Gagan, is a first-generation software entrepreneur, a tenacious leader, and a tech evangelist who has successfully built himself as a well-known brand name in the industry. He is Boston University Certified and the seven-time recipient of the BEST CEO award. He is the Chairman of the Foreign Investors Council’s Delhi Chapter and the Director-Global Education for the Asian Arab Chamber of Commerce, servicing 52 countries.
Mr. Gagan Arora, founder and CEO of Vertex Group, is a pioneer in providing aided sales and marketing services to BPOs, BPMs, IT solution providers, and financial and accountancy firms.
What’s the inspiration behind Vertex Group? Would you like to mention some of the highlights from your journey?
I have spearheaded Vertex Group‘s expansion into six countries in just five years, earning numerous honors including “World’s Greatest Leaders 2021-22”, 40 UNDER 40, and Asia’s Youngest Entrepreneur by Asia One, which was highlighted on CNBC and ET Now. I have also been named as one of India’s Top 100 Influencers by GMI and Forbes two times in a row.
I am usually inspired when the utterly impossible becomes possible by embracing the challenge with a never-say-die mindset, no matter how difficult things grow. My desire to prove myself has driven me to build the best work environment possible, expand, and spread our message around the world. If I hear a story from someone who has overcome the odds, worked hard, focused, fulfilled on their word, and has been relentless in changing the world to make it a better place, I feel unbelievably inspired and uplifted.
Three words that describe my entrepreneurial journey are Upward, Learning, and Evolving. Since the inception of my journey as an entrepreneur, I have been upward with the challenges coming my way considering my setbacks and failures as new learnings that allowed me to evolve and create a bigger picture of my vision. Deprived of any financial or psychological support, although my circumstances were homeless my vision was not. I had a crystal-clear vision of setting a trend of innovation and technology by using the best of my day-to-day business knowledge. To give wings to my passion I took a leap of faith and left my job, sacrificed the comfort of a monthly salary and perks, and invested money to achieve one true dream. Success to me came in the form of waves that had highs and lows but my keen determination to not settle for anything less kept me going despite a few initial failures.
With a strong vision and the will to transform the industry, I laid the pillars of my dream in a small garage in Florida with a team of two, and have since, expanded my footprints across seven countries with a powerful workforce of over 1500+ people. Now, as a President of the Group and a leader, I have taken all of my experience and learnings to make a huge impact, growing my current company from 2 employees to more than 1500, with international offices in the United States, United Kingdom, Philippines, Nepal, Middle East, and Africa.
Please brief us in detail about the current scenario of the business. How have the customer preferences changed over the years?
With the increasing demand for technology, India’s IT solutions sector has the potential to become the world’s next space center. Advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and others have shrunk the distance between the virtual and real worlds, resulting in an interoperable platform between Information Technology (IT) and actual physical activities. Over and above past human-machine interactions, machine-machine real-time communication is now conceivable. With the rise in processing capability of the chips, visualization and simulation tools have advanced significantly. A wide range of complicated, customized, and modular goods can be designed and immediately conveyed to the machines that will follow. Thus, embedded systems, factories, and workers link via the Internet of Things to collaborate in a cyber-physical environment.
Society is rapidly moving from analog processes to digitalized technologies which have opened new ways for businesses to improve and evolve together with their customers. Also, it offers the possibility to link the worldwide economy and build a network in which every business can find its place.
Your smartphone is a perfect example of digital transformation. It allows you to use different digital services like social media, which are yet an example of digital transformation because they have changed our way of communicating with each other. Big data or machine learning are other examples that are especially relevant for businesses that want to learn more about their customers. They offer completely new perspectives on your customers’ behavior that you can use to grow your business. With digital transformation businesses are taking an important step toward getting to know customers better. Pen and paper are outdated. Today you can collect important information via smart applications that offer endless possibilities.
Customers’ expectations have changed, thus traditional marketing channels like PR and distribution are starting to lose their impact. Social media is critical for both marketing your items and communicating with your customers. Customer care is now available not only by phone and email but also through social media. As a result, customers have come to expect significantly faster responses to their inquiries. It would not be inaccurate to argue that digital transformation serves as a vehicle for taking your company to the next level.
What are the unique challenges your company is currently facing? How have they affected your company?
