What if we say there is a paperless legislative house?
You might think this is something just to grab attention, but yes there is a paperless legislative house created by SBL which has saved the life of a whole forest!
With this and many more innovative and advanced technological solutions, SBL Knowledge Services Limited has become one of the leading business solutions providing companies across the globe.
Incepted in 2005 by Mr. Gopakumar Pillai, SBL Knowledge Services Limited is one of the fastest-growing and most sought-after knowledge organizations in India. Its dedicated workforce of over 1200 people caters to customers in 10 industry verticals. SBL’s expertise lies in Geospatial Science, Smart Technology Solutions, Virtual Reality, and Business Transformation Services. Over the years, they have provided cost-effective and ingenious solutions to over 200 customers, from startups to Fortune 500 companies, and have successfully executed more than 800 projects globally. With 99.1% of projects delivered within the budget and deadline, they have been able to make a distinct mark in the evolving and booming IT ecosystem. Today, SBL enjoys 98% customer retention and executes 70 projects annually, on average. Company’s smart solutions have helped them to expand their footprint in the US, UK, and the Middle East.
The Company
SBL Knowledge Services Limited was founded in 2005 with a vision to become a global knowledge organization that delivers exceptional value and services to the customers through technological innovations. The company believes in strategic business partnerships for enhancing the efficiency of the customer’s business processes and maximizing the return on investment.
Today, SBL caters to diverse verticals such as Innovative Products and Services, Geospatial Science, Multimedia and Graphics, eCommerce, and Business Transformation Services. They support eco-friendly technology and have a well-established research division to develop innovative technological solutions that sync with the environment.
The eParliament™ solution, an award-winning product for an end-to-end digitalization of parliaments and law-making bodies is well-received globally and has been recommended as a mission mode project by the Government of India.
SBL has emerged as a credible technological partner to over 200+ customers across the globe and employs 1200 people.
SBL is headquartered in Kochi and has offices across the globe for delivering quality service to 200+ global clients. Company’s clientele ranges from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies and they have over 800 successful projects to the credit and boasts of 98% customer retention.
The Early Days
Back in 2005, India was making a huge impact in the western world as the world’s preferred outsourcing destination. However, the growth was limited to Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities with no IT penetration in Tier 3 and Tier 4 cities. SBL broke the idea and began its operations in a remote corner of Kerala.
In the early days, SBL found talent acquisition a significant challenge as the youth preferred employment in the urban cities. So, they had to implement continuous learning and development programs to meet international work standards. As a workaround, the company also introduced work from facilities to harness talent from anywhere in India.
During the period, SBL was the first company to explore rural BPO opportunities in Indian villages. The concept was to provide employment to the rural youth and women and make the villages self-sufficient. Even the shortage of skills among the local population was a big hurdle. SBL initiated extensive training and development programs to impart the required skills to local youth.
Mr. Gopakumar also had a tough time gaining stakeholder acceptance for an IT company in a Tier 3 city. Since the company was servicing international customers, they had to ensure the use of the best infrastructure, data security practices, and talent to guarantee reliable delivery. SBL’s business location had limited access to such facilities, and they had to put in extra efforts to ensure smooth operations and zero downtime.
And then the growth started
SBL was fortunate to bag international projects of prestigious client’s right from its inception. The company had a robust process with stringent quality standards and best security practices.
The success journey began with the challenging projects of National Archives, London, and the British Library. SBL had also collaborated with reputed corporates such as NextUK, and Canon during the early stages. Their emphasis on learning and development ushered in the required cultural change for meeting deadlines and exceeding the client’s expectations.
SBL started operations in a remote location with 30 members. Today, the company has a strong workforce of 1200 employees with branches across the world. SBL has recorded an average growth rate of 30% year after year.
SBL started as an ITES company and gradually diversified into geospatial services such as UAV data processing, LiDAR, Mapping, BIM, and Geo-terrain solutions. They have supported the technology requirements of many reputed institutions. SBL’s BIM experts supported the rebuilding of King’s Cross Railway Station in London. The company has carved a space of its own in the industry and is a leading provider of a wide range of services including multimedia and design, image editing, and business transformation.
Their Offerings
SBL Knowledge Services Limited provides expert solutions in Data Transcription, Data Abstraction, Data Conversion, Image Editing Services, and Geo-Spatial Services.
Products
- eParliament
- Healthcare solution
- ERP
Services
- Ecommerce
- Mobile Application Development
- Robotic Process Automation
- Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
- Cloud Offerings
SBL believes in growing together or “Success through partnership”. They serve customers with solutions built using cutting edge technology that increases productivity, automates business processes, reduces the running cost, and improves effectiveness. The products and services they have offered are for major Government and Private organizations across the globe.
Factors behind their longstanding success
Passion for business is embedded in their DNA. Each member of SBL is passionate about delivering value to the client and exceeding expectations. Successful partnerships are the foundation of their excellence. The company considers society and customers as vital links and strives to build trust in their relationships.
SBL believes in innovative company culture and nurtures the employees to contribute their best and come up with creative ideas. The company’s culture focuses on continuous improvement and motivates the employees to constantly outperform themselves and reach heights.
