If we look at world trade today, we find a huge change in the way businesses are run. Companies around the world are moving to digital as it’s now the most cost-effective & efficient way to not only reach the right customers, but to also improve productivity.
While going digital, businesses need to use technology to its full potential in a way that they can achieve the desired goals. It was to achieve these goals with precision, that the field of business management systems came into existence.
With the boost in the digital economy, businesses are in a continuous search for a technology solution provider that can accelerate their growth. Keeping the needs of businesses in mind the team of experts at Target Integration makes hard and smart efforts to empower their clients with top-of-the class business management systems.
In a talk with Mr Rohit Thakral, Founder and CEO at Target Integration, shared his views on the current industry scenario and how Target Integration is transforming its client’s businesses.
Brief us about the Target Integration.
Target Integration started in 2008 and the idea was to provide ‘value-based business process management systems’ – to customers. We believe that choosing the right business management software should be an easy task. Therefore, we empower business owners & managers by providing business management solutions tailored to their needs, as well as ongoing support throughout their journey with us.
What were the initial challenges Target Integration faced?
Target Integration started the business initially with ‘open-source’ products. An ‘open-source’ product was always on an “on-premise” version, and people used to install them in their environments. At that time cloud was not so popular.
As software consultants, we understood the value of cloud solutions & endeavoured to promote them to our clients. However, the transition was slow. We had to put in a lot of effort to educate them on the benefits & advantages over on-premise versions that were installed in their environments. Every environment had certain limitations that restricted a few aspects of integrations & particularly customization. These factors delayed the project management cycle – be it client on-boarding or final hand-over.
However, in time, businesses started to warm up to ‘cloud-based’ products. Target Integration took the lead in promoting these solutions by partnering with several Cloud solution providers and took software to multiple industries & geographies.
Which was that point that triggered the growth of Target Integration
Well, I would say that one attribute is our cloud solutions & partnership with big players in the market such as Odoo, Zoho, Salesforce, Gsuite, Microsoft, etc.
Moreover, we believe in unbiased advice and informed decisions. Target Integration approaches every client’s business as if it was their own. We believe a consulting firm should be more than an advisor. We put ourselves in our clients’ shoes, align our incentives with their objectives, and collaborate to unlock the full potential of their business. This is the biggest attribute to our success.
What is the reason behind your company’s long-standing success?
It’s our team! We are proud to have a strong team of software consultants who bring their expertise to various CRM & ERP Software solutions. We’ve been able to deliver solutions across different verticals, locations, and industries – owing to the dedication of our team & a customer-centric culture in the organization.
We always look at ‘business needs’ rather than ‘technology’ – that’s what helps us stand out in our implementations for CRM & ERP software as well as for our specialized software consulting services.
What are the products/services Target Integration focuses on? How are your services different from those in the market?
Target Integration offers IT solutions to increase business productivity. We are service providers for CRM & ERP software. Some of our partners are Odoo (silver partner), Zoho (Zoho premium partner), Salesforce, Wavetec Queue Management solution, Pipedrive CRM, Zimyo HRMS suite, Clickdimensions, Xoxoday, CloudYogi CRM, VTiger CRM, Microsoft Suite & Zendesk.
We deliver the following SaaS services & solutions:
- Business Process Automation
- Web Application Development
- Cloud Services
- Website Development
- Custom Software/Application Development/ Consultation
- E-commerce solutions & Consultations
- Business Application Consultations
- Business services (*Newly launched)
There have been multiple providers across the domain. There are thousands of CRM & ERP Software Solution providers! But, there hasn’t been ‘one entity’ which can cater to customers and provide them with the right choice of product. Target Integration bridges that gap! And I think that’s where we see ourselves different from others in this industry.
How do you decide to take the company a step further in terms of your products/services?
We usually decide it with a planned approach and processes which we have set up in our experience of working with the 35+ industries across the globe. It’s when the product is constant, for the implementation, the only thing which differentiates – is the experience and, the exposure that you can build in – for the customers to relate more about and, to make it simpler for the customers – so that without impacting their daily business – they can easily implement the CRM & ERP systems.
Our Mantra: At Target Integration, we believe that –
Choosing the right business management software should be an easy task.
At Target Integration, we have each team for each of the different products, which is then further divided into various sub-segments, for example, we have a team which is for – consultant team and second as – requirement gathering team, who are there to understand the requirements. We also take regular input from our customers.
Is there any new addition to the list of products/services? Anything exciting you would like to share?
