Chatterjee / No Comments

At Robosoft, our mission is simplifying lives with delightful digital experiences. Our talented team of product strategists, designers, software engineers work towards driving this mission.

Today, let us get to know Pramila S Shetty Senior Test Engineer at Robosoft. Pramila started her career with Robosoft and has been a part of our team for over 13 years now.

Q: Can you tell us about yourself – your family, interests, and work philosophy?

I was born in Udupi and spent my childhood in Mumbai. I moved back to Udupi when I was in High school, and completed my studies there. My childhood was spent in the lush green rural areas of Udupi since my family had an agricultural background. I loved growing up amidst the greenery and that has helped me appreciate nature and stay connected to my roots.

I am an optimistic person and always try to look at the positive side of any circumstance. I truly believe in persistence and hard work and live by the motto ‘try and try until you succeed’. This philosophy helps me to chase after my dreams and not give up easily.

My favorite hobby is spending time and goofing around with my year-and-half old kid. I like singing and dancing too, it helps me rejuvenate after a long day. I love to wear the chef’s hat in my free time and experiment with new recipes. It gives me immense joy when the dish turns out exactly as I wanted and everyone enjoys it too.

Q: What made you choose Robosoft & what is it that inspires you?

I was in college when the Robosoft Udupi campus was being built. I was really fascinated by this IT company operating from our small town of Udupi. I and my friends often discussed how amazing it would be to get an opportunity to work here. And, as luck would have it, I did get that chance.

After my BCA I got interviewed and joined Robosoft as a member of the Creative Works Department as a technical writer. As I learnt more, my interest grew in moving to the technical side of things and be a part of the engineering team that creates these amazing digital experiences. Robosoft gave me that opportunity and helped me make a shift. I moved to the SQA team. In parallel, I also completed my Masters’s degree and got a chance to join the QA and testing team.

My mentors at Robosoft supported me throughout my career journey. They not only helped me switch my career path and move to QA, they mentored me and motivated me to excel too.

Q: How has work from home been for you? What is it like to manage home and work responsibilities? Any advice to peers?

The initial days of WFH when there were strict lockdowns were quite challenging. I had to adapt to a completely different routine than what I was used to. Besides managing a little kid, work, and household chores between just me and my spouse did become difficult. But slowly we figured a routine and processes to manage everything efficiently. I created a proper schedule for my project as well as household work. This helped me manage my responsibilities. Also, being flexible in setting my routine helped, I did not bother too much if day-to-day activities weren’t happening as before, I adapted to the situation. This helped me be at mental peace.

My advice to everyone working from home would be to have a planned set of tasks to complete each day and to prioritize the tasks. Know what is expected of you, and put in your best efforts. Also, remember to not be too tough on yourselves, and take time out to de-stress by doing whatever you enjoy doing like following your hobby or spending time with family.

Q: Your advice to students & freshers exploring opportunities in this field?

My advice to freshers would be to take guidance from their seniors who are already in the field or lecturers and be informed about the career scope, before choosing a stream of specialization. However, do find out what technologies you are really interested in – and gain expertise in that, rather than just following the trend. To succeed in a field, one should be interested in what they are doing.

Technology is always evolving. So to grow and succeed you should keep upskilling and be up-to-date with the latest technologies. Never become complacent with your current knowledge, since technologies become obsolete in a matter of years.

Q: In your view, what is the scope of this industry in the years to come?

Although the Covid-19 pandemic had led to a slowdown of all industries including IT, the economy has slowly started recovering. The IT sector sustained and grew and will continue to do so, since automation is one aspect that almost every other industry relies upon, be it Banking, Media, or others.

Also with the advent of new technology trends like Artificial Intelligence, Machin Learning, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, the IT industry will see good growth in the years to come.

Human Resources Uncategorized

Getting to know Brooks Rhinehart, President & Country Head, USA, Robosoft Technologies

Feb 10,2021 / By Surabhi Ghosh Chatterjee / No Comments

‘The task of scaling up Robosoft as a premium brand in the US is exciting’ – meet Brooks Rhinehart, our new President & Country Head, USA.

Since the time we started out in 1996, we at Robosoft have witnessed several growth phases and landmark changes. We were among the pioneers to spot the potential of mobile and offered app development services in 2008. Since then, the digital experience domain has evolved as consumers welcome new technologies and gadgets. Enterprises have to constantly adapt to the changing environment, and we are proud to have played a role in crafting digital experiences across web, mobile, wearables, and more. While we have customers across the world, USA continues to be a critical market for us to meet our growth ambitions. We have had several years of growth, customer success & satisfaction in the US.

Now to take our growth to the next level, we are pleased to welcome Brooks Rhinehart as our President & Country Head – USA.

