Up to code: Softserv Solutions is changing the game for Indian IT subcontractors

What does it take to go from configuring ATMs for national and co-operative banks to becoming a software consultant, with international clients in healthcare, auto, mining, and fintech, to name just a few?

A whole lot of chutzpah, leaps of faith, and a dash of putting yourself out there.

You wouldn’t know from Manoj Pipersania’s demeanour that he’s painfully shy. Over a virtual call from Jaipur, the 46-year-old Founder and CEO of Softserv Solutions talks animatedly about everything from being visible for the sake of his employees (more on that later) to his penchant for shooting and getting a pilot’s licence.

Softserv Solutions is more than a template IT firm specialising in business automation. Established as a private limited company in 2012, the company also offers tailored barcode solutions for use cases such as warehousing, clinical research, and RFID tagging for jewellery and other products. Its 20,000 sq ft headquarters in Jaipur belies the fact that Softserv is a micro enterprise employing just over 60 people. As Pipersania puts it, “We are the richest company in the world.” And scale has little to do with it.

Pipersania started out in the early aughts as a CCNA (short for Cisco Certified Network Associate) IT specialist who configured ATMs for state-run Bank of Baroda before moving to Nepal to automate financial processes for a cooperative bank in the country. Running on just three hours of sleep a night, he’d write programmes and shop them to local businesses that needed to automate their processes. Thereon, he hopscotched from one job to another across countries — in India for Electronic Data Systems, now an HP subsidiary, then the US’ largest health insurer, UnitedHealth Group.

“I managed hundreds of millions of dollars in Medicaid and Medicare projects. But I wasn’t happy. When you’re aligned with one function, you end up doing the same thing for years. Which is why I didn’t move to an IBM or Accenture when I could have,” he reasons.

Pipersania would return yet again to India in 2014. And this time, he stayed, joining Softserv Solutions full time.

The entrepreneur can’t name all clients due to obligations over non-disclosure agreements. Suffice to say that over the past decade, Softserv has served Seattle-based Panda Dental Software (which specialises in software for periodontists), a West Asian government agency (for nationwide tracking of cyber fraud incidents), Canadian safety management platform InUnison, and Australian companies that provide roadside assistance and vehicle insurance. It has 11 permanent enterprise clients and 300-plus for its barcode vertical, blackBAR. The former is a matter of pride for Pipersania because, as he explains:

“罢丑别 Indian IT sector is largely a subcontracting industry where you get a $100,000 project for six months maybe. Once it’s done, you jump to the next short-term contract. As a micro enterprise, having 11 clients who’ve been with us for more than 10 years is a big achievement. We had recurring billing even during the pandemic.”

Having loyal clients keeps you on your toes because you have to constantly innovate to justify recurring billing. As an example, for an Australian automotive client, Softserv not only streamlined 25 years (and counting) of data spanning customer, vehicle, sales, and claims information, but updates dashboards every month with product customisation features, market penetration insights, competitor analysis, and environmental impact.

His quest to differentiate Softserv Solutions from the IT crowd, so to speak, means Manoj Pipersania puts his company up for contention for numerous awards. These include the NASSCOM SME Inspire Awards 2024, the SME Empowering Awards 2024, and the ET MSME Awards 2023. He also sponsors hackathons and conferences and does what it takes to partake in the limelight because, as he reasons, visibility equals recognition, and recognition fosters employee motivation.

The micro enterprise has big plans for the remainder of 2025, including pitching for Indian government contracts, ramping up the RFID and barcodes vertical, and extending its automotive domain expertise to electric vehicles. As for leisure, Pipersania intends to spend more time indulging in his hobbies.

“Shooting is a passion. I’d like to go twice a month and also get a pilot’s licence. If luck will have it, I’ll become a helicopter pilot someday and add that feather to my cap too,” he signs off.

Pipersania’s ambition fetched him a nomination for India's Top-Performing MSME of the Year - Micro at the 2023 ET MSME Awards. Follow this space for more stories on past winners and updates about the 2024 finalists.

(This article is generated and published by ET Spotlight team. You can get in touch with them on etspotlight@timesinternet.in)