Infosys ups the ante in hunting for new clients

Sets up one-of-a-kind team to help deliver goals

 Bengaluru-based information technology (IT) giant Infosys is leaving no stone unturned in order to win new clients and retain existing ones. The company, under the aegis of Chief Executive Officer Vishal Sikka, has formed a team to vet request for proposals (RFPs) and to improve the quality of proposals.

“I have established a team led by a very brilliant design thinker and she runs this team and every major proposal that we make goes through her and her team. The proposals have improved not only whenever this team is involved. Now the team is involved in everything so that the win rate improves dramatically,” CEO Vishal Sikka said at the recent DB Access Asia Conference.

In the last 5-6 weeks, we have already won five major deals because of that, Sikka added.

The company has also identified top three accounts in the big five verticals where the CEO and his office will provide guidance. “We have also taken control from the office of the CEO, we are now managing top 15 accounts — three accounts in each of the five verticals, the top most three accounts, which are actually responsible for quite a significant percentage of the revenue and where we have underperformed compared with the competition,” Sikka said.

We are replenishing the work force, the sales force, we are also redoing the compensation plan and things of this nature, but these actions especially the consulting-oriented action, is something that is going to work, Sikka added.

Sources indicate that Infosys has ruled out further increases in dividend payout, buyback and special payouts.

When contacted, a company spokesperson said, “There has been no decision on this matter and this is speculative and baseless.”

Infosys, while announcing its results for the fourth quarter and for FY15, had decided to revise and increase dividend payout ratio from 40 per cent to up to 50 per cent of post-tax profits effective fiscal 2015. The board had also considered, approved and recommended a bonus issue of one equity share for every equity share held, and a bonus issue, viz., a stock dividend of one American Depositary Share (ADS) for every ADS held.


Fortifying position

Infosys bullish on garnering new clients and retaining existing ones
The CEO has set up a team to vet RFPs and improve quality of proposals
The move has earned the company five major deals
The company unlikely to have further hikes in dividend payout