Brooks is a seasoned technology & business development executive with a 360-degree perspective on building digital experiences for enterprises. We had a brief chat with Brooks on his background and challenges CXOs are likely to face in offering digital solutions. Read on:

Q. Welcome aboard, Brooks. Tell us a little bit about your career and journey thus far.

It’s been an interesting and fulfilling journey over the past 20+ years. I started working with technology companies as an Account Executive during the internet boom and subsequent crash in the early 2000s. However, working in the fast-paced start-up world, I was forced to accelerate my understanding of how to navigate complex enterprise organizations and how to clearly articulate to CXO’s or members of leadership at some of the biggest companies at the time. You could probably say it was a case of being young, determined, and I didn’t know what I didn’t know, that helped me succeed, fairly quickly. I had limited experience and mindset that was not filled with a bunch of pre-determined assumptions on how to engage, that I have seen haunt many sales professionals.

Shortly after the internet bust, the entrepreneur inside me saw a few opportunities and investments. I owned a few small companies, was a partner in a multi-state franchise, and learned the hard way the ups and downs of business. As good, and as hard as it was, these types of learnings are something you can’t get from a book, you have to experience them firsthand. I consider myself fortunate to have experienced such as it makes one realize how hard it is to build a brand.

In 2010, I knew mobile was going to be ‘the next big thing’ after as it was close on the heels of the launch of the iPhone and the App Store. There were only a few players in the market at the time as end-to-end service providers in app development. I joined and grew up the ranks in a growth stage B2B tech services company. I spent over a decade there as a partner to enterprises – crafting the digital strategy, creating a roadmap of solutions, and leading the execution of rich customer experiences.

Q. What made you join Robosoft?

Robosoft as a brand has great equity and reputation in India as a top digital partner – rightfully so. In the US, we are not yet in that league, but have worked with some of the most highly sought-after brands and executed many mission-critical projects for them. These projects are not behind the scenes, but massive public-facing projects that most of everyone in the US have seen or might use the services at some point.

Ravi, the CEO and I had many conversations before I decided to come on board, or maybe that he decided I should come on board – but it was clear that we had a connection, not only in business but at a personal level. I was genuinely interested in what he had to say and offer. Many of our conversations had nothing to do with business, and I really enjoyed having the opportunity to see that side of him and not just talk business.

With over 800 employees, the quality of Robosoft’s customers and work was quite impressive. I loved the challenge of scaling up the organization to becoming a premium brand in the US, which is well on its way.

Q. What are the challenges faced by CXOs when it comes to crafting digital solutions in the post-COVID world?

Not as much as everyone would think. The pandemic has created opportunities for all of us. Working remotely and having teams all over the world is nothing new, we just did it in an office. Sure, the hallway conversations can be helpful, but, as we quickly found out, they are not necessary to be successful. That doesn’t mean meeting face to face has lost its value. I still believe in the one-on-one meeting with a handshake – I call this the trust factor, can’t be forever replaced. Nor should it. We all have to stretch our muscles and hold online meetings that we are not used to.

Zoom fatigue is a real thing and we have to be cautious of it. We will have to break up long whiteboarding sessions into smaller timeframes and timelines might get extended, but not by much. We all continue to learn how to be more efficient with our time and how to communicate. This is the ‘new new’ until we can get back to normal but until then, we are able to continue business as usual. And, effectively.

Q. Consumer attention across multiple platforms and devices is a precious goal for enterprises. What are the various steps they can take to gain their attention?

Tough question and there is no one answer to this. We see businesses going back to native experiences instead of web to make sure the customer experience is as good as possible. However, we also see businesses that want to create a simple web experience that is quick and easy to use, without having to download an app. This practice will be widely adopted for companies that know they won’t capture their audience if they require an app download. Or, companies that want to create a simple version of their applications that nails the fundamentals of their needs, you will see many companies adopting this strategy. Think of it as sharp blades, not a swiss army knife. The results are still very compelling.

Q. What are the key factors enterprises should consider when choosing a digital partner?

Time to market: how quickly can you help me get consumers to experience my offering?

Location: do you need full team onsite? While it maybe nice to have is an on-site team mandatory? Given the ‘remote everything’ world we can say ‘geography is history’.

Cost: onshore or offshore, most customers have already been through the development process and are much wiser buyers these days. Stacking a full team onshore is a thing of the past and our buyers expect to have cost savings for development efforts. That doesn’t mean everyone is offshore and the meetings are all early in the morning or late at night, it means, you have a highly functional team that can leverage and translate, the necessary requirements to help contain cost and quality.

Experience: does that mean you need to know everything about a certain vertical? Not at all. If you’re doing transactional data, it’s transactional data – it doesn’t mean that I haven’t done 15 projects in that space, so I’m not qualified. I hear many people expect this and it’s far from practical. The experience is in the quality of the projects that have already been completed. I am not saying that having a specific knowledge in a CMS, EMR or API integrations isn’t important – it is, and can “maybe” save some time. But if you have bad code, bad designs and bad PM’s, you will never be ahead in the end. Possibly, worse off.

Do you like them? Seems odd, but this is a huge factor. If you want a simple website, sure, it doesn’t matter what kind of relationship you have with the vendor. If you are looking to build out a core product or new solution for your company, the relationship is critical. It’s software, things will go wrong, period. It’s how these issues are handled that makes or breaks a relationship. Once you get into a large project, you are somewhat married. Sure, you can get out, but it’s painful. Sometimes, it makes sense to bail but software and it is hard. If anyone tells you differently, I promise it’s not a healthy marriage and you should run.

