Exclusive Interaction - Joyce Ray, Business Head, India, Tally Solutions

Joyce Ray, Business Head, India, Tally Solutions, interacted with us and discussed the IT requirements of his organisations in 2020-21.

What kind of IT products, solutions and services the enterprises and SMEs need to acquire in order to get ahead in 2020 and later. Mention a few sectors.

As 2020 comes to an end, the situation continues to be challenging for consumers and enterprises alike. The SME segment especially continues to be under severe stress due to limitations with respect to cash flow, operations, inventory, etc. However, even with such a hurdle, SMEs continue to demonstrate the grit and resilience they are known for as they are adopting different types of IT solutions to ensure stability and growth. Virtual collaboration tools, for instance, have become very critical for ensuring seamless work from home across all verticals. Such tools are also promoting collaboration and facilitating faster decision making among organisations. Therefore, SMEs should continue to focus on leveraging such tools. Similarly, adoption of very high quality and affordable accounting products and IT hardware is on the rise to ensure that backend systems and business data is easily accessible.

Businesses have also prioritised adoption of digital marketing tools along with customer relationship management solutions. These are ensuring that they keep in touch with customers and manage relationships better, which is particularly vital in the current situation of remote working. There is no clear bouquet of tools that is recommended for SMEs as usage differs from sector to sector. The above tools are applicable across industries as Covid has impacted all of them.

What role is Tally playing in this?

Tally Solutions has been continuously supporting SMEs for the last three decades. This year, taking cognisance of the challenges and problems they have faced, we proactively supported and engaged with small business owners through various initiatives.

First, we took steps to help our partners in adopting a digital first strategy that they could integrate into their business operations. Secondly, we recognised that the transition to remote working meant that many individuals did not have access to a Tally license that was critical for business continuity. Therefore, we extended a free 30-day trial to anyone and everyone who wanted to use Tally.

We consistently stayed in touch with customers via multiple communication channels to help them unlock simple methods of working during the challenging lockdown period. This involved providing thought leadership and expertise in the areas of technology adoption, resource management, resource upskilling, digital techniques for customer relationship management and in the core subject of accounting and taxation. We also extended support to SMEs by timely updating them about the latest Government announcements and developments related to E-invoicing, Tax Collected at Source, GST etc.

What is Tally's IT strategy for 2020-21?

Tally’s strategy for 2020-21 is a combination of what we wanted to achieve as part of our evolving product roadmap on one hand and managing operational efficiency through extending continuous support to SMEs considering the current situation on the other.

With regard to our product roadmap, we are at an advanced stage of our new product offering that will be launched soon. The new offering will be Tally’s next generation business management software, which will equip MSME owners and new-age entrepreneurs with an ultra-simple and powerful software to enhance their business productivity.

Supporting SMEs by ensuring business continuity, during the pandemic situation

Tally is committed to extend support by assisting SMEs expand and grow with end-to-end remote working capabilities through business automation. Tally will continue to empower businesses to stay compliant, easily record and manage business data and digital payments, collaborate, and manage business remotely.

What challenges are you facing in 2020?

The challenge that Tally Solutions is currently facing is related to the stress and anxiety faced by our customers which is impacting the day-to-day operations of our teams and partners. While we and our partners continue to work from home and adapting to the new normal, we need to acknowledge that physical engagements and face to face meetings have their own importance. Considering this, we are taking special care to ensure that we continue to focus on the personal touch element with both our partners and customers.