Building Vantage Circle: Bridging Gaps in Employee Engagement with Innovation and Technology
CXOToday has engaged in an exclusive interview with Mr. Anjan Pathak, CTO and Co-founder of Vantage Circle.
1. How did the idea of founding an employee engagement platform develop? Did you see any gap in this sector?
Ans: Vantage Circle was initiated in 2010 by me, my childhood friends, Partha Neog, and KC Ramakrishna. We all dreamed of starting something of our own. We understand each corporate individual’s basic needs and requirements since we have worked in the IT and Technology industry for over two decades. We were confident about how we could use our expertise in the field to achieve the goals of setting up an employee engagement platform that the HR of the corporate houses could use.
Looking back today, we can confidently say that we were able to conceive, develop, and bring fruition to Vantage Circle- a comprehensive employee engagement platform aimed at revolutionising how individuals connect and engage. The successful launch of Vantage Circle resulted from timely opportunities, invaluable guidance, and unwavering support and input from our clients and partners. They played a pivotal role in shaping our journey. With the array of solutions provided by Vantage Circle, our mission is to boost workforce productivity by delivering enriching employee experiences.
One gap that had been identified in the sector was the need and importance of more personalised and meaningful means of recognition. Traditionally, employee recognition programs focus more on giving out generic gift cards. However, after relentless research, it was found that personalised recognition tailored to an individual’s accomplishment and performance was more effective in boosting the employee’s morale. Additionally, another gap was related to how technology was integrated into the field of Human Resources. Many organisations sought more efficient ways to track and manage employee recognition efforts. Moreover, many tools and digital platforms were also developed to streamline the process, thus making it easier for HR leaders and management to give rewards and recognition in real time. Furthermore, there was a growing need for companies to inculcate a culture of recognising rather than occasionally awarding employees for their hard work. Research shows that regular feedback and recognition were becoming essential for keeping employees happy, motivated, and connected to their work, and aligned with company goals.
- What challenges did you face during the initial stage in the technical space?
Ans: One of the major challenges faced by Vantage Circle in the initial stage of operation was the limited financial resources that the company had. Initially, we faced hurdles like fast recruitment, skilled hiring, and finding skilled candidates. Having been set up in a region that is lesser known for IT hubs, it was difficult to scale up a tech-focused product that requires investments in talent acquisition, technology infrastructure, and marketing initiatives. Attracting top technical talent can be more challenging than in metropolitan areas, often necessitating creative recruitment strategies and a strong company culture to retain employees. Another challenge we faced in the technical space was the need for continuous innovation in the HR tech landscape. Since this is a rapidly evolving industry, staying ahead of the curve requires constant innovation. This is particularly challenging for startups based in smaller cities as access to networking events, industry trends, and cutting-edge technologies might be limited. Vantage Circle has tackled this challenge by fostering a culture of innovation within the organisation and actively seeking collaborations with industry experts and thought leaders.
- Could you highlight the scalability of your platform/solution?
Ans: From its inception, Vantage Circle has seen remarkable growth. The journey from starting out to achieving a user base of over 2 million is a testament to our dedicated team’s trust, belief, collaborative efforts, supportive clients, and valuable users. Notably, we have proudly catered to large corporate entities in India with up to 300,000 employees. This underscores that our products aren’t just conceptualised at scale but battle-tested for it.
Our suite is meticulously tailored for HR professionals grappling with complex challenges. Every product is crafted with a human-centric approach, reflecting our core belief of placing people at the forefront. For instance, Vantage Rewards promotes bonds and trust between management and peers. Vantage Fit emphasises self-care, allowing employees to track their physical and mental health while earning monetary rewards. Vantage Perks presents exclusive corporate offers and discounts. Vantage Pulse offers a mechanism for continuous feedback, aiding management in conducting surveys and aiming to improve the workplace.
It’s evident in our 160% surge in customer inquiries over the past year that our 360-degree HR solutions are making a difference in workplace cultures globally. This isn’t just a statistic; it reflects the tangible, positive shifts companies experience with our products.
The recent pandemic-induced remote work scenario posed unique challenges. Traditional team interactions were disrupted, leading to uncertainties about organisational support. However, with Vantage Circle’s technology, our clients built a virtual recognition culture, reinforcing their commitment and care to their workforce, even in the most trying times.
- The use of AI and ML is blooming across all industries now. Could you state how you are leveraging this?
Ans: We have been working hard to incorporate technological advancements into our platform in order to improve the user experience and make the platform superior in terms of various functionalities. The ultimate goal is to increase the efficacy of the rewards and Recognition Program by offering a tool organisations can use to minimise the long, arduous, and difficult tasks that HR leaders manage.
The significant changes we have worked around are the result of rapid digitalisation in the present era. The situation demanded changes, and we have tried our best to deliver on every front possible to make the platform robust and user-friendly. Some of the needful improvements we made include the following-
The integration of MS Teams has enabled the platform to provide a unique solution where clients can be rewarded and recognised while focusing on uninterrupted collaboration. Due to this integration, MS Teams have recognised us in the top 30 partners in the corporate sector.
Using an inbuilt SOLI (Standard of Living Index) framework that updates dynamically. This gives the clients more flexibility and functionality while rewarding global employees. The SOLI framework auto-converts the reward points and ensures that the right amount is credited based on their geographical location. This also ensures that the rewarding process is well-balanced throughout the organisation.
Facilitating an AI-backed automatic notification process that prompts the managers to reward and recognise their peers without any sort of delay. This assures that the managers never miss out on timely recognition and work on an unbiased rewarding process. This creates a work culture where recognising and rewarding with gratitude becomes a daily norm.
Automatic text generation with the help of AI while citing a recognition message during the recognition process has encouraged users to write a heartfelt and personalised message while saving time confidently.
The AI-enabled employee wellness program has allowed us to explore and challenge the complexities of artificial intelligence technology. The drive to do something better for the community helped us create an AI-driven fitness tracker such as the Squat Tracker, which employs high-accuracy machine learning models to assist the user in achieving the ideal squat form. This ensures that they maximise their performance while reducing any chances of injury.
- How do you address concerns related to data privacy and compliance?
Ans: In data privacy and compliance areas, we usually employ encryption techniques to ensure the data is secured both in transit and at rest. This helps prevent unauthorised access to sensitive information. I believe it is also equally important to conduct regular security audits and assessments to identify. Companies must conduct regular security audits and assessments to identify vulnerabilities and ensure their systems are updated with the latest security practices.
We at Vantage Circle aim to comply with data protection regulations like GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). We conduct audits that apply to GDPR, ISO 27001:2013, 27701:2019, and SOC 2 Type 2 audits.
Additionally, to maintain privacy, we make sure to anonymise or aggregate sensitive data before being used for analytics or reporting. We conduct regular privacy assessments and audits to identify any gaps or areas for improvement regarding data privacy practices.
Moreover, it is also essential for organisations to provide their employees with resources and educate users and administrators about the best data privacy and security practices.
Data privacy and compliance are ongoing processes, and we strive to keep ourselves updated on a regular basis to adapt to the changes in regulations and practices accordingly. All organisations should practice data minimisation, collecting and storing data required for their services. This reduces the risk associated with storing excessive information.
