Pioneering AI Solutions for Remote Workforce Management: The Journey of Quantian Technologies

CXOToday has engaged in an exclusive interview with Chetan Almelkar, Founder & Director, Quantian Technologies

Tell us everything about your start-up, what does it do and the problems it solves? What were the challenges of setting up and scale? How did you overcome them?

Kaushal and I founded Quantian Technologies in 2021 with the vision of solving the unique challenges of managing remote and field-based teams using advanced Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) techniques. Both of us, having personally led teams of over 5,000 employees each, have firsthand experience of the common struggles that leaders of large, distributed teams face – whether it is tracking productivity accurately, or seeking a unified view of operations, or dealing with workforce absenteeism. We understand that effectively managing large, dispersed teams requires more than just productivity improvements from automation. It’s also about aggregating critical information while still preserving the decentralized structure.

During our journey, we’ve overcome many challenges, but I’d like to highlight two in particular:

First, just after we founded the company, India experienced the largest wave of COVID-19, with Maharashtra going through four lockdown phases from April to June 2021. At the time, we were in the product design phase, and our team needed to collaborate actively to develop screens, workflows, and A.I. algorithms. Progress slowed, and at certain points, came to a standstill. Despite these setbacks, we stayed committed to both our vision and our people, ensuring that salaries were maintained and facilitating remote work where possible. Our team showed incredible resilience, working remotely as best they could, but real progress resumed only after lockdown restrictions were lifted and we were able to return to the office.

Second, while our remote workforce management solutions have broad applicability across industries, geographies, and functions, we initially struggled to gain traction with early adopters because of the wide range of potential applications. Rather than spreading ourselves too thin, we chose to focus on two industries that inherently employ large numbers of remote workers: construction and facilities management. This focus allowed us to tailor features to meet the specific needs of these industries, such as real-time tracking of mobile employees, A.I.-driven shift management and automated shift allocation, and virtual perimeter ring fencing to confine workers to designated areas.

How has Optick contributed to the workplace management space/industry?

We are among the few companies globally that are exclusively focused on solving the operational challenges of managing remotely deployed or mobile workforces. What sets us apart is twofold: A) We leverage cutting-edge A.I. techniques like Computer Vision, Natural Language Processing, and LLM/Chatbots, and B) We take a consultative approach to identifying problems and crafting tailored solutions. The “Quant” in our name reflects our expertise in extracting quantitative and actionable insights from field operations data and delivering them through visually engaging dashboards for our clients’ management teams.

Our edge computing capabilities also enable our solutions to function without internet connectivity, making them highly effective in areas with little to no internet access, particularly in remote locations. We believe our approach is fundamentally different and more distinct than that of our competitors.

Thanks to our extensive R&D, our algorithms process field operations tasks with remarkable efficiency, making us the best value service provider when considering the balance between price and performance.

What is the product/service enhancement roadmap?

Optick’s product/service enhancement roadmap presents a clear vision for growth by expanding core features, integrating with broader business systems, and providing industry-specific solutions. As the platform continues to evolve, it will add advanced AI tools, gamification, and marketplace services, enabling businesses to streamline workforce management, improve engagement, and expand into new industries and geographies. Some of the unique features we plan to build over the next two quarters:

1. 1. Skill development : Enhancing mobile training modules with interactive features and AI-driven course customization, improving employee upskilling​
   2. Multilingual Interface: Introducing multiple language support and region-specific enhancements for a regional as well as global rollout
   3. Employee Engagement:
      1. Gamification: Introducing gamification elements, such as badges and point systems, to increase employee engagement and motivation
      2. Rewards & Recognition: Enhancing the system for recognizing employee achievements and contributions
      3. Staff Wellness: Introducing features focused on staff wellness, including mental health check-ins and stress monitoring
   4. Third-Party Services:
      1. Financial Products: Providing third-party services such as loans, insurance, and investment options to employees via Optick’s marketplace
   5. Marketplace Integration:
      1. Expanding the platform to allow third-party vendors to offer products and services relevant to the workforce, creating additional revenue stream

What gives your company a competitive advantage?

Optick’s competitive advantage is driven by several key factors:

1. Advanced AI-Driven Features: Optick integrates cutting-edge technologies such as facial recognition, live tracking, AI-enabled course recommendations, and cognitive OCR. These AI capabilities enhance workforce management by automating tasks, ensuring compliance, and boosting efficiency
2. Edge Computing: Optick can function without an internet connection, making it highly valuable for businesses operating in remote or low-connectivity areas.
3. Customizable Solutions: The platform offers diverse functionalities across staff oversight, operations optimization, sales enablement, and employee engagement, all customizable to industry-specific needs.
4. Cross-Industry Applicability: Optick is designed to address the needs of a wide range of industries such as construction, facilities management, agriculture, and more, offering flexibility and scalability.
5. Consultative Customer-Centric Approach: Optick takes a personalized approach, working closely with clients to identify their unique challenges and delivering tailored solutions.

