Rakesh Prasad, senior vice-president, strategy and solutions, Innover

Players in the telecom industry are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence (AI) and big data-driven solutions. Companies such as Innover are helping telecom players adapt these solutions to build an insight-driven business tailored to the demands of today’s digital age. In an interview with tele.net, Rakesh Prasad, senior vice-president, strategy and solutions, Innover, talks about the company’s key offerings and future plans and strategies…

What challenges do enterprises face in their digital transformation journey? What solutions does Innover offer to address these problems?

One of the key challenges enterprises face is deriving substantial business value from technology and digital investments. Chief information officers (CIOs) are tasked with driving digital transformation initiatives th­at align with the company’s strategic goals, while also delivering measurable re­tu­rns on investment (RoIs). Another significant challenge is the complexity of integrating new technologies with existing systems.

At Innover, our purpose is to help clients to become connected, insight-driven businesses. Our three service studios – data and insights, digital experiences and digital operations – work in tandem to deliver RoI-driven outcomes and make successful digital transformation a reality. Our advan­ced analytics platform, LEAP™, is at the forefront of accelerating the journey of data-to-business outcomes, leading to accurate and relevant insights, faster time-to-insights, and reduced cost-per-insights.

What are Innover’s key focus areas in the telecom domain?

By leveraging data analytics and AI/ machine learning (ML), Innover is helping telecom players to connect and ana­lyse disparate data strands, unlocking deeper insights for faster decision-making and immediate action. We are creating impactful solutions across demand forecasting, in­ventory planning, supplier risk mitigation, ro­ute optimisation, capacity planning and field force all­ocation. For example, for a US-based telecom company, we leveraged LEAP’s™ ready-to-use AI models to institutionalise an automated unproductive truck-roll mitigation solution that analy­sed 25+ data sources and 100+ candidate variables. Innover’s robotic pro­cess automation and AI-powered intelligent process auto­mat­ion solutions help telecom providers au­tomate tasks, ma­nage growing data volumes and handle a wide range of processes such as customer enquiries, billing, payment processing and order fulfilment. For a US-based telecom giant, we analysed service issues using AI/ML to deliver superior experience and loyalty.

Powered by Innoverse (our metaverse centre of excellence (COE)), we are helping telecom, high-tech, and broadband service pr­o­viders tap the potential of augmented re­ality (AR)/virtual reality (VR) and AI to bu­ild immersive customer experience centres. Innover developed a Metaverse Lou­n­ge for one of the largest telecom providers in the US to provide personalised and immersive tech support for their connected home devices. The analytics-powered sol­u­tion resulted in a more th­an 85 per cent customer satisfaction score, a 20 per cent increase in network speed upgrades and over 95 per cent first call resolution.

What is the progress of metaverse adoption in India? How is Innover contributing to this growth?

According to a recent report, India’s metaverse and Web3 market is expected to reach $200 billion by 2035. How­ever, its success will depend on factors like RoI visibility, technological readiness and talent preparedness. Apart from reima­g­ining contact centres by leveraging the Metaverse, we are also focused on helping telecom providers tap the potential of zero-party data (data voluntary shared by the customers) to make the customer experience (CX) more personalised. We are also building Metaverse use cases including remote troubleshooting, virtual tours and experiences, product trials and training, and simulation/gamification-based training across industries.

What are your expansion plans in India?

Innover launched its Digital Experience and Analytics Studio in India in 2022, en­abling organisations to deliver superior CX across all touchpoints and maximise retu­rns on digital spends. We have also laun­ched InnoraiseTM this year, a cloud-based digital commerce platform for non-profits and associations to elevate member and donor experiences and maximise their mission and impact. We are hiring best-in-class talent across five key locations – Ben­ga­luru, Hy­derabad, Pune, Noida and Kol­ka­ta. We are a strong team of over 1,500 innovators. We are also planning to expand our leadership team in India by 50 per cent. We expect a 300 per cent growth in our Indian market operations over the next three years. In the next five years, we ex­pect our India business to contribute 10-12 per cent to overall revenues. As part of our market expansion strategy, we are betting big on LEAP™ and planning to expand its suite of prebuilt models and algorithms into new sectors and industries.