Visionet’s Executive Vice-President on Bridging the Gap between Retail and Data, Industry Trends, and Fostering Innovation
CXOToday has engaged in an exclusive interview with Sandeep Agarwal, Executive Vice President of Digital Business Services at Visionet
Tell us about your role and experience with Visionet.
I have been associated with Visionet as the Executive Vice-President of Digital Business Services, for over two years. This has been a period of new learning and experiences. As part of my current role, I have worked alongside a team of enthusiastic and creative minds that have constantly pushed me to think innovative and adapt to newer trends in the market. At Visionet, we pride ourselves in providing solutions to our clients, and in the process of delivering this, my team and I have always taken an approach that prioritises the client’s requirements and needs. We have perpetually thought of innovation as an ongoing process that is based on inputs from our clients, and the team working on it, along with findings from industry developments. This is what keeps me inspired and motivated at Visionet.
How do you think Visionet is bridging the gap between Retail and Data through its digital solutions?
Customer behaviour today is conveniently tabulated through big data, and customization sits at the core of this paradigm. Through the process of retail analytics, Visionet uses big data to optimise pricing and supply chain movement and improve customer loyalty. We enable our clients to use the data at their disposal to reveal patterns, trends, and associations, especially relating to human behaviour and interactions, thereby bridging the gap between Retail and Data. Visionet provides data solutions that enable our clients to establish a smooth and efficient business model. Through our product, PartnerLinQ which runs on Azure, clients can combine fragmented and isolated data from internal and external sources to enhance customer satisfaction. Based on the latest trends in the retail industry, we are exploring innovative paths for retailers to enhance the customer experience and stay ahead of their competitors.
Based on your interactions in the digital industry, which direction is the development focused towards? Similarly, which vertical do you think has untapped potential?
I believe that major players in the digital industry are working toward establishing robust Customer Data Platforms (CDPs), which will leverage customer data to ascertain types of customers, their tastes, and their behaviours. Data sits at the crux of this conversation. Bigger the organisation, the more data they have, to process and draw conclusions from. Stakeholders are concentrating on the process of cleaning and organising massive data at hand in order to draw diverse conclusions from such analytics.
While data is a heavily discussed area there is ample scope to do more in securing and protecting this data. Although complete cyber-security does not seem plausible, development in that direction is rapidly taking place. A balance between people, processes, and technology will take this conversation further – while maintaining the integrity and security of the data at disposal. In line with this, Visionet has a comprehensive range of cybersecurity services designed to keep businesses secure. Our services cover all important aspects, from risk assessments and vulnerability scans to penetration testing and incident response planning.
What are the key elements that bind the entire discussion of data-centric business today?
The digital transformation industry is poised to move toward machine learning and automation, and eventually, this will lead the conversation around data-centric business models. Firstly, data management sits at the crux of such models. How the data is collected, archived, and used has to be addressed.
Secondly, what the organisation does with the data at hand to meet its business objectives remains crucial. Stakeholders are looking at using data to reduce logistical costs, increase operational efficiency, and reduce job execution time. The insights they gather through an analysis of the data enable them to make such deliberations.
The third element and the focal point of these advances are what means they have at their disposal to make the best use of data. Players in the digital market are continuously disrupting the space with their groundbreaking Data Modernisation solutions. All these elements are percolating into advanced analytics and AI/ML algorithms to activate data and extract rich, actionable insights that support business decisions.
In the coming days, how do you think the digital industry should adapt to make space in sectors like education and health?
Innovation has always been at the core of healthcare and education. Today, more than ever, there is great potential in using digital systems and strategies to combat problems while also adapting to the changing needs of the sector. For instance, automation and machine learning can be employed in healthcare to have a better, structured understanding of patients and take the best possible medical decisions that are backed by data-driven observations. In the education landscape, there is immense scope for student-centric, personalised learning experiences that can be facilitated through artificial intelligence. As an example – lesson plans that are tailored to serve the students’ needs and capacities can be facilitated through a holistic analysis of student behaviour, and records, and mapping out areas that need improvement. Such findings and decisions can be capitalised on by assessing and processing the data at hand.
What should be the focal point for aspirants who wish to enter the digital sector? What are the trends they need to follow and adapt to their learning goals?
The most focal need of the industry is a knack for innovation. The entire sector revolves around innovation and adapting to newer market conditions. Under such drastic changes, an individual’s ability to evaluate critically and be a problem solver goes a long way. While most players in the industry have kept a keen eye on data management, automation, and machine learning, the industry is moving toward making space for fresher ideas that negotiate with the challenges of today. With the growing excitement around Artificial Intelligence and its impact across industries, this is a sector that aspirants need to focus on and evaluate its role in modern industry.
Based on experience in the tech industry, and as per your book P.R.I.D.E., what values do you think one needs to have to excel in the industry?
There are some common work ethics that bind practitioners of all industries. Building on this premise, P.R.I.D.E is a segway into the values one needs to have in order to excel in any industry. Professionalism, taking ownership when it comes to understanding the client’s requirements, an appetite for self-development, and overall excellence are all values that help people progress towards establishing a sustainable career. The same applies to excelling in the technology industry as well. Another important value that most companies seek in their employees is a sense of integrity and their will to upskill so that they are perpetually in sync with the prevailing industry trends, thereby fostering a robust relationship with their clients by providing them with innovative solutions to meet their needs.
In working with Visionet, what has been the industry trend that you have actively tried to inculcate in the organisation?
At Visionet, we constantly endeavour to inculcate the Spirit Of Innovation in whatever we do. In a world where technology is moving faster than ever, and with new competition emerging every day, we have been swift at adopting and adapting disruptive tech solutions developed in collaboration with our customers and stakeholders, which has helped us stay ahead in the game. Through programs such as Visionet’s Annual Tech Fest, the VisionTechFest, we strive to promote innovation through impactful collaborations with various educational institutions, tech-driven startups and relevant industry platforms to multiply our efforts in developing cutting-edge technology better suited to meet the new industry challenges. We remain positive about the impact Visionet will have on the industry at large and its contributions to innovation in particular.