These factors enable Optick to become a leader in the workforce management space, providing solutions that are both technologically advanced and highly practical for businesses with distributed teams.

Take us through the technological advancements you have achieved so far.

Optick has introduced several technological advancements that set it apart in distributed workforce management:

1. Foolproof Facial Recognition: Ensures accurate time tracking, eliminating manual errors and fraud in attendance monitoring.
2. Team Tracking: Provides real-time visibility of the workforce, enabling managers to monitor employee location and status, improving oversight and control.
3. AI-Based Task Automation: Automates scheduling and task allocation using AI, optimizing resource use based on staff availability, skills, and location data.
4. Offline Operations: Optick’s edge computing allows it to operate without an internet connection, making it ideal for companies in remote or low-internet regions, ensuring uninterrupted workforce management.
5. Advanced Data Analytics: Integrates performance tracking, capacity modeling, and AI-driven threat detection, giving managers insights to forecast resource needs, monitor productivity, and address potential issues proactively.
6. Custom Large Language Models (LLMs) and NLP: Uses custom NLP models for speech analytics and AI chatbots, assisting employees in real-time, streamlining communication, improving customer support, and enhancing operational efficiency.

Elaborate on the present market scenario. What kind of business opportunities do you see in this segment?

The distributed workforce management market is rapidly growing, driven by the rise of remote and hybrid work models post-pandemic. Key factors include the increasing need for digital tools to manage dispersed teams, improve operational efficiency, and boost workforce productivity. This shift has created a strong demand for comprehensive solutions like Optick.

Workforce automation is a major trend, with the global field force automation market expected to reach USD 6.06 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 17.4%. In India, where blue-collar workers are a significant part of the workforce, demand for automation is particularly strong, especially as 70% of the 90 million new jobs by 2030 are projected to be blue-collar roles. Optick’s tools, designed for mobile and field-based workforces, are well-positioned to meet this need.

Adoption of AI and automation is increasing as businesses seek to improve productivity, track performance in real-time, and streamline compliance. The complexity of managing hybrid work environments has exposed gaps in traditional workforce management tools, which solutions like Optick are designed to address.

Compliance and safety are also growing concerns, particularly in industries with blue-collar workers. AI-powered tools like Optick can help companies maintain safety standards and avoid penalties. Meanwhile, high employee turnover and training costs are driving demand for AI-enabled platforms that improve engagement and retention, such as Optick’s competency mapping and training features.

Optick is well-placed to capitalize on these market opportunities. It serves high-demand industries like construction, facilities management, agriculture, and hospitality, while also expanding into sectors like logistics, healthcare, and after-sales services. Its edge computing capabilities are ideal for global markets with limited connectivity, offering uninterrupted service even in remote areas.

As Optick’s user base grows, it can tap into value-added services like financial products, insurance, and skill development, creating additional revenue streams. Its AI-driven skill development features are also in high demand as industries focus on continuous learning and upskilling.

Additionally, Optick’s ability to integrate with ERP, CRM, payroll, and compliance systems provides cross-sell and upsell opportunities. Overall, the market is primed for rapid growth, and Optick’s AI-powered solutions make it well-positioned to capture a significant share by continuing to innovate and expand into new sectors and regions.

How has technology paved the way for an altogether new era of HR?

Optick’s technology has redefined how HR teams operate by automating key functions, providing actionable insights, and enhancing employee engagement. With AI-powered tools for real-time tracking, skill development, compliance, and performance analytics, Optick has not only improved operational efficiency but also empowered HR teams to focus on creating a more engaged, productive, and future-ready workforce. This marks a new era for HR, where technology plays a central role in managing both people and processes effectively.

What are your expansion plans for the coming 3-5 years?

We currently have 80,000 users across 60+ customers and 500+ site deployments. Our plan is to aggressively grow Optick’s user base in India and introduce new features and extensions under the Optick family of products.

Our expansion focuses on three areas: increasing the customer base, adding features like activity-based tracking, productivity tools, and skill development modules, and diversifying into industries such as infrastructure, distribution, agriculture, travel, and after-sales services.

In the long term, we aim to expand internationally and introduce value-added services like skill development programs and financial products as we scale.

Anything else that you would like to add.

We are members of Nasscom product connect ecosystem and also partnered with Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) , TiE-Delhi as part of the Ministry of Electronics & IT (Meity) startup initiative. We are also part of a number of cohorts led by IIM Kozhikode, India Accelerator, Startup India.

We are also part of incubation programs of tech majors like Google, Microsoft and NVIDIA. We have integrated with number of cutting edge capabilities e.g Maps API, OpenAI/Azure integration. We also have integration with Govt of India’s Aadhar platform for user identity verification. Currently we are working on integrations with market leading biometric hardware providers and other office and ERP service providers.