- HUNED CONTRACTOR

Excerpts from an interview with Rajat Berry, founder of Cross Section Interactive, on the impact of the virtual world on an otherwise brick and mortar entity.

No business can survive without the internet in today’s times. And it is equally important to have a presence in the virtual world, either through a website or an e-commerce platform that supports the marketing and selling activities of a company. This is where an enterprise like Delhi-based Cross Section Interactive P Limited (CSIPL) comes into the picture. With over 500 current live sites and 1,000-plus websites developed for a range of industries and verticals over the last 14 years, including start-ups and MSMEs, helping them move into the next orbit of doing business by having an online presence. CSIPL is amongst India’s leading website development agencies in the domestic web domain. Founded by Rajat Berry in 2001, the company specialises in developing websites, portals, intranets, e-commerce solutions, web/online applications, mobile app development, search engine optimisation (SEO), social media optimisation (SMO) and search engine marketing (SEM).

What kind of sectors have you provided your services for?

CSIPL’s clients include some of the best-known brands in a wide range of domains such as aviation, education, finance, FMCG, healthcare, hospitality, international development agencies, manufacturing, non-governmental, governmental, entertainment, real estate, retail, travel and tourism, etc. Since its establishment, the company has successfully built long-term business relations with clients like Avantha Group, Moser Baer, DLF Group, Spice, Wave Group, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Ansal Housing, Unitech, NIIT, National Gallery of Modern Art, World Bank, and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), to name a few.

In the automotive sector, we have worked with JCB, Atlas Cycles and JBM Group. We also have very reputed clients in the power sector, including ACME Tele Power, Him Urja, FLOVEL, Coslight India Telecom, and others. Meanwhile, there are many companies in the infrastructure sector that have realised the importance of an online presence and some of the companies we have provided complete packages for include Ajnara, AMR Infrastructure, Amrapali Group, DLF Group, JayPee Group, Mahagun Group, Prateek, Raheja, TDI and Unitech.

What is the need for SMEs when it comes to creating an online presence?

It is now a thing of the past when a manufacturing business only meant a production unit and a delivery outlet. Today’s business is marked and graded using various factors, one of which and the most vital one is online presence. For any SME the online presence can be satiated using various factors and this can be achieved using multiple tools, namely a) an individual or a group of persons who will develop the website in a mentioned portal, b) A search engine optimisation expert whose job is to make sure that the website is maintained in terms of traffic and ranking. Adding social media postings such as Facebook, Google Ad Words, Instagram and others are also done at this end, and c) An expert who develops the content, including blogs, press releases, articles, web pages and many more, which can be posted on various advertising websites.

What is the future trend in online presence of industries? Are there any new developments taking place worldwide?

Since the advent of this century, there has been a tremendous increase in business’ movement on the internet. Today, an enterprises’ grading is dependent on various factors such as how comprehensive is the website, online reputation, i.e., whether the online presence of a company can be entrusted or not, on-air reviews that provide customers’ opinions about the services or products offered, and customer handling in terms of how well a company is able to handle the clients’ dissatisfaction or reviews. Thus, with such an in-depth presence in our lives, this trend of online presence among business is undoubtedly going to surge with time and at a teeming rate as well. Change is the law of nature. Thus, new developments have been taking place all around the world all the time. Online marketing on social media websites such as Facebook, Instagram, Google Ad Words are among those.

Since you deal with SMEs, what do you think are the challenges that start-ups face?

It is heartening to see that things have become a lot more conducive for start-ups in India. At the same time, challenges remain. It is still not easy to find funding in a new sector. Though there are funds available, which have been specifically set aside for start-ups by private sector investors and the government, they can’t be availed of by all forms of businesses. The survival of a start-up depends on its team. A company is only as good and strong as its team. It is imperative to have a dedicated group of individuals in a start-up who can drive the business amidst challenging circumstances and ultimately help it achieve fruition.

Likewise, mentors play a vital role in preparing the next breed of young entrepreneurs and helping them navigate through the right channels. Some efforts have been taken by the government and private organizations to bring successful entrepreneurs and budding ones on a same stage, where they can share their experiences. This is aimed at bolstering the start-up culture in India. However, this is still in a nascent stage and a lot more needs to be done. Other common challenges are location and legal constraints.