CEO and director of business intellingence and
Manish Umarwadia, vice president.
With three offices and 55 billable consultants, TekLink International fits the very definition of a Small Jewel. In a competitive field populated by often much larger clients, TekLink's strength comes from its flexibility, and its ability to provide not just deep product knowledge, but also superior customer service, say the firm's leadership.
Doug Heck, vice president of TekLink explains. "We come in speaking the business terms and the business language, but we also have a lot of consumer experience. We speak the language, and the client goes, 'oh these guys get it.' Sometimes clients find out the problem or requirement they thought they had is a little different after talking to [us]. That value unto itself they see right out of the gate."
That value is a big factor to TekLink's clients, which are struggling with the worsening economy. "Clients might have some funding, but not as much as they used to," says Heck. "They have to deliver the same requirements and deliverables for their business but don't have as much to spend. TekLink is the solution where [we] can come in and [accomplish tasks] faster and cheaper than our competitors."
But cost savings is just one of three main keys the management team says attracts clients to TekLink. Pankaj Gupta, CEO and director of business intelligence, says, "All of our customers who built SAP solutions with us, want to stay with us. That's the main key." The other keys, he says, are making sure the end result is predictable and correct; and finally, the cost savings.
Gupta and Heck say the firm utilizes extensive training and on-site workshops to meet its clients' needs with what some might consider an undersized staff. "We really do not believe in burning customers' dollars using green resources," Heck says. "A lot of our competitors put junior people [on projects]. We don't do that. Sometimes a competitor will bring 10 people, we'll bring three people and get the work done. That's what the customers like about it."
Both Gupta and Heck emphasize TekLink's dedication to being trusted advisers to their customers, and having skills not just with the product, but also with people. Listening to customers needs and fulfilling them is the top priority of the firm, they say. "The measurement of ourselves is did we take care of our client?" Gupta says.
It is these principles that keep clients coming back—in fact, the two say the firm has a 100 percent client retention rate since its launch in 2003. "We're very proud that once engaged, a customer hasn't given work to any other company," says Gupta. "We continue to listen to the client and make sure we're adding value. Sometimes, a
customer project finishes, and two years later they have something they can't solve internally, and they call us."
For this year, TekLink is trying to make the most out of a rocky economic forecast, and continues to grow in size and profitability. The firm anticipates adding about 15 billable consultants this year, and is projecting a 22 percent increase in revenue over 2008.
Meanwhile, there's another benefit of the weak economy. "We're turning lemons into lemonade," Heck says. "This economy gives us the ability to hire good people."
And good people go a long way to ensuring the firm's continued success. "If the client is happy, and we're on time and under budget with the deliverables, good things happen," Heck says. "That has been our philosophy since 2003, and it's carried us to this day."
—Chris Nesi
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