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On Friday Afternoon, Chayan Mukhopadhyay, Co-founder & CEO of Qandle HR sat down with the TechGraph editorial team for a wide-ranging interview. We discussed Qandle HR’s journey, the impact of COVID-19 on HR sector, and more.
TechGraph: Before we start the interview, can you let our readers know more about Qandle?
Chayan Mukhopadhyay: Qandle is an HR platform providing all one HR solution for corporates to manage the workforce right from the point of hiring to retiring. It was founded by Me (Chayan Mukhopadhyay) (Co-founder and CEO) and Himanshu Aggarwal (Co-founder and CTO) in 2016.
Today the startup differentiates itself as a comprehensive solution built with the employees in mind and covers the entire gamut of HR activities. It utilizes AI, machine learning, and data analytics widely across solutions to provide the utmost experience to the users.
TechGraph: How, Qandle stands out from other big players who are already in this business?
Chayan Mukhopadhyay: A lot of solutions provided by different HR Tech brands are mostly broken, or not user-friendly. It becomes very challenging for HRs to train the workforce on using them, this itself highlights how cryptic the user interface could be. Qandle has kept it simple for both employees and HRs both. Also, we have provided all the possible modules for companies to work with.
TechGraph: Could you please walk us through the key features offered by Qandle?
Chayan Mukhopadhyay: Qandle offers over 22 modules covering all the possible HR and employee tasks. One can broadly classify the same into 10 categories including- Hire & Onboard, Track, Pay, Engage, Redress, Analyze, etc.
TechGraph: What is your view on the role of technology in redefining the HR sector amid the outbreak of the covid pandemic?
Chayan Mukhopadhyay: When the pandemic struck and everything was locked down, the companies were still contemplating the work-from-home model. As and when they realized the challenges, they also started feeling the need for intervention in technology as an enabler.
HR Tech companies simultaneously started working on the solutions to fit the bill. Over the period, there was a wide adoption of solutions to enable the new normal, right from attendance, work monitoring, reporting, employee engagement, and more.
TechGraph: Can you elaborate on the Qandle plans and innovations that you are looking at (from a tech perspective)?
Chayan Mukhopadhyay: We are continuously improving our solution to make it more intuitive and configurable. We are a technology-first company. Our Co-founder and CTO, Himanshu Aggarwal, drives the tech backbone while we get feature requests from our customers, to make the solution better.
We ship new releases every 2 weeks, and our product roadmap is visible to all our customers and they can vote on the features to prioritize what they want to be shipped sooner. It is a very transparent process and something that has helped our customers get visibility into what we are building at any point in time.
TechGraph: Do you think tech-powered HR players can address the recruitment gap in India?
Chayan Mukhopadhyay: The unemployment rate has grown amid the pandemic and tech-powered HR players can address the recruitment gap in India.
A lot more organizations are open to remote work and this will also have a huge impact on reducing the unemployment rate, especially in Tier-II Tier III cities, where the talent is there but there were not enough opportunities before remote work became mainstream.
TechGraph: How exactly does the technology work at Qandle?
Chayan Mukhopadhyay: Different technologies are leveraged for dedicated solutions. For example, predictive analysis and AI are implemented in recruiting, shortlisting, onboarding, etc. Data analytics includes analyzing data on attendance, performance, RoI, internal requirements, and more.
Together, these technologies have disrupted the entire HR functioning. And all solutions provided by Qandle are designed on the backbone of refined, latest, and relevant technologies.
TechGraph: Why do you think the HR sector witnessed a strong rebound in H2FY2021?
Chayan Mukhopadhyay: The HR sector was awaiting a disruption for the longest. It only got catalyzed with the onset of lockdown. As the world went on work-from-home, it became a challenge for companies to manage their workforce and keep the boat sailing.
Technological intervention was a must. Imagine, when a company houses a manpower of 200+ people, the HR department must manage their time, work delivery, engagement, performance, etc. And all of this remotely. It was impossible without tech. Now it is growing because it evolved with the difficult times.
TechGraph: When it comes to the HR sector, what are the tools and technologies used to redefine the way of hiring talents in the new normal?
Chayan Mukhopadhyay: At a very high level, Qandle solves the growing pains related to acquisition, retention, and growth of talent, which all organizations face once they become slightly larger. During the pandemic, the talent pool for organizations has become larger as they have started hiring remotely.
In the recruitment module, we use AI and data analytics for a lot of tasks. For instance, employers can find out the hiring velocity and open a position accordingly, and salary benchmarking predictions are made for the same.
TechGraph: What is the roadmap for Qandle going forward?
Chayan Mukhopadhyay: Qandle currently has over 450 clients and we plan to double that count in the next year. However, the larger aim is to completely revolutionize HR functioning with technology that helps HR teams and business leaders make smarter, more informed, data-driven decisions.