ABOUT THE COMPANY – 360 DEGREE CLOUD
360 Degree Cloud is a Platinum-tier, boutique Salesforce implementation partner that provides specialized Salesforce services like consulting and implementation for all Salesforce technology and products, product development for ISVs looking to enter the AppExchange App market, and staff augmentation to other Salesforce SI Partners.They’re a cohort of 600+ Salesforce resources with multi-cloud talent and certifications. Aside from Salesforce Consulting and implementation (or their consulting business unit), 360’s product expertise has helped them branch into a product business unit, now called 360 SMS. 360 SMS is a flagship, category-defining Salesforce-native communication app that supports 13 communication channels and is the best solution for texting and WhatsApp you can find for Salesforce.
THE KEY PERSONS AND THEIR ROLES
Siddharth Sehgal defines high-level objectives and future direction for the Salesforce businesses. He is the CEO and founder of the wildly successful 360 SMS App and builds products that help businesses grow multi-fold.Rohit Bhalla, the COO of 360 Degree Cloud and oversees all operations in the consulting business unit.Pooja Singhal, MD, oversees employee engagement and company culture, HR initiatives, and people operations.
THE TARGET CLIENTS OF 360 DEGREE
The clients are primarily high-growth companies looking to use Salesforce technology to accelerate their growth. They understand how an effective communication strategy can lead to better conversions and client retention.
CHALLENGES FACED DURING PANDEMIC
Challenges were mostly human and the pandemic took an emotional toll, as it did on any of those that have lost loved ones.The 360-team overcame them together by coordinating with each other in a virtual COVID war room, giving their employees space, and dealing with emerging needs sensitively. 360 also transitioned from a work-from-office culture to a work-from-home culture. They imbibed this with aplomb and gave their employees freedom to be around their loved ones. Operationally though, 360 Degree Cloud shined and came into its own in the pandemic. They’ve grown 4-fold in the two years since the pandemic started to a team of 600 Cloudians.
OBSTACLES IN THE DIGITAL MARKET
The biggest obstacle faced by 360 is that every organization now has a website and remote operation and thinks it’s the end of digitalization. But that isn’t even the beginning.True digitalization increases sales, profit, and revenue. It opens up previously inaccessible opportunities while letting you reach out and sell to them profitably.It’s there that organizations get stuck. They’re out of ideas as to how technology can help them achieve this. They lack singular clarity on how digitalization will help them get the sales, profit they need. They’re ineffective at remote communications with their target clients and don’t know how digitalization can make them a customer’s first preference, even remotely.Siddharth has solved this by creating and applying the Communication 4.2 framework through 360 SMS. Companies that apply the Communication 4.2 framework in the new digital era get 4x more conversions and 2x more retentions because it’s a scientific approach to communication problem.
WHAT IS SUCCESS ACCORDING TO SIDDHARTH SEHGAL
To him, success is about the growth of his customers. Using technology to help companies grow faster, to become leaner, and to generate employment is what satisfies him.
CHALLENGES FACED AND OVERCOME
The foremost challenge, he says, is the mention of the word ‘software.’Business owners typically react to software saying, “ I’ll buy software when I’m at a certain level of revenue.” But to even get to a decent level of revenue, you’ll eventually need software to make work simpler and free-up your time to achieve that growth. Changing that dated mindset is the biggest challenge.
STRATEGIES AGAINST CYBER THREATS
Cyber threats are checked for rigorously at all stages – design, development, and QA – as part of a comprehensive approach to security. Under this methodology, all stakeholders and developers are regularly updated about emerging cyber threats and vulnerabilities at any stage.360 Degree Cloud adopts a no-trust policy, privacy-by-design, and a serverless approach to data. This means they design products under the highest scrutiny, with limited and vetted dependencies, if at all.Also, no data neither served on their servers nor accessible by them. This leads to hardened systems with a reduced surface area of attack for exploits.
FUTURE PLANS OF 360 DEGREE CLOUD
The company has seen a gap in the communication landscape and it will be evolving this landscape even further. They will also be entering the Telephony market soon.And as they always do, they like to bring you only the best that Salesforce and communications technology offer to give your business teams a true competitive edge, even when competitors around you are struggling.
SPECIAL ADVICE FROM MR. SIDDHARTH
His advice to us is simple and elegant – INVEST. IN. TECH.He says, “Invest in automation. And do it wholeheartedly. Don’t give yourself targets to reach before investing in tech. Technology will get you to those targets and beyond much faster.”And he’d also like to give away the best marketing strategy for absolutely free. It’s called ‘care.’“If you care for your customers, your employees, and your vendors, then that’s the best marketing you can do for your company. It’ll pay you back in tons of business and growth,” he says.