Interview with Mr. Sarfaraz Malek, the Co-Founder at Emgage

Though human resources form the backbone of any organization, most firms spend relatively less time developing them. While larger firms have a lot on their plate, smaller ones hardly have the resources or the time to develop their employees. Thus, the development of employees rarely happens, especially in smaller firms.

To address the above situation, numerous software has been launched in recent times, providing the expertise and support required by HR professionals. One comprehensive software that has caught the attention of many is Emgage. The firm has gained much traction in recent years due to the assistance and expertise it provides to smaller firms, helping them empower their workforce through the use of technology.

We were fortunate to have interviewed Mr. Sarfaraz Malek, the co-founder of Emgage, and know about him, his company, and their journey so far.

In conversation With Mr. Sarfaraz Malek, the Co-Founder at Emgage – HRMS

Here’s an excerpt from the interview:

A warm welcome from SoftwareSuggest, Mr. Malek. Our readers are keen to know what prompted you to create Emgage? Tell us about your journey so far.

I would say my DNA, the sense of creating something meaningful, moves me. I have always been a product person; back in 1999, I started my career by building & delivering one of the top security product, which is now amongst the top 5 UTM (Unified Threat Management) devices worldwide. Both Myself & Surendra were part of this small elite group, and then in around 2012, we both started our own separate journey. He started his own HR recruitment & HR services firm, and I got myself into an IT services startup.

I naturally became his first customer, and as a Co-Founder of a growing startup, I wanted him to take care of my HR umbrella, which means the recruitment, onboarding, statutory compliances, attendance, leave, payroll & all other HR operations. So that way, I  remained focused on growing my organization along with wrapping my hands around employee engagement to lay down the strong foundation for years to come.

He started with the idea of digitizing the whole HR umbrella and serve his customers better. Which was working well for me because for an IT guy like me, HR could be scary. Because I knew little or nothing about statutory compliances, managing documentation, payroll, taxations, necessary book/records keeping for the purpose and this system was turning out good enough for me to stay away from my fears.

It was his brainchild, and he wanted to capture all the learning & expertise of his growing organization into the software while serving various sizes and segments of customers. He was willing to grow the software and in fact, wanted to create a platform to keep empowering his customers.

It was an excellent plan, but the challenge was to have a dedicated team for managing the technology stack and product management. Picking up the most appropriate technology stack to create robust, scalable, secure & future proof SAAS based platform is a full-time job.

Apart from that, continued market research, competitive analysis, prioritization, and planning product roadmap/features and then the product delivery, customer support, and managing customer experience. That’s where the need for collaboration arises, realizing each other’s alignment and strengths, and the rest is history.

It’s been an amazing run so far, and It is just the beginning; we believe we haven’t even tp the tip of the iceberg so far. There is a long way to go; we are super excited and looking forward to the exciting journey.

How has Emgage equipped itself to deal with the Covid-19 situation better?

Emgage, in fact, helps organizations deal with Covid-19 challenges better.

Covid-19 has changed the world in many ways. One of the significant changes for Indian organizations is to assess, allow, and manage the work from home scenarios.

We are not prepared for WFH, fearing the productivity losses, and rightly so because WFH is not part of the routine working culture, so the acceptance is going to take a while. Emgage allows organizations to ensure the availability of resources, manage their assignments, and track their deliverables centrally.

Features like GEO location-based live tracking through the Emgage mobile app, task management, timesheet management & approvals allow the organization to ensure their employees’ productivity.

Moreover, we are also gearing up with collaborative features like online chat and video conferencing, ensuring a close working environment even in remote working conditions.

Any interesting changes in Emgage numbers/ stats that you would like to share between Pre-pandemic and now?

There is a sudden & notable rise in the number of inquiries post-pandemic.

We used to receive 5-10 inbound leads a month, but post-April 2020 we are receiving at least 25-30 leads every month.

This indicates the need to have such a platform for any small to mid-size organization.

What are the 3 skills/ qualities needed to make it big in this field?

1) Passion
2) Passion
3) Passion

In this fast-growing open internet world, there is no secret sauce for any recipe. Everything is just the fingertips away.

Nothing comes easy & it’s never going to be, but It is only the passion that keeps you moving no matter what. We have just begun; we know it’s going to be steep somewhere, it’s going to be bumpy somewhere, and we might get stuck somewhere.

But we are prepared, and we won’t give up because we cherish the meaningful impact Emgage is making on our customers’ organizations by empowering their HR umbrella. Every new customer is cementing our belief further, which keeps us rolling.

In a nutshell, I don’t think there is any specific quality needed to make it big but to identify the hunger & serve the DNA with relevant food.

What are your plans for taking Emgage to greater heights in the next 5 years?

1. Identify & recruit like-minded channel partners across PAN India.
2. Digital Marketing & Branding
3. Collaboration features, Online chat, Video conferencing, AI Chatbot
4. Industry-wise policy templates & other out of box intelligence to empower the HR
   
5. HR Insights & dashboards for top management to keep an eye on the organization DNA

How has your sales & marketing strategy evolved during the shift from normal to new-normal?

The most affected area by the new-normal is sales & marketing, and organizations have obviously become more sensitive towards the sales & marketing budget. We, of course, are not different there.

But there aren’t any major strategical changes; to be honest, the new normal has forced us to be more organized and plan better.

Our sales strategy is to evaluate & recruit partners. Now It’s just that the physical avenues are turning into the digital once, and everyone around has slowly and gradually started adopting the so-called new normal.

And the budget for digital marketing has gone a little up compare to the previous year. We are more focused on creating & sharing insightful, meaningful content for the organizations and partner ecosystem.

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