Yes, we are very excited to share that we recently launched our new consultancy services with the name of ‘Business Services’. Now, you can hire us as your business consultants as we have expanded our consultancy from just software solutions to broader business processes & operations. Owing to our 12+ yrs of experience in the industry, we can use our expertise to bring a holistic view to business processes & management. The scope of our services includes, but is not limited to:
- Warehouse Project Management
- Procurement assessment & Demand Planning Strategies
- Production Planning & Process Choices
- Brexit Readiness
- ISO & QMS Implementation
- Interim Management & Training Services
In these uncertain times, we can help businesses with solving their day-to-day business problems & create processes that can improve both productivity & profits. With our experience of serving multiple industries, we are committed to always bring a high level of proficiency to the table that delivers vas one of the highly skilled employees with specialized analytical skills. We can also help you design & develop any business process structure.
Can you please brief us about your professional experience?
I(Rohit Thakral) have experience in managing large CRM and ERP Implementation projects & Software Development projects. As Target Integration, I have successfully delivered several projects to clients from around the world (literally from Japan to the West Coast in the US) and have been consulting their CRM & ERP implementations regularly. I have delivered several training courses on various business & software-related topics and I have lectured as a guest lecturer for Dublin Business School & Technological University Dublin.
You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.
Richard Branson
I have 16 years of experience working in various industries including manufacturing, customer services, repair, telecom, etc. My experience includes management, business planning, systems administration, business analysis, and systems trainer. I have also worked on some of the biggest CRM/ERP implementations in Target Integration. Before starting Target Integration, I was working as Product Manager for UPC Ireland who is now Virgin Media, Product Specialist in Data Edge providing telecom test equipment, and Field Customer Services Rep for HP.
What are the key achievements of your entrepreneurial journey?
I have been running Target Integration since 2008 and have been successful in converting it to a mid-size CRM spread in 4 countries. Other than running Target Integration, I used to have a keen interest in radio and had a show called Tech Talks on 103.2 Dublin City FM.
I am also on the steering committee of the Ireland India Business Association (IIBA). I am an Ambassador of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce. An active member of the Small Firms Association. I am also an active member of BNI (Business Network International) Nexus Dublin.
Besides these, I am also serving as the chairperson of SFA Skillnets and works with the steering committee and the network manager to facilitate training required by the SFA Skillnets member companies. Also, a member of ICC (Indian Chamber of Commerce). Target Integration has been accredited by Business All-Stars as Supply Chain Software Provider of the year(2018).
How do you look after your employees? What makes your team unique?
I truly believe that the team plays a crucial role in the success of a business. I always want my people to be connected. For this, I have created my blog (Life of a CEO) where anyone can share their problems or concerns with me directly without disclosing their names. As a leader, I keep communication lines open, friendly, and always encourage my teammates to come and talk to me. And they do it, which I am really glad about.
Second, training is the key! We have a culture of educating and providing various certification courses and training programs to our team members if they need or ask for them. We also host a few activities such as Family day where everyone brings in their lovely families and we spend time getting to know each other. We also announce a ‘Star Employee Of the month’ each month on our social media platforms to acknowledge & celebrate the hard work & dedication of our team members.
Is there any special experience with your clients you would like to highlight?
Every implementation is unique in its own right. Every business has some other tricky requirements but the most memorable Software implementation for me personally is the one for a manufacturing business in Dublin with warehouses in Netherlands, Latvia, and a manufacturing unit & warehouse in China. The company has offices in Monaco and a lot of accounting functions are taken care of by the office in Dublin as well as in Monaco.
It is particularly my favourite one as the challenges were not with the Software partner product but with the previous setup of the client. They were using an old software called “Avante” which was then bought by Epicor and left without upgrades etc.
As with other Digital Transformation projects, Change Management within the organization was a big challenge that we had to overcome. But we came out on the other side and had everything sorted for them and the project went live at the beginning of 2020.
Constant vigilance- a need or a strategy? Please share your views.
In my opinion, it’s a strategy that needs to be planned ahead of time. A caution that can avoid irregularities within an organization. Constant vigilance keeps every department at stake and helps other departments to run smoothly and efficiently with mutual coordination. Also, if employees are watchful and alert enough about certain rules & regulations, it can help in asset management. But if not, then specific actions are required for defaulters.
A strategic & systematic vigilance system can always play a vital role in maintaining transparency and the right decision making that can otherwise affect business functions negatively and the overall image of the organization.
It’s a rat race out there. How do you cope with that?
I don’t think we compete with anybody. We don’t look at businesses as competitors in today’s day and age. It is the time of “co-optician v/s competition”.
We are strong when we all work together. And that’s why we are happy to work with other businesses. Where they excel, we might be weak, and that’s where they can help us & support us, as well.
And yes, it’s our internal competition, with ourselves – where we are trying to improve ourselves with every passing moment – where we take a lot of feedback from our customers.