Uncategorized

Getting to know Jolene Melita Saldanha, Senior Software Engineer, Robosoft Technologies

Jan 28,2021 / By Surabhi Ghosh Chatterjee / No Comments

At Robosoft, our mission is simplifying lives with delightful digital experiences. Our talented team of product strategists, designers, software engineers work towards driving this mission.

Today, let us get to know Jolene Melita Saldanha, Senior Software Engineer at Robosoft. Jolene started her career with Robosoft and has been a part of our team for over 6 years now.

Q: Can you tell us about yourself – your family, interests, and work philosophy?

I was born in Muscat and was brought up in Mangalore. I have two younger sisters. Being the eldest child of the family comes with a lot of responsibilities. It has taught me to be sensitive towards the needs of others, the value of sharing, and being empathetic. I always strive to follow these learnings in all aspects of my life.

Growing up, I was the nerdy one and the bookworm of the family. Reading has always been my passion and one of my fond childhood memories is going to the book store to pick up novels as my birthday gift. I still try to spend whatever leisure time I have, in reading books. I also enjoy traveling. I always have a plan ready for my next trip. It brings me a lot of joy and gives me an adventure I can look forward to. Traveling is my happy escape. It also helps me to look at life from a completely different perspective. Apart from this, I also love creating travel journals. Revisiting those pictures and the travel experiences brings back happy memories from the trips.

As a professional, I have been an iOS developer for the past 6 years. I have worked on projects for global brands from multiple domains like entertainment, banking, and e-commerce.

Q: What made you choose Robosoft & what is it that inspires you?

I completed my engineering from Sahyadri College in Mangalore. During placements, many companies came but I was reluctant to attend interviews for tech giants. I did not want to be a part of a large enterprise with thousands of employees and lesser opportunities to grow.

I had heard about Robosoft Technologies, a software company in the small town of Udupi, and was fascinated by it. My Seniors who were working there had told me that it was a good company to start your career with, as I would be able to learn all aspects of application development here.

I always wanted to join a company that would give me the opportunity to discover my strengths and build upon them. That is exactly what Robosoft has done for me. When I joined Robosoft, I was put into an iOS development project. I had not learned iOS development in my college and it was a completely new experience for me. I was the only fresher in the team and all the other employees in the project were seniors. They took me under their wings and taught me everything that I needed to know about iOS development. With this began the growth curve of my professional life and I have never looked back.

Robosoft has given me multiple opportunities to learn. I remember in the initial days I was the only employee in Robosoft to work on the watchOS application. I was given an opportunity to work on projects from scratch till the deployment and support phases. This has helped me learn about the complete application development life cycle.

Robosoft has also given me opportunities to directly interact with the customers and understand their expectations from the project. This enabled me to look at the solutions we are working on from both customer and end user’s perspective and not just from a developer’s perspective.

I have also been given the responsibility to mentor my juniors in projects, like I was mentored by my seniors when I joined Robosoft.

Over the years, I have handled multiple projects and have learned many new technologies. I started with learning iOS development with Objective C and now I am working on Swift. From e-commerce platforms to OTT applications, I have handled projects for global brands in multiple domains. The learning opportunities that Robosoft has given me over the years have been endless.

Q: How was 2020 for you? What is it like to manage home and work responsibilities? Any advice to peers?

With lockdowns and extended WFH, 2020 was a difficult year. To a person who enjoys traveling, sitting in a room all day without going out, is quite challenging. I guess none of us had presumed that WFH would last this long. I moved in with my parents when the lockdowns began. Spending time with my family, enjoying small day to day activities like playing badminton together, helping mom in cooking, or enjoying with pets, is how I’ve been spending my time after work.

On the professional front, It’s not easy to work at home without the office environment. There are times when a family member intrudes in between a call with the client or it gets very noisy. But, we have to be patient and realise that it is our WFH schedule that is intruding on the lives of our family and not the other way around. It is important to manage work around the home environment.

Prior to the pandemic when offices were open, I could go to a colleagues’ desk to discuss a particular problem that I’ve been stuck with. Now it’s really difficult to communicate with the teammates just with calls. The most critical thing while working from home is knowing when to stop. Being at home 24 hours, we tend to continue working late in the night as well. Balancing time to spend with family and work is quite challenging. But we need to follow a schedule. I have stuck to a daily schedule and I try to finish my work within that time. Being with family for such a long time after so many years has been a blessing. We never know when we might get this opportunity again.

Q: Your advice to students & freshers exploring opportunities in this field?

Today, almost everyone is online. With access to cheap data and affordable smartphones, the number of people across the globe who have access to the internet has increased exponentially. Digital is no longer a want it has become a basic need for people in their day-to-day lives.

Technologies are also evolving with the needs of the end-user. Those wanting to explore opportunities in this field need to stay updated with the new and emerging technologies. There are a plethora of technologies to learn, it is important to identify which technologies interest them and then gain expertise in that. One way to do that as a student or a fresher is by working on projects related to one’s interests, attending seminars, and learning more about them through online courses. The opportunities in the digital market are immense, but freshers and students need to know what is relevant to the current time and keep themselves updated by learning continuously.

