Seanergy expands portfolio to include iReply automatic e-mail responder

Indian software firm Seanergy Softech is proving a bright spot in the global downturn with its strongest pipeline yet, its CEO tells GITEX Times.

Initially an outsourcing firm, the six-year-old company now provides software solutions to corporates, and has seen a significant spike in interest in its iReply programme, which is designed to cut staff costs by automatically responding to customer e-mails.

According to the firm, the software can reduce a department’s email load by close to 70%.

“Research we’ve carried out shows emails cost between $2 and $3 to answer, taking into account hourly pay and manpower,” says Sriram Nallam, CEO of Seanergy Softech. “This system  has the potential to take 80% off the direct cost.”

The firm is pitching its software to blue chip firms including Pfizer, Dell and the retail behemoth Walmart, in a bid to lure corporates that have been badly-hit by the current global economic state of affairs.

“The downturn is good timing for us,” Nallam says. “We are offering a cost-cutting solution when companies, more than ever, need that. Business has, as a result, improved for us.”

The system can also be adapted to respond to SMS sent by users, in addition to regular e-mails.

While Seanergy may be thriving, it is becoming apparent that India ’s sizeable existing outsourcing industry has not escaped the crisis unscathed, Seanergy’s Nallam notes.

“The industry overall has felt the impact of the crisis. We’ve already seen that many firms have been forced to shut down. In our opinion, it’s really an indicator that standards across the outsourcing industry need to improve, if firms want to retain business in the future. Offering something unique obviously helps, so we believe we are well-placed for that,” he continues.

Seanergy, which also has offices in the United States and the United Kingdom, is hoping to source fresh leads for its iReply software this GITEX Technology Week, its second. The firm ranks the UAE as its third largest market, after the US and Europe.

“We want prospects. We’re aware that you can’t close those kind of deals in one meeting, but we hope for leads,” says Nallam.