Intellvisions: In the field of customer service automation

It was the early nineties. The IT boom was happening. Many people saw an opportunity in that boom and jumped into the fray with a passion to achieve something. Of course, all of them couldn’t sustain the passion and many fell apart. This story is about a team – Intellvisions – that not only sustained the passion but also created a niche for itself.

“We started by handling small multimedia projects. One of our first contracts was from a large Japanese automotive manufacturer,” says S Nair, MD and a co-founder of Intellvisions Software Ltd recalling the early days. It was the first time that Mr Nair and his colleague Raj Menon (now Executive Director, Intellvisions) were going to Japan where they were introduced to the Internet. On their way back, they picked up several books on Internet and learned as much as possible during the 19-hour flight. By the time they landed, they already knew what had to be done.

“We then presented our ideas to The Security Board of India, who instantly gave us a contract to make a site for them and this was one of our first commendable works,” says Mr Nair. Later, with contribution from some friends, they bought a defunct listed company based in Hyderabad. “We were listed by default and hence the acquisition. A decent capital was generated and finally in 1994 Intellvisions Software Ltd came into existence,” informs Mr Nair explaining the genesis of his company.

The IT industry presents various avenues. So what made Intellvisions go for customer service automation? “Today everything is about customers unlike earlier. This is just one of my reasons for being in this field,” replies Mr Nair. At present, Intellvisions helps financial institutions, utility & telecom companies to automate everything from routine transactions to self-service channels.

One of the chief reasons behind Intellvisions’ success has been its emphasis on innovation. It pioneered the evolution of some of the industry firsts – from the bill payment terminal to the ATM surveillance solution. Its technologies have evolved to include Q-Management systems and cheque & cash deposit automation solutions. So far, it has had more than 12,000 installations across 235 cities including 3,500 plus installations of ATM surveillance solution.

Intellvisions designs self-service terminals for all industries, applications and locations. It provides design services, ranging from contract manufacturing to original product design and manufacturing. “Our vision is to engineer self-service solutions that help our customers reduce costs, generate service-based revenues and personalise the customer experience – taking their business to a higher level,” says Mr Nair.

With Intellvisions having firmly established itself, Mr Nair is very positive about the future. “The growth should happen as more and more firms realise the need to automate their service systems and transactions. A fast growth is anticipated as banks have realised the importance of keeping the customers happy,” he says. Intellvisions is now entering the high-end IP based surveillance market which is estimated to grow to US$ 12 billion globally by 2010. “With security becoming a buzzword, we are looking at tapping the European and American markets as well,” Mr Nair adds.

Mr Nair identifies delegation, co-operation and the willingness to march forward as his success mantras. Of course, he feels that “God has been exceptionally kind to me.” He concludes on a rather philosophical note, “Unless you are not willing to give something, there is no way that you will gain anything. And you have to be extremely transparent while you’re giving anything.”