Q: In your view, what is the scope of this industry in the years to come?

Many companies are shifting their focus from traditional channels to connect with their customers to digital mediums. Considering the current COVID crisis, the job market will also increasingly focus on digital and technology skills and remote work will become a standard practice.

In the near future, we will also see the impact of Artificial Intelligence and Voice-based search on our day-to-day lives. Currently, tools like Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Google Instant have become a part of our lives. Even though Voice search is something that has been around for many years, it is only now that it has become less of a novelty and more of a necessity. Soon our lives will be more dependant on such AI-based technologies. So, it is important for enterprises to leverage AI-based solutions to offer better customer experiences. Artificial Intelligence will soon be the biggest opportunity for companies and industries across the globe over the next few decades.

Another technology that will gain momentum will be Extended Reality (XR) – a term that covers several new and emerging technologies that are used for immersive digital experiences. More specifically, it refers to augmented, virtual and mixed reality. These technologies will soon become a way for companies to interact with customers and provide an immersive experience to them.

Digital Transformation

How to craft SuperApps, role of microservices in the experience economy and more: top 5 reads from our blog in 2020

Dec 28,2020 / By Surabhi Ghosh Chatterjee / No Comments

Towards the end of last year, no one would have been able to predict how 2020 would fundamentally alter our lives. In the first quarter of this year itself change was forced upon us in the form of widespread lockdowns. This triggered a host of behavioral changes across the world, on a never-before scale. People became more conscious of health, learnt to adapt to new ways of living and working from home. Digital experiences played a crucial role in enabling such a lifestyle and behavioural changes. At Robosoft, we partnered with several enterprises in crafting products that made the everyday life of millions of consumers just a little bit easier – streaming services that brought entertainment, sports, and infotainment to mobile devices or utilities which made us more productive and enriched our lives. We have attempted to share our views on broad trends shaping these changes in digital experiences. Here are five of our top blog posts from 2020:

The Superpower of Super Apps and How to Create One

Apps that can help consumers accomplish a multitude of tasks – also known as Super Apps, were popular even prior to the COVID-19 outbreak especially in South and Southeast Asia. Such apps saw a widespread uptake in 2020 as they help consumers in many ways: providing convenience and simplicity, a unified and personalised user experience and more. In this article, our CEO, Ravi Teja Bommireddipalli outlines why Super Apps can help enterprises and shares key points to consider while building such experiences.

What Does it Take to Create Products That Consumers Love?

The world is increasingly dependent on digital products and platforms to accomplish many of their daily chores and needs. Hailing a cab, transferring funds to someone, consulting a doctor or shopping often involves a digital experience. In this context, the relevance and value of great product managers is critical. A product manager dons several hats: that of a CEO, fire-fighter or orchestra conductor depending on the product lifecycle and project needs. In this article, Syed Abbas our Principal Digital Consultant shares perspectives on what it takes to create products consumers love. In this article, he writes about the key attributes of a product manager and the steps involved in creating a product road map.

Microservices and Digital Enterprises in the Experience Economy

The world has seen the agrarian, industrial, and services economies. We are currently in the experience economy, a term first coined in 1998. In the experience economy, customers are expected to have two types of experiences: customer participation and connection. Microservices – an approach to developing a single application as a collection of small services is critical in the experience economy. In this article, our Rajeev Rajagopal outlines the differences between traditional software products and modern application. He also writes about the key components & benefits of the microservices architecture.

OTT Video in Retail: The Coming Revolution

The rise of audio and video streaming services during the lockdown period was natural and has been well documented. But beyond media & entertainment, there is tremendous scope for OTT services to be adopted by other industries such as retail, among others argues our Jay Shah, in this article. It is a new format of the familiar home shopping networks on TV and offers the best of both worlds in terms of showcasing the product and in-store experience.

The coming glut of online delivery apps: takeaways to deliver the competitive edge in UX

While we may switch back to older ways of worry-free travel and in-store shopping sometime in the future, some of our behaviors have been fundamentally altered in 2020. Our preference for contactless delivery has been a key development that may change the business proposition of many an industry beyond just food delivery. The value proposition of brands may be similar in many cases and hence great user experience will be a competitive edge opines our Srinidhi Rao, in this article. Now more than ever, customers would appreciate any simplified process. So any experience which goes a long way in reducing friction or making life easy – ordering through voice-enabled speakers, messenger platforms, or a smartwatch, enabling a virtual trial of a dress re-order previously ordered medicines, or renewing a subscription service would be welcome he opines.

We hope you enjoyed our collection of top reads from 2020. As we step into the new year, we look forward to even more exciting opportunities to simplify lives of consumers.

Human Resources

Getting to Know Nanda Kishore, Delivery Head, Robosoft Technologies

Dec 24,2020 / By Surabhi Ghosh Chatterjee / No Comments

At Robosoft, our mission is simplifying lives with delightful digital experiences. Our talented team of product strategists, designers, software engineers work towards driving this mission.