With the changing business environment, no industry is immune to unknown difficulties. The Covid-19 pandemic has built a new reality that is complex, ambiguous, and full of possibilities. Uncertainty regarding the future is one of the most pressing issues we face today. The unprecedented waves of Covid-19 have had a negative impact on employees’ physical and emotional well-being, as they are constantly threatened by the loss that pandemic uncertainties could have on them and their families, thereby hurting employee productivity. The work-from-home culture necessitated that corporate culture is built in such a way that employees do not feel lonely while working and teams are not dispersed. Our Vertex leaders took on this challenge by maintaining regular contact with the employees in order to keep their motivation sparked.
The future isn’t predictable and this past year has taught us that what’s most important is to be nimble in the face of adversity and emerge victorious as we face ongoing challenges. At Vertex, we have strategies to innovate, something that most companies in the market have overlooked. As a result, Vertex Group was one of the very few names showcasing 100% growth during a global pandemic. Stress, pressure, and the unexpected are a part of any job. Not everyone is equipped to handle these emotionally difficult situations well, much less with grace, efficiency, and an eye toward the future.
When was Vertex Group established? What are the prominent services/solutions offered by the company?
I created the foundations of my dream in a small garage in Florida in 2016 with a strong vision and the desire to transform the industry. Since then, I have spread my footprints across seven nations with a robust staff of over 1500 individuals. Now, as a CEO and a leader, I have applied all of my knowledge and expertise to develop my current firm from two people to over 1500, with international offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, Nepal, Middle East, and Africa.
Vertex Group’s operations are divided into four verticals: Vertex Global Services, Vertex Digital Academy, Vertex Next, and Vertex Cosmos (VCosmos). Technological input is the major service provided by Vertex Group to its clients. They are tailored to the client’s specific demands and specifications, ensuring that they are both adaptable and simple to use.
Vertex Group outsources IT-enabled services all over the world as a Business Optimization partner for a variety of industries, including a wide range of operations that leverage information technology to improve an organization’s workability.
From data and workflow management to data warehousing, mining, and business intelligence, to outsourcing human augmentation needs, our services are used in various phases. With its comprehensive range of services, Vertex Group has been dynamically reshaping enterprises by delivering cutting edge solutions via BPO, Global Staffing, US IT Recruitment, Managed Services, Performance Marketing, Artificial Intelligence, Online Education, Staff Augmentation, Events and Conferences, Software as a Service, Talent as a Service, E-Commerce Management, Revenue Generation, Digital Marketing.
What measures do you incorporate to ensure motivation and productivity within the workspace? How do you respond to criticism and disagreements?
Vertex Group is known to be ‘The Best Place to Work’ because of its diverse and inclusive culture. At Vertex, each employee is valued for their opinion. We stand by the motto, “The best logic wins”, irrespective of where it comes from. The team members are given an equal chance to try and fail, enabling them to learn and apply the best strategy to win always. Learning and Growth are never stopped at Vertex, it is a continuous process. We prioritize the growth of our team members not just in terms of titles but also in the form of Learning. To keep the fires of inspiration and productivity ignited, a monthly reward and recognition program is held, in which employees’ extra efforts are recognized. At Vertex, inspirational leaders are the driving force that encourages and energizes team members to focus their efforts in one direction. We instill in our employees a “get-up-and-go” attitude that serves as an intangible motivator that leads to increased production. A sense of belonging, acceptance, and pride motivates team members to go above and beyond.
We view criticism as intelligent and well-reasoned input that helps us improve our ability to maintain a diverse and inclusive culture at Vertex. Every voice matters at Vertex, and every voice is heard through our Employee Care E-ticketing system, which welcomes any employee queries, recommendations, or complaints. Employee care responds to criticism and disagreements by understanding how to listen actively, gently accept feedback, promptly resolve concerns, and implement suggestions as needed.
What measures do you undertake to ensure optimum customer satisfaction? How much impact does the customer feedback have on the company’s strategies?
We ensure that our clients are completely satisfied by communicating with them on a regular basis and listening to their needs and suggestions. We feel that employee experience is equivalent to the customer experience at Vertex. Because our employees are our face value and represent our company, client satisfaction will naturally follow if they are happy and motivated. To reach the highest level of client happiness, we first ensure that our personnel is entirely satisfied. We have an internal operation management system that tracks the process workflow and projects the customer satisfaction rate as a result.
