Ujwal Makhija
Founder and CEO, Phonon Communications
Ujwal Makhija established Phonon Communications Private Limited 15 years ago, starting off as a single proprietor firm. As the founder and CEO, he oversees the strategic direction and vision of the company, including developing and implementing innovative digital customer service solutions utilising artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and human collaboration; and driving the growth and scalability of the company’s platform-as-a-service framework. He came up with the term Click-to-CallTM, which is widely used in the industry while working with top banks to improve the quality and conversion of online lead acquisition.
Prior to this, in the early 1990s, he helped local internet service providers set up operations. He has also worked at Tata Consultancy Services and WNS Global Services. Further, he has served on the Department of Telecommunications’ committee for reforms in the Other Service Providers Regulations, and is a founding member of Audiotex and the Audio-Conferencing Service Providers Association of India.
Makhija believes that the internet of things, 5G, ubiquity of mobile signals and the ever-increasing power of mobile devices will drive a new generation. These technologies will be used to provide instant services and solutions, driving strong end-customer experiences.
Makhija believes that democratisation of technology will be a key enabler in the sector. “AI and machine learning are great, but people will always continue to drive change. In the coming decade, successful enterprises and professionals will leverage advancements in technologies for their day-to-day work,” he adds.
For Makhija, the most exciting part of his job is to provide reliability along with innovation in services. “Every day brings amazing challenges. Be it deploying SMS-to-Call for a leading banking credit card sponsoring the IPL, handling lakhs of customer leads in a matter of 1.5 hours or sending mission critical notifications for leading airports and airlines of the country,” he says. He believes his team, which works tirelessly to innovate and deliver services to their marquee customers, is his biggest strength. In terms of management style, Makhija is detail-oriented. “The devil and God both lie in the detail,” he says.
An electronics and communication engineer by training, Makhija completed his MBA from IIM Calcutta. “Had I not gone in to do an MBA, I might have been serving in the Indian Army,” he recalls.
In his spare time, he enjoys playing squash, running, golfing and swimming. He is also an avid reader. His family consists his parents, his wife, and their three children.