Today, let us get to know Nanda Kishore, Delivery Head at Robosoft. Nanda started his career with Robosoft and has been a part of our team for 18 years now.

Q: Can you tell us about yourself – your family, interests, and work philosophy?

I am from Mangalore and I grew up in Udupi. Of all the roles I play in life, being a father is my favorite. I have two kids, a 12-year-old son and a 7-year-old daughter. I believe in leading a simple life and being approachable to people who need my guidance. I think that’s one of the most important qualities that any leader should have.

Being transparent and straightforward has been the guiding factor in my life while dealing with people, both in personal as well as professional life.

I love outdoor sports and have represented my college too, in Cricket and Volleyball. Earlier, I used to spend weekends playing Cricket in various tournaments. Now, I love playing with my kids during the weekend. Other than that, I love traveling and cooking. I like experimenting with new recipes often. YouTube is my go-to guide when it comes to cooking.

Q: What made you choose Robosoft & what is it that inspires you?

I completed MCA from Manipal Institute of Technology. After my internship in Bangalore, I moved back to Udupi and started looking for a job. I used to hang out with my friends near the Robosoft office, which was just 100-200 meters away from my home. I was fascinated with this software company in the middle of a small town like Udupi.

I always wanted to be a successful IT professional. As luck would have it, there was an opening for a QA testing role in Robosoft. I applied and got selected. I was supposed to join on January 1st, but my manager asked me to join on 31st December instead and attend the new year celebrations with the team. Since I was joining in the night shift, my first interaction with the team happened during the New year’s party, where I met all the team members and the management! That was an ice breaker for me. There has been no looking back for me since that day, and it has been 18 years!

I started as a tester for Mac applications on Mac OS 9. Within 3-4 months, I got an opportunity to lead a QA team for a global project. We were working on Deskjet, Laserjet & Photosmart printers, scanners, and copiers during those years. Today, I lead several projects for global brands across sectors and geographies. From a QA professional to Delivery Head, it has truly been an amazing journey for me.

From the flexibility to be near my family and hometown to immense growth opportunities, Robosoft has given me everything I aspired for from my professional life. Over the years, I have handled many interesting and challenging projects for global brands and worked on every possible emerging and new-age technology, be it AI/ML, Blockchain, voice, and more. The growth and scope of learning here are immense. Every day we handle a new challenge and work towards creating exciting and disruptive digital solutions, and that keeps me inspired.

The work culture here is extremely friendly. With some amazing peers and a senior management that is always approachable and ready to hear you out.

Q: How was 2020 for you? What is it like to manage home and work responsibilities? Any advice to peers?

With the pandemic, lockdowns and the extended WFH scenario, 2020 was a challenging year for all of us. On a professional front, we learned to adapt to unprecedented situations faster. Earlier we had a few teams that were working remotely. But with the entire company working from home, managing communication within teams was difficult initially. However, with time we have learned how to plan and manage communication and work better.

I have followed a regular work schedule every day. While there will always be disruptions in your schedule, especially when you are handling so many projects simultaneously, it helps to make a daily to-do list. Earlier, I used to de-prioritize a couple of things for the next day. But given that we are at home, I try to finish the work I have scheduled for a particular day on the same day.

I think WFH has increased productivity for all of us. But, it has also extended the working hours due to more calls and meetings. It is important to be involved in a stress-relieving activity – be it yoga, meditation, or any other hobby that relaxes your mind.

I love singing and have been a closet singer so far. During this time music has acted as a stress buster for me. Earlier, I often sang in a place where no one is nearby. But now I have started performing in front of small gatherings of friends and family too 🙂

On the personal front, 2020 has been a year of tremendous learning. It has taught us the value of taking hygiene and health seriously. Fortunately, at Robosoft we had a steady business and we also expanded as a team. This is not the case for other industries. Many people have lost their jobs during this time. This realisation has taught me to be grateful and be more prudent about savings.

During these times when many people are struggling to even get food on their plates, 2020 has taught me to be more empathetic towards the less fortunate. It has also reinforced the value of sharing, being more cautious towards our spending patterns, and reducing wastage.

Q: Your advice to students & freshers exploring opportunities in this field?

Technology will always evolve. Some years ago we were talking about device communication, today we talk about technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Robotic Process Automation, Big Data, Blockchain, and more. These technologies will also change in the coming years. My advice to students and freshers is to pick a technology which you are genuinely interested in and gain expertise in that – instead of following the herd, follow your heart.

Having said so, it is also important to be updated with the new technology trends, learning continuously, and exploring newer avenues. This will help you stay relevant for the industry. But don’t be a ‘jack of all trades and master of none’. Gain an in-depth understanding of the technologies that you choose to learn.

Q: In your view, what is the scope of this industry in the years to come?

In the coming years, cloud computing and automation technologies will gain more traction. Data analytics will also be an important area that will grow.

But most importantly, enterprises will choose digital partners who provide holistic services and not just one-off solutions like app development. At Robosoft, we have also evolved to offer end-to-end digital services to our clients. We started with Mac development but as we grew, we moved to mobility and web solutions and today we are a full-service digital agency offering services like advisory, design, engineering, and analytics.

