Salesforce services have helped numerous organizations in improving their efficiency. Be it with cloud computing, or any other digitalization services, when given a choice, most will go for Salesforce indeed!
Helping organizations achieve the outcomes they seek through their value is Wilco Source. In this interview with The Enterprise World, Sundararaman Ramasamy, CEO, and Co-founder of Wilco Source tells us exactly how they do it!
Wilco Source
Tell us about Wilco Source.
My co-founder, Kedar Relangi, and I started Wilco Source in 2014. We had previously worked together as part of the IT team at Pacific Pulmonary Services where we achieved a number of breakthrough results with applications our teams were developing. It was also during that time, however, that we began to see the ever-evolving challenges IT executives were facing. Through dialogue with our peers and other technology experts outside of Pacific Pulmonary Services, it became clear that these challenges were ubiquitous and growing in complexity. We wanted to help our peers and other IT leaders achieve success, and it was from that vision that Wilco Source was formed.
Today, we are a Salesforce Silver Partner with a proven track record in the healthcare and life sciences industries with a focus on lead-to-cash and contact-to-resolution. Our team has grown to over 200 employees across the US, India, and Mexico.
What were the initial challenges you faced?
Because of the relationships Kedar and I developed through our years in the industry, and because of the results we achieved for some of our first customers, we were fortunate to have built a steady stream of business. One challenge that has persisted for us –– and it’s certainly not an issue that is unique to us –– has been finding the right talent as we continue to grow.
Wilco Source has a unique culture and from day one, set out to provide opportunities to those who didn’t have as many, which has helped us source talent from some unlikely places. We’ve long believed we could develop technical skills in anyone who possessed drive, passion, empathy, and commitment. So, these two things have helped us maintain a steady stream of talented individuals, but we’re always on the hunt.
Which was that point that triggered the growth of Wilco Source?
Though we have been fortunate to realize year-over-year growth from the start, we’ve seen marked growth in the past two years as more organizations have committed to digitization. Particularly in healthcare and life sciences, as these industries undergo a paradigm shift towards delivering patient value and a better patient experience, the need for dynamic, cloud-based, and interoperable technology infrastructures has become imperative. Over the last several years, many organizations have been shifting away from, or reducing their reliance on, legacy systems and adopting more robust, forward-compatible tools like Salesforce.
What is the reason behind Wilco Source’s long-standing success?
It’s our people and our approach. Wilco Source prioritizes hiring for culture fit and as a result, we’ve built a team of deeply committed, emphatic individuals who deliver on our brand promise in every way. Our approach, which we refer to as the “Wilco Way” follows three specific promises: We listen, we understand, we deliver. And our team lives this out not only through the work they do for our customers, but also in their support of one another.
What are the products/services Wilco Source focuses on? How are your services different from those in the market?
Wilco Source has become a trusted, strategic partner to organizations in healthcare and life sciences. As a Salesforce Silver Partner, we have a history of success in aligning business goals with technology to deliver results. We also specialize in cloud architecture consulting, implementation, integration, migration, and custom development.
We provide support, training, and change management services, and have become trusted managed service providers to many of our clients. Our multi-cloud expertise, industry-specific knowledge, and “Wilco Way” of delivering results set us apart, but more importantly empowers our clients to maximize their Salesforce investments and achieve operational efficiency.
How do you decide to take the Wilco Source a step further in terms of your products/services?
We are entrenched in healthcare and life sciences, and strive to remain one step ahead in terms of developing the solutions to the ever-evolving challenges and complexities in these two industries. We also stay on top of key Salesforce updates and products, and it’s these two things that help inform the services and products we develop or build upon.
Is there any new addition to the list of products/services? Anything exciting you would like to share?
We recently worked in tandem with Salesforce to introduce a Health Cloud solution that enabled several hospital organizations in Mexico to quickly digitize core elements of their operations and the patient experience. They were able to stand this solution up, get their teams onboarded and launch a patient-facing portal in time to manage the anticipated spike in COVID cases. This solution, because it’s configurable, has a broad use case across healthcare. Because it can be customized and implemented quickly, it’s become a tremendous asset to organizations that’ve realized the urgency to digitize over the last few months.
What do you think are the responsibilities of an entrepreneur?
Both Kedar and I strongly believe it is our duty as entrepreneurs to provide opportunities to those who may not have as many. We both came from very humble upbringings, having grown up in more rural towns in India. Our opportunities have come from the support of our network and now we’re focused on paying that forward.
We are working to provide opportunities to individuals in rural parts of India as well as in the communities that are under-represented here in the U.S. We don’t believe in hiring solely on the credentials of one’s resume but on the content of their character. We’ve developed a unique training infrastructure so we can provide anyone coming into the Wilco family with and opportunity to develop technical and communication skills, even if that wasn’t their background.
Can you please brief us about your professional experience?
I moved to the U.S. in 1999 and have held a series of IT roles ranging from software programmer to director of applications development. Outside of serving as a technical advisor to a financial services firm, my career has been focused in the healthcare industry. In 2014, I co-founded Wilco Source with Kedar Relangi.
What are the key achievements of your entrepreneurial journey?
One key achievement has been the partnerships we’ve developed with rural universities in India to provide career opportunities as well as career training to students. We are also doing something very similar with 100 Black Men of the Bay Area, a non-profit dedicated to improving the quality of life in African American communities through developmental programs.
How do you look after your employees? What makes your team unique?
We have a strong commitment to Wilco Source’s culture and the personal and professional development of our team. We provide ongoing training and mentorship to those who want to advance or learn new skills. Of course, we offer great benefits and other perks, but I think it’s our dedication to supporting personal and professional growth that sets us apart and has enabled us to maintain a higher-than-average employee retention rate.
Is there any special experience with your clients you would like to highlight?
Our first priority when working with clients is to gain their trust and confidence from the get-go and continue to build on it over time. In fact, we often continue to serve as the go-to, trusted advisor for clients who come to us for our expert opinion on their projects even after our contract has finished. We’re always happy to continue to serve in that capacity.
Constant vigilance- a need or a strategy? Please share your views.
In my opinion, constant vigilance has been a tactical need but with the current conditions, it has to be a strategy for any business or life. We have to be alert and aware at all times. We should be ready for any danger and prepared to fight back.
It’s a rat-race out there. How do you cope with that?
I find simply being present and practicing deep listening enables me to remain balanced. By being truly present for the people around me, I’m able to really hear and understand them –– and I often learn something new.