Looking ahead
• SBL will be spreading its wings in Recruitment Process Outsourcing, BPO Support Services, and Digital Marketing.
• SBL plans to expand its operations in all the Indian Metropolitan Cities in 2020.
Mr. Gopakumar Pillai – A leader with a revolutionary vision
Mr. Gopakumar Pillai, Managing Director at SBL started his career with Vardhman Group. Thereafter, he was associated with world-renowned consulting groups for establishing plastic and textile manufacturing facilities in Africa. After gaining 10 years of substantial experience in leadership, his entrepreneurial journey began in 2003 with SITCO, an international trading house of agrochemicals and commodities. Following its success, he moved forward to establish SBL in 2005. Today, SBL is a leading business conglomerate offering a wide range of services including the prestigious eParliament solution.
The greatness of a person is not the money but the positive impact and benefits he can bring in the lives of others.
Mr. Pillai is proud to be a part of spearheading eco-friendly technology among the law-making bodies of the world. He also feels motivated that SBL provides a platform for the youth to contribute to technological innovations.
Gopakumar is an ardent follower of Shirdi Sai Baba and practices his teachings on love, compassion, charity, and spirituality in his life. He believes that the sense of fulfillment comes only from strong spiritual roots.
He admires Dr. Verghese Kurien, the “Father of the White Revolution” in India, and the key person behind the success of Amul. Dr. Kurien was an inspiring social entrepreneur who made India the largest milk producer in the world. Under his leadership, Amul established dairy farming as the largest self-sustaining industry in India.
Gopakumar appreciates the social consciousness of Dr.Kurien and his undying spirit to extend a successful business venture to the farmers of Indian villages.
The key Achievements
SBL has emerged as a credible technological partner to over 200+ customers across the globe and employs 1200 people.
SBL’s solution was awarded the Highest Civil Service by the Himachal Pradesh Government. The eParliament is the only end to end digital parliament solution in the world and has been running successfully for 6 years without any downtime. It has changed the way of functioning of the law-making bodies by introducing a paperless digital process for higher efficiency and better time management. The solution eliminates paper usage, saves trees, reduces the carbon footprint, increases the oxygen in the air, and conserves gallons of water. It is an honor to be a pioneer in providing a solution that can transform the functioning of the world parliaments and establish green governance.
The work culture at the SBL
Employees are SBL’s greatest assets. They promote a culture focused on teamwork, integrity, and innovation and offer unlimited growth for performing employees.
SBL follows an equal opportunity policy and each employee is recognized purely based on merit, the company promotes a transparent and result-oriented work culture where people are empowered, roles are clearly defined, weaknesses addressed, and each member takes ownership of his tasks.
Apart from this, the company has several policies to ensure the happiness of their employees. There are continuous reward and recognition programs for identifying and recognizing talent. SBL also offers an attractive employee benefits scheme. Learning and development is a priority at SBL with continuous internal and external training programs for enhancing functional and behavioral skills.
There is an Occupational Health and Safety division that periodically rolls out programs for alleviating the occupational health concerns of the employees.
The team is not less than a family. SBL is a happy family built on values of trust and cooperation where the contribution of each member is valued.
Overwhelming Client Experiences
The business partnership with SBL has always been praised by its customers for the exceptional value they deliver. One of the company’s reputed clients had congratulated them on the unique partnership approach and rated SBL better than their previous service provider of 20 years.
Gopakumar shared the experience of the implementation of the eParliament solution.
“The concept was new in India and we had to take the digital platform to a large section of lawmakers who were not tech-savvy. Many had crossed 80 years and were beyond adapting to technology.
Winning their confidence and training them to use the digital platform was challenging. I am delighted to say that our efforts paid off and the members of the legislative bodies are using the eParliament solution and enjoying the benefits of efficiency and time management.”
He further adds “Our teamwork, dedication, and commitment to supporting the client’s business during the COVID-19 lockdown were appreciated and the SBL team supported the clients without any hindrances and maintained the SLA commitments.”
Talking about the need for constant vigilance Gopakumar says, “I would say constant vigilance is crucial in today’s interconnected world. The majority of business transactions happen digitally. We conduct business discussions and close deals through online meetings. This brings a need to be alert for safeguarding our crucial business data and processes. Data breaches and malicious frauds are on the rise. Threats also exist in the form of possible corporate scams and fraudulent transactions. SBL has the required processes and techniques in place to ensure constant vigil and security for our business and also our client business. Companies should embrace constant vigilance as the need of the hour. There should be a foolproof strategy in place to implement it across the organization.”
Competing with themselves
The competition is fierce. However, SBL does not promote a culture of competing with others. The company believes in continuous improvement and challenging themselves to reach heights. Each day is an opportunity to set new goals and perform better than yesterday. Being a global knowledge organization, SBL focuses on innovation and aim to differentiate from the competitors with products and services that address the customer pain points effectively.
There is a space for everyone in the world. SBL believes in conducting business while upholding the values of integrity, trust, innovation, teamwork, accountability, and leadership. These values are the cornerstones of SBL culture and guide all actions of the company.