Human Resources

Getting to know – Gourav Bhandari, Digital Consultant

Nov 30,2020 / By Surabhi Ghosh Chatterjee / No Comments

At Robosoft, our mission is to create digital solutions that simplify lives of millions across the globe. Our talented team of software and product engineers, design thinkers, digital consultants and more, consistently work towards driving this mission.

In this interview-based series, we chat with the ‘behind the scenes’ experts – know their passions and inspirations. We also try and understand what drives them to create digital solutions that touch the lives of millions of users and drive business results.

Today, let us get to know Gourav Bhandari, Digital Consultant at Robosoft. Gourav started his career with Robosoft and has been a part of our team for close to 3 years now.

Q: Tell us about yourself and what you do, your hobbies, and more?

I come from a Rajasthani lineage, but I was born and brought up in a town bordering Maharashtra and Karnataka, and now I am living in Hyderabad. Multicultural experiences and good memories from every place I have stayed have guided and taught me a lot of life lessons so far.

Empathy and putting the needs of others before my own has been my guiding principle in life.

I am always excited to meet new people and learning about their lives and experiences that make them who they are. I find it fascinating to know these stories, there’s so much to learn from everyone. I strive to make people feel comfortable in my presence.

I love traveling and going on solo treks. Before the pandemic, I traveled to a new place every season. I really hope to do that again soon, after the pandemic is over. Traveling allows me to adapt to new situations and use my planning skills to ensure I have the most fun I can. In my free time, I also love to binge-watch, some times I watch my favorite shows or series multiple times.

Q: What inspired you to choose Robosoft Technologies & what is it that inspires you?

After completing my MBA in Marketing, I joined Robosoft as a digital consultant almost 3 years years ago. When I was starting my career, I was unsure of a career path, but I found the right mentors and the right direction for my career here.

Interacting with global clients, working on multiple domains & various projects, and solving a new problem daily are the reasons why I love to work here. Robosoft has always given me a lot of scope for future growth – I don’t think any other company would have given a fresher like me the challenging responsibilities as I have here. Every time I faced difficulties in my work, I was mentored and guided by my supervisors and peers. Whatever I have learned so far, has positively impacted my career and will help me grow in the future too. The experience I have had with Robosoft has done wonders for my self-belief and made me a more confident professional.

To be a part of an organization where the learning curve is great, hard work is appreciated, innovation in work styles and freedom to express and explore is encouraged is a perfect fit for my expectations, and like-minded colleagues make it an icing on the cake!

I like to grow every single day. Incremental growth is what drives my happiness, and not long term milestones and achievements. I like to be challenged in any task I pick up, and that is why I chose the path to be a digital consultant at Robosoft.

Q: How has the quarantine phase been? What is it like to manage home and work responsibilities and your advice to peers alike?

For me, the quarantine phase has been about learning new skills like cooking and realizing that I am rather good at it 🙂

For someone who loves to travel, quarantine would have been hard if not for the valuable time spent with family, which has been a blessing in these times. That being said, I have a newfound respect for a productive environment to work in and the importance of balance in self-discipline and socializing.

Over time, not having a team to rely on just a few feet away has made me more independent and proactive. One thing that has been a revelation is the importance of taking short breaks every 2-3 hours. I have realized working for long hours continuously without breaks is counter-productive, it is always better to take out some time to relax even in between a very busy day to maintain your efficiency.

Q: Your advice to students & freshers exploring opportunities in this field?

When I was starting my career, I wasn’t too fixated on what I wanted to do, and that I think helped me at some levels. What also helped was exploring different opportunities and roles, to find a role that gives me inner happiness. My advice would be while starting your professional journey, try to not stick to a concrete role definition, instead to be open to different experiences. Everything seems challenging at first, but “nothing apart from rocket science is rocket science”. A fresher’s real talent is the hunger for knowledge and experience, and one should make efforts to sustain that hunger by learning every day and resist complacency.

Q: In your view, what is the scope of this industry in the years to come?

Digitization is no longer a desire, the market now sees it as a need. The world has been forced to innovate, and companies have tasted what agile offerings can do to their business. Drastic change seems to be the new normal in the coming years. IT is an enabler industry that helps organizations gain a flexible, scalable, and connected relationship with their customers, and as such has an optimistic scope in the perceivable future.

Human Resources

Getting to know Prabhav Kumar – Project Leader, Robosoft Technologies

Oct 22,2020 / By Surabhi Ghosh Chatterjee / No Comments

In our interview-based series, we chat with the ‘behind the scenes’ experts – know their passions and inspirations. We will also try and understand what drives them to create digital solutions that touch the lives of millions of users and drive business results.

Today, let us get to know Prabhav Kumar, Project Leader at Robosoft. Prabhav has been a part of our team for close to 5 years now.

Q: Tell us about yourself and what you do, your hobbies and more?

The importance of being kind, humble, straightforward, transparent, and understanding the difference between the “needs” and “wants” in life are some of the ideologies I have learned and refined at the right time in my life. I’m ever grateful to my parents for encouraging my interests and lending support in all my endeavors. I take life as it comes and don’t complicate life-events.