Customer feedback plays a critical role in shaping our company’s strategy as it guides improvements in the customer experience and helps us empower positive change in the business. It also helps us understand where our company’s products and services excel or fall short compared to alternatives in the market.
Please tell us about the services/products your company is offering? How are they different from your competitors’ offerings?
We provide offshore and client services, as well as aided sales and marketing services, to BPOs, BPMs, IT solution providers, and financial and accountancy firms. We work with clients all over the world to help them find the best people for their businesses through our global staffing service. We go to great lengths to guarantee that our clients discover the best fit for their company. We help IT companies use AI to deploy chatbots and build a more efficient workflow.
Vertex Group has been digitally transforming organizations by deploying cutting edge solutions with its following wide range of services such as – BPO, Global Staffing, US IT Recruitment, Managed Services, Performance Marketing, Artificial Intelligence, Online Education, Staff Augmentation, Events and Conferences, Software as a Service, Talent as a Service, E-Commerce Management, Revenue Generation, Digital Marketing.
To keep abreast, we’ve implemented the Vconnect software, which caters to the following domains within our organization:
LMS – Learning Management System
QMS – Quality Management System
HRMS – Human Resource Management System
Employee Care e-ticketing System – For all escalations, feedback, and suggestions
Deploying Chat Bots – To make the processes for our clients smooth and streamlined
Are you planning to launch any new products/services or advancements to your existing offerings? If so, we would like to know about it.
For Vertex, growth is providing regular deliverables to customers through a continuous process in which both employees and employers work together to create a conducive environment in which they can reach their goals at the same time. Developing a growth strategy entails breaking into new markets and segments, allowing the company to reach new heights.
Mr. Arora’s One Team, One Dream goal is to increase the employee strength to 4000+ individuals by 2022 by creating more opportunities and expanding the Vertex Group umbrella into four new countries, resulting in three new LOBs. Vertex Group’s future promises fresh ideas, new technology, and global expansion in many countries.
Vertex has the following upcoming plans to help create a digitally altered world:
IOT West Africa Conference and Exhibition – Accelerating West African economy through technology and digital transformation. The IOT West Africa conference and exhibition will set the stage for the most sophisticated technological solutions to transforming businesses and cities. The Conference will provide an unrivaled opportunity to learn about the latest ideas, products, and technical advancements. Exhibiting will allow businesses to launch into new markets, meet new clients and help shape the industry’s future.
Power and Water Nigeria Exhibition – Accelerating the Energy Transition
The exhibition will offer global stakeholders access and engage in technical discussions and assess the opportunities of the region in power generation, energy transition, distribution, renewable, water, and utility sectors.
New Launch – Continuing our progress, we plan to add another arm to Vertex Group in 2022, which will be providing advanced technological solutions offering System Integration, servers, storage, AMC, and FMS.
As a decorated leader, what would be your piece of advice for entrepreneurs seeking careers in the business?
I always advise young people who are just entering the world of business to be open-hearted and open-minded. They should try to be the diametric opposite of what they see today, egoism, selfishness, and exclusion. They should be connecting, looking to the future, in solidarity, open to new knowledge and experience, listen to their heart, and most importantly be persevering to the end. In the end, everything always works out, if it hasn’t already, it just means it’s not over yet.
I believe that as they move closer to a new digital-first era, the future represents a period of tremendous opportunity for up-coming entrepreneurs. With emerging technologies revolutionizing industries and driving demands for next-generation services, the tech world is an attractive proposition for a young, innovative talent to pursue their ideas and bring fresh concepts to life. I believe that one of the best ways to keep making consistent progress is to keep the fires of inspiration stoked. My advice to young entrepreneurs would be to be unstoppable and not let their failures decide their fate because those who overcome failure have the courage to succeed later.
‘If you are creative, then inspiration can come from anywhere. Creators are never fully satisfied. They can always be better. They are determined to change the game for good’ – Mr. Gagan Arora
About the Auther
Mr. Gagan Arora was honored with World’s Greatest Leaders 2021-22”, 40 UNDER 40, and Asia’s Youngest Entrepreneur by Asia One. Recognized as one of India’s Top 100 Influencers by GMI and Forbes. An inspirational journey of a visionary entrepreneur from a small garage in Florida to transforming businesses across six countries through offshore and client services.
