Founder of Newgene, Mr. Mohamed Shajahan
The Smart Nation Singapore aims to become is a place where people living in the city-state are empowered to live meaningful and fulfilled lives through the use of technology. Along with residential places, commercial and industrial entities have been pushing for technological devices to connect them with the rising crowd of tech-savvy consumers, as well as utilize digital technology in the office to improve the overall efficiency of the workplace.
When it comes to workplaces, IT consultancy is known as advising businesses on how best to use information technology to achieve their aims and objectives. Newgene Technologies is a provider of such services in Singapore, allowing clients who want to embark on new digital technologies to approach them and share their requirements for Newgene to analyze the needs and receive recommendations and proposals on how they can meet their business needs through digitalizing. Newgene also provides software development in the form of websites and mobile application creation and maintenance, and also offers consultancy support services in the IT line with security services like visitor management systems, and construction advice as well.
Set up by Mr. Mohamed Shajahan in 2011, Newgene has a special focus on companies in the construction line. Coming from a background with twenty years in construction, Mr. Mohamed identified plenty of gaps in the system, and realized that the industry is in serious need of solutions to solve its digital problems. With this in mind, Newgene came up with a series of applications to meet their operational needs daily and continues to support them too.
Firmly established as a local business, Mr. Mohamed came from the construction industry, with also experience with IT-related solutions. Newgene Technologies came about from a fuse of both industries where they can provide solutions in both industries at the same time. From site operations to management and even construction safety, Newgene provides mobile applications to cover these factors to ease the management side for construction companies.
Starting was not the easiest for Newgene and Mr. Mohamed, as most construction companies were not ready to take up the technologies. Even when they developed the applications and software early on, the companies were unequipped with the necessary infrastructure to adopt the services then. As construction is traditionally more hands-on and layman, many companies assumed that the technologies provided by Newgene were too far for them, and were unprepared to utilize them before the industry adapts to IT solutions. However nowadays the Singaporean Government has been pushing the country towards digitalization and the construction industry also acknowledged and realized the potential of the technologies, being unable to run away from the inevitable adaptation to be sustainable and survive. Financial support was also key to helping the construction industry to be convinced, and Newgene’s many leads can finally be converted to sales.
Newgene Technologies does not simply provide solutions to the companies but also possesses a dedicated team to train their clients in maintenance and support as part of their sales package. As a business owner, Mr. Mohamed’s responsibilities lie in ensuring customer satisfaction, and that their needs were completely met. He also has the task of keeping the business operating smoothly and proves to stakeholders and clients the results of their technological developments.
Customer satisfaction is one of the most important factors of Mr. Mohamed’s portfolio, and he keeps things organized with differing priorities of responsiveness. While all client assignments receive a time window for Newgene’s staff to complete, some issues or tasks would prove more problematic to solve and thus be bumped up a higher priority if they may compromise the smooth running of the client company. Thus with this practice of prioritizing, Mr. Mohamed can ensure critical errors are fixed within a day, while other tasks continue to be completed within their schedules.
When it comes to customer retention, Newgene Technologies’ dedicated team always looks out for new technologies and features, with constant updates and new version releases offered to clients with no additional costs for them to keep up with the changes in the industry. Where new technologies were developed for some clients, Newgene would also offer the same updates to their existing base, including them in their constant operations.
Mr. Mohamed shares that Newgene Technologies differs from their competitors as the main staff came from the construction industry, and so can relate to the contractors and understand the language and expectations easier. This way Newgene possesses the ability to pinpoint specific issues with their knowledge and experience, giving them an advantage over their competitors. Mr. Mohamed also shares that company efficiency is maintained through monthly management meetings, with sales targets, project management, and customer satisfaction being discussed.
Newgene Technologies employs an outsourced development team in India, as well as a sales and marketing team overseas. Support and implementation are run by a team of five staff, which proved to be enough for them to handle the volume of customers. As the business grows, Mr. Mohamed will be looking at expansion with integrated teams.
The name Newgene was inspired by a ‘New Generation’, where even after ten years in operation they are constantly seeking to establish new technologies of the next generation of applications and platforms for their clients. Newgene Technologies markets them as being veterans of the industry, and Mr. Mohamed himself possesses a large network of architects, designers, and consultants. With long-term rapport and relationships with stakeholders, he entered the industry with a proven track record of his work and customer service, and when clients see Mr. Mohamed, they see Newgene as well.
Some outstanding milestones for Newgene Technologies include being recognized by IMDA for some of its applications. Creating an eBIS building inspection system, knowing that the effort and energy spent in providing excellent applications and software were acknowledged is a source of pride for the company and its staff. Mr. Mohamed attributes their continuing success to their service being beneficial and attractive to companies, which results in continued sales and service. He shares that by giving their best, the service and support they provide would prove their worth to customers, and open the way for more success in the future. He also explains that the motivation comes from a long-term plan to achieve an IPO listing, and the company is striving to hit that target.
In the future, plans include overseas expansion to countries in Africa, the Gulf, and even Hong Kong. Once the paperwork was settled, Mr. Mohamed shares that Newgene Technologies would start their penetration into the local business there. As a solutions provider, Mr. Mohamed’s ambitions in five years would be to have people look at Newgene as a primary provider of technologies to solve their inconveniences with digital applications.