I’ve been an avid sports-person since childhood. I’ve had the opportunity to explore skating, table tennis, and badminton at state and district levels. I also engage myself in music, and singing continues to be my go-to stress buster. Look me up on YouTube. I hope I just got myself another subscriber 🙂 and… I love pets!

As a professional, I’ve been a QA engineer & worked on test automation in the insurance domain, developed applications on iOS platform on the VMS domain, and am now working as a Project Manager delivering projects on web and mobile platforms.

I follow a very simple Mantra in life. “Did something great happen? Don’t get ecstatic! It’ll pass. Did something terrible happen? Don’t worry. That too, shall pass!”

I believe in keeping it simple, having fun, spreading love and happiness, and that is something everyone needs to embrace. It invariably gives us the strength, courage, and competence to tackle all our problems easily. This applies at work too.

Q: What inspired you to choose Robosoft Technologies & what is it that inspires you?

During my engineering days, I had heard about Robosoft being the tech innovator where employees got to work on fancy Apple gadgets. Around 11 years ago, for a select few in my class, it was a feat in itself to get through all the screening rounds at Robosoft. Unlike the tech giants, where freshers “have fun” enjoying the amenities, we knew we’d actually have fun getting our hands dirty working on the latest tech with profound professionals, who were enthusiastic about making a difference in the industry. December 2015 is when I received an interview call from Robosoft, and my journey began in January 2016 as a Senior iOS developer.

I worked in that role for around 3 years with some great tech minds and learned a lot. In due course, I approached my mentors with my plans and about my other areas of interest at work. I was thrilled when I was given an opportunity to transition to project management and delivery. I took maximum advantage of my experience in QA & Mobile app development and put it all into action along with the newly assigned responsibilities. It gave me a holistic view at a microscopic level, right from inception to delivery of the products we worked on. It only proved that Robosoft respects and supports the interests of their motivated employees who can make a difference – this inspires me and propels me to give my best in the interests of the company and our clients.

Q: How has the quarantine phase been? What is it like to manage home and work responsibilities and your advice to peers alike?

Well, being home-bound for a prolonged period is something that no one anticipated, and let’s accept, no one was equipped with all the necessities for a pandemic like this.

I stuck to my Mantra. For the teams I work with, it was all about how mentally prepared we were to adapt to the changes presented and collaborate. Without a doubt, Robosoft did a fantastic job of helping with the initial set up when we started working from home.

Yes, the transition was tough & challenging. Yes, we felt lonely with minimum human interaction. Yes, we missed working at our office spaces, hanging around with friends, lunch & tea breaks. But we did make the best of the alternatives we had at our disposal. We had video calls occasionally to catch up with the team, discussing everything but work, and everyone had stories to share.

We also had “Chai-pe-Charcha” with our HR team and COO. Everyone had a gala time dressing up and sharing stories. People sang & played instruments. It was a subtle gesture, yet extremely refreshing. These small moments made a big difference in these tough times.

Most of us would agree that the reality is that we are working longer hours from home. Initially, I believe, it was the absence of face-to-face communication that led to us taking a longer time to achieve even the smallest of tasks. But now, we’ve acclimated ourselves around it and found effective ways to communicate. So let’s use that additional time we have—especially the time saved from “not commuting”— to be with family, friends and loved ones.

I’m certain the transition after the office reopens would be equally challenging as we wouldn’t be able to dedicate the time we’re now giving towards work. We’d have to re-think around making adjustments to the schedules that we are now set to. We’ve got to be prepared for that!

My advice to peers: give yourself at least an hour every day to meditate, workout, listen to music, read novels or do anything that freshens your mind and body. Avoid News during this time as it only poisons your mind with political drama, crime, hatred, and all the heinous acts of the so-called humans. Mental rejuvenation plays a critical role in being productive at what you do. Do something that relaxes your mind and doesn’t get you anxious or worried about what’s happening around.

Q: Your advice to students & freshers exploring opportunities in this field?

Always follow your dreams; not someone else’s. Listen to the inner voice that tingles happiness when you do something productive. Yes, there are researches going on in edge computing, XR (Extended Reality), AI, ML, IoT, Blockchain, Data Science, etc., to make our lives easier, but that’s not the only path to the future. There’s a plethora of unexplored paths that might be perfect for you. Identify the path that gets you going and pursue a career in it.

Having said that, technology keeps evolving in ways we cannot fathom at times. Have a progressive outlook and keep yourself updated on what’s upcoming & trending in your field of work. Follow relevant Blogs, Podcasts, YouTubers, and the multitude of options you have access to, to gain all the knowledge you can absorb. Never stop learning, and you’ll never run out of opportunities in your field.

I’d also recommend subscribing to websites like Udemy, Skillshare, Edureka, Coursera and similar platforms to learn more about technology that interests and inspires you.

Q: In your view, what is the scope of this industry in the years to come?

In my view, the “as a Service” model would be the way forward. Most companies use SaaS to obtain services for a fee so that they can focus on their core business. So why not work on building one! Think of a modern tech and make it available as a service and you’ll find a customer base for it. Eg: AIaaS (AI as a Service), BaaS (Blockchain as a Service), DaaS (Data as a Service), IDaaS (Identity as a Service) to name a few.

