EY boosts CRM capabilities through acquisition of C Centric Solutions
Big Four accounting and advisory firm EY now has the capacity to offer a broader range of customer relationship management (CRM) services than before, following the acquisition of Bangalore-based C Centric Solutions. C Centric’s entire team will join EY under the agreement.
Founded in 2007, C Centric’s suite of services is heavily centred in the CRM domain, with offerings extending from the design and conceptualisation phase to the implementation phase. These include mobile CRM solutions, social CRM solutions as well as CRM for the financial services and banking sectors.
The last of these has grown to become particularly relevant in the contemporary context. As an increasing number of businesses in India and across the globe become digitalised in their operations, the key differentiating factor amid a highly competitive market has become the quality of customer relations.
This is particularly true for the banking sector, given that innovative and cost-effective fintech applications are creating a degree of homogeneity within the sector. CRM technology is essential to ensure that the newfound efficiency extends all the way to the delivery stage.
EY has recognised this demand for CRM services, and is looking to bolster its capabilities to capitalise on the opportunity. C Centric has considerable experience and expertise in the CRM domain, as well as a substantial geographical presence in India, stretching across the key financial centres of Mumbai and Bangalore.
The Big Four accounting and advisory firm, meanwhile, is not alone in its push for ramping up its CRM capacity. A number of other firms in India, including IBM and Cognizant, have invested in boosting their CRM offerings, having partnered with and acquired firms with Salesforce specialisations.
Commenting on the new acquisition, Rohan Sachdev, Partner at EY India and Leader of Advisory Services said to the Economic Times (ET), “The C Centric team has a strong reputation in the market for delivering leading edge CRM solutions and services across industries, particularly financial services including banking and insurance. Their addition to EY will strengthen our ability to help businesses capitalize on the digital wave and provide an end-to-end digital experience to customers.”
The two companies have over the past years collaborated on several engagements prior to joining forces, on "several complex, large-scale digital transformation programmes and our clients have benefitted immensely from this association," said Sachdev.
Shubho Bhattacharya, CEO of C Centric, added: "CRM implementation is key to a digital roadmap of an organisation and puts customer insights at the center of the business transformation strategy. Over the last decade, we have enabled organisations to respond to digital disruption across industries through state-of-the-art CRM solutions. We at C Centric are very excited to be joining EY, a globally connected, multidisciplinary professional services organisation and it is a great match with our heritage in digital transformation and EY’s rich innovation consulting culture.”
