Zoho's Qntrl Simplifying Complex Workflows for Indian Enterprises

Qntrl, the business process management brand of Zoho Corp, is redefining the standards of BPM with latest updates. With innovations such as Circuit, a visual IT workflow orchestration engine, and Bridge, a seamless integrator for cloud and legacy systems, the platform is built to solve some of the most intractable challenges for enterprises in India.

In an interview with Dataquest, Gopalakrishnan Vaikuntam, Global Product Manager at Qntrl, delves into how these advancements are enabling organisations to overcome inefficiencies, enhance collaboration, and drive operational excellence. From addressing the gaps caused by disjointed systems to empowering teams with low-code solutions, Qntrl aims to redefine BPM adoption and effectiveness in India’s dynamic market.

Streamlining Workflow Management

What are the standout features of Qntrl's latest version, and how do they address pain points unique to Indian enterprises?

The latest update to Qntrl introduces two new features, Circuit and Bridge, along with over 50 enhancements aimed at improving business operations.

Bridge facilitates the automation of workflows across cloud and legacy systems, ensuring secure and seamless integration. Circuit, a visual IT workflow orchestration tool, helps users streamline coding and process management.

These updates address key challenges faced by Indian businesses, such as inefficiencies caused by disconnected systems, reliance on manual tasks that lead to errors and higher costs, and a lack of visibility across departments that hinders collaboration and decision-making.

By integrating systems, automating workflows, and providing tools for real-time visibility, the new features aim to improve coordination, reduce operational costs, and support scalability for businesses.

How does Qntrl's process mapping and centralised visibility enhance workflow efficiency for enterprise teams?

The process mapping tools provide teams with a visual overview of their workflows, helping to pinpoint bottlenecks, redundancies, and areas for improvement. By outlining each step, teams can standardize processes to ensure consistency and compliance across departments. Centralized visibility allows for real-time tracking of workflows, providing insights into task progress, ownership, and timelines.

This approach helps teams monitor operations closely, reducing delays and errors. For example, managers can quickly identify pending approvals or tasks stalled at certain stages and take corrective action.

The centralized dashboard enhances transparency, fosters collaboration across departments, and promotes accountability, enabling organizations to streamline operations and respond more effectively to changing business needs.

With under utilisation of BPM tools being a common issue, what strategies or features has Qntrl incorporated to improve adoption rates?

BPM tools are typically top-down, with C-suite executives and IT departments driving implementation, often excluding end users. This disconnect can lead to frustration, as users struggle with complex systems and resort to workarounds.

Qntrl's adoption has grown due to its flexibility. Features like the drag-and-drop blueprint builder allow users to easily align processes with real-world tasks and make adjustments quickly. Pre-built workflow and email templates, along with business rules for automation, make it easier for users to set up and adapt processes, improving platform adoption and reducing frustration.

How does the platform balance flexibility and standardisation to cater to varying organisational processes?

It offers a unique blend of flexibility and standardisation by providing customisable workflows alongside pre-defined templates for common business processes. Organisations can start with standard frameworks to ensure consistency and compliance, while our low-code/no-code capabilities allow users to modify workflows to align with their specific needs.

Features like business rules, custom fields, and dynamic SLAs ensure that even complex processes can be tailored without compromising on governance. This adaptability helps organisations maintain structured operations while empowering teams to innovate and address unique challenges, all within a unified platform that grows with their requirements.

What has driven Qntrl’s 30% growth in India this year, and how does the Indian market influence productdevelopment?

Indian consumers expect high value from their tools, and businesses are willing to invest time and resources to fully utilize platforms like Qntrl. Unlike generic workflow systems, Qntrl's CodeX module allows companies to code business-specific logic and automate workflows, which has been well-received.

As India's market grows, it drives Qntrl to invest more in R&D and develop flexible, scalable features to meet unique operational needs. In other markets, features requiring more effort to personalize see lower adoption, and guidance is offered to help users navigate low-code and high-code environments.

How is Qntrl positioned to compete with established BPM tools in the mid-market and enterprise segments?

The tool distinguishes itself from traditional BPM systems through three core principles. First, it offers full visibility for process owners, allowing them to map and run processes quickly. Second, its extensive customization options enable clients to easily set up complex processes, from the look-and-feel to running custom code on Qntrl's servers, ensuring their business logic drives the process.

Third, Qntrl acts as an orchestrator, managing data, notifications, and instructions across multiple systems, something other tools struggle with. Its modern, user-centric approach combines low-code/no-code customization with strong integration capabilities, offering scalability and flexibility for businesses at different growth stages.

What role does low-code technology play in Qntrl’s vision for democratising workflow management?

As businesses and institutions continue to evolve and expand, their operations and processes also become more intricate and multifaceted. This growing complexity creates a demand for flexible and customisable solutions, such as Qntrl, which offer low-code capabilities. 

This enables users from different departments, not just those in IT, to design and improve workflows that are tailored to their unique requirements while being within the security guardrails of IT. 

Unlike tools that primarily rely on IT for workflow customisation, Qntrl’s low-code platform empowers business users to take control of process design while maintaining enterprise-grade governance, truly democratising workflow management across all teams.

As businesses increasingly adopt digital transformation strategies, how does Qntrl plan to remain a leader in the BPM space?

Qntrl’s commitment to innovation and customer-centric design underpins its strategy to lead in the BPM space. The platform continuously evolves to address emerging business needs, as seen with its latest version featuring Boards for granular process control and advanced modules like Circuit and Bridge for tighter integration. 

By simplifying complex workflows and integrating legacy systems with cutting-edge solutions, Qntrl ensures businesses stay ahead in their digital transformation journey. Additionally, Qntrl invests in scalability, security, and ease of use, enabling organisations to adapt quickly to changing market dynamics while fostering collaboration and efficiency across teams.