This is again a small fish in the ocean, and the ocean is out there for us to explore. The tech industry will never fade; it’ll keep evolving, and as far as we are equipped with the technology and knowledge to support the evolution, we’ll always remain in the spotlight.

Human Resources

Getting to know Cyrus A D’silva – Creative Group Head, Robosoft Technologies

Sep 18,2020 / By Surabhi Ghosh Chatterjee / No Comments

In our interview-based series, we chat with the ‘behind the scenes’ experts – know their passions and inspirations. We will also try and understand what drives them to create digital solutions that touch lives of millions of users and drive business results.

Today, let us get to know Cyrus A D’silva, our Creative Group Head. Cyrus has been a part of our team for over 7 years now.

Q: Tell us about yourself and what you do, your hobbies and more?

I live in the suburbs of Mumbai. While growing up, my mom would tell me that music was an integral part of the family and had been practiced regularly, for ages. Eventually, me and my brother had to pick up an instrument to learn. While my brother was a natural musician, I always enjoyed listening to it more than playing it. My grandmother used to make art from any object lying around. She inspired me to learn new art forms and sketch out my ideas. Since then I have always been more attached to arts and crafts. I have always seen creativity into everything I do.

I always wanted to create games, animations, gaming characters, visual graphics for games. But as I said we live in the suburbs we were not so well versed with how to start a career into gaming, as back then print media was booming and game design was a fairly new concept. But soon I decided to deep dive into design and took it on as a career option. Till this day, I still practice arts & crafts as a hobby. I have seen the same in my daughter. She is more inclined towards it and I encourage her to practice the art. She is really good at it.

Q: What inspired you to choose Robosoft Technologies, what is it that inspires you?

As a designer, I always like to keep up with the new design trends and stay updated with the design industry. When I was at my previous organisation I wanted to learn or know more about UX design.

Back then, Behance had just started, and as till date, is a good platform for designers to showcase their work. I was really looking to join a company that would understand the importance of working hands on with both UI & UX. I came across Robosoft Technologies, and I found it is a perfect fit for my expectations. I decided to apply for a position of UI designer with my Behance portfolio, passed the interview round and I got a break into Robosoft.

I joined Robosoft Mumbai, when it was just small set up in Mumbai. Being the core member of the team has been really exciting. Since my first day, I got to meet exciting designers, share my ideas & learn a lot from them. My mentors Dean and Vikram guided and helped me to take my design skills to the next level. I had seen design through the colours, typography & iconography, but credit to these two mentors, who helped me bring in the perspective of form factors & how to modulate the design.

At Robosoft I have worked with different team members, who are more than just colleagues. They have always stood by me in my happy and difficult times, both on a professional level and a personal level.

As design is never constant, there are always new trends in the market that you need to adapt to. The tools or software that we use, are constantly updating and so are the devices we design the products for. The challenge is always to be at par with it, and that’s what inspires me to to keep learning and doing better at my work.

Q: How has the quarantine phase been? What is it like to manage home and work responsibilities and your advice to peers alike?

Quarantine had been very challenging during the initial stages. For us, how to ground the kids into the four walls of the house was quite a task at the beginning. Children’s safety was our top priority. Thanks to my wife and all her hard work, we could put up a routine for everything now with time we have managed everything very well.

In the month of February we luckily moved into a much bigger place than the previous one, which came in handy while setting up my office space. My son is always happy to see me at home when he gets up in the morning.

Things are not the same way it used to be in the past as there are so many restrictions and “the new normal” in which masks have become integral part of our lives. But a peek into history teaches us that humans can adapt well and find a solution to everything.

I believe that the digital transformation has helped us live through this pandemic. Right from the local grocery stores to restaurants to schools, all of them have gone digital. My local grocery store guy who use to always believe in cash based transactions, now says “Paytm karlo Sir”. Schools have shifted to online platforms, which was challenging for both teachers as well as the kids initially, but now my daughter can begin the sessions of her class by herself. This year we had to celebrate all festivals indoors. The pandemic has taught us the core values and importance of nurturing nature. If you don’t treat it well it will come back at you.

Q: Your advice to students & freshers exploring opportunities in this field?

Art and creativity is not something that can be taught, it always comes from within. It is for you to express your thoughts and mould them in your performance. You need to find the form you like & enhance it by regular practice. Picking a right tool or software enable you to explore the different dimensions of that form. Looking at different people’s work adds more perspectives and helps you widen your thoughts. It provides you the necessary inspiration to continuously learn and grow.

Q: In your view, what is the scope of this industry in the years to come?

I think that the digitalisation has given a boost to the IT industry. Every kind of business, be it a small scale or large scale, is supported by IT, and it enables businesses to go beyond survival & grow to higher levels. Design has been the most important factor in the process helping businesses translate their value to users.

In the near future, AI & Machine learning are going to be the most innovative and exciting enablers of technology, making them key skills to learn. It will be fascinating to see and adapt to the changes they will bring in the design industry.

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