Tally believes GST to have brought more focus towards digitization across industries

In a chat with VARINDIA, Arvind Kumar, Chief of Engineering - Tally Solutions Pvt Ltd. discusses on its progress in the present economic reform, its evolvement to the cloud infrastructure, its R&D focus etc. He also expresses his views on the GST and further talks about the challenges it faces in making complex technologies user friendly  -

How is Tally technologically evolving with the recent economic reform?

The reforms that the country has seen in the last 1 year has brought in more focus towards digitization across different industries, in both the private as well as the government sector. At Tally, we have addressed the needs and expectations of the SMEs with every new software release, corresponding with the changes in the GST system both from an invoicing perspective as well as filing. Our latest Release 6.4 makes it extremely easy for users to be up-to-date with the most recent inclusions in the GST returns cycle, including e-way bill compliance.

Going forward, we are working extensively to offer connected solutions, keeping in mind some salient features like security, reliability, high performance and scalability. Being predominantly a technology and innovation company, this is a very exciting time for us, as we are evolving by addressing the needs of the various functions. Another area we are working towards is moving to the cloud. By leveraging the latest technology, our services will be available through cloud, where a user on premise can connect to the cloud to carry out his/her operations.

Tally has always been a front runner in delivering complex technologies in simplified way. What are the challenges that you face while making complex technologies user friendly?

Simplicity lies and will remain at the core of Tally’s philosophy; it is one of the guiding principles for development of all our products. The simple design and ease of use is what makes our products loved by our 1.5 million+ customers. However, designing for simplicity does come with its set of challenges. Our biggest challenge isdiversity. We work with the SMEs, who have the largest diversity in profile. So the question that continues to drive our development is how we cater to this segment with one product,while at the same time delivering an experience in a way that every user feels that the product was made for him/her, and doesn’t force them to change their way of running their business. Fundamentally, the desire is to adapt rather than enforce and this guides us at R&D.

How important R&D is for Tally? How big is your R&D team? 

Tally’s R&D plays a huge role as it is not only the backbone of the company but also responsible for timely product development. The last 1 year was the tipping point, with the department closely monitoring any changes proposed by the government and swiftly incorporating those changes to the software, to ensure the user experience is not compromised. 

We are now on a journey of growth and are ready to scale newer heights. The R&D function is working towards releasing a new user interface which will solve various connectivity requirements. Our role also requires us to reflect time and again on how we can address the multiple functionalities, by keeping the Tally engineering principle intact.Currently, we have a team of 180 people and we are looking to grow this by adding a 100 more resources in the next 1 year.

How is Tally working to curb piracy of accounting software? What is the total number of licensed Tally software users?

We believe that piracy for any product or software exists for two reasons. The first one is the issue of reach, and the second is because the user is unaware of the value proposition that the software offers. At Tally, we will never curb piracy. We feel that users are pirating not because they want to, but because of one of the reasons listed above. Instead we are focusing on becoming accessible to our potential customers and increasing the levels of engagement with them. Similarly,by providing updated features in our software, we are bridging the issue of awareness. We currently have 1.5million licensed Tally software users.

How are you finding India market after introduction of GST last year?

Post the introduction of GST, the India market will be more and more regulated in times to come. Due to the structure of the GST cycle, adoption of technology has gained a lot of momentum. Many manual and semi-automated businesses have moved to a technologically sound solution to ensure that their day-to-day operations are not affected. While the initial period was of uncertainty and chaos, if we take a step back and look at the new reform holistically, it was an iconic move by the government. We are on our way towards a structured economy, which will keep tax evasion and corruption under check.

The emergence of this digital era has also given us an opportunity to expand our foray into innovation and we will be introducing our latest release this year which will be revolutionary for the SME industry as a one-stop business solution.