Asian Heritage Month: Customer is truly the King for RhythmQ

Businesses often take shape from that first ‘one-time’ experimental project or so-called ‘side hustle’. When Rishi Chandarana, CEO and Co-Founder of RhythmQ Inc, came together with a friend/colleague to develop a form submission software solution for a highly reputed US-based non-profit organization, the two innovators never knew that this one project would eventually become their bread and butter. “We say ours is an accidental business. We were expected to complete this project in two months and had very little time due to other commitments.  We had no idea that this software would be a building block to one of our product offerings at RhythmQ,” says Chandarana.

RhythmQ is now a leading provider of the cloud-based application and review software platform called RQ Awards Software Platform. RQ Awards is used by associations, foundations, educational institutions and companies manage their awards, scholarships, fellowships, grants, mentorships, volunteer recruitments – essentially any form submission and review process that may also include post-program requirements. Its unique integrated marketing solutions provide the capability of growing program awareness to target audiences.  Developing a 360-degree product, RQ Awards prides itself in providing an online solution that replaces hours of manual work by program managers and volunteers by automating the administration of their program from start to finish.

Officially established in 2015, the company has been growing significantly and has clients throughout Canada and the US. The venture first began with Chandarana, a Master’s graduate in Advanced Computer Science and Business Administration, and his colleague, Carol Ayton, working with him to determine the UX/UI for the software to provide the best user experience. Chandarana reflects on this, “I come with a technical background and so, it was perfect to partner with Carol who has a unique customer-centric acumen and design skills. Over time, we have expanded our team to 15 employees, and now have dedicated experts for various aspects of the software.”

The adage of ‘Customer is King’ stands true in today’s dynamic markets. Customers decide if an offering or service is here to stay, and so it has become more important than ever to provide customers with a flexible, personalized, and customizable offering/service. For RhythmQ, this has been the core value of their business operations since day one. “We truly believe in listening to our customers and that’s the most exciting part of this journey. The feedback and suggestions have helped us in launching a new add-on feature called the SmartTracker, which provides a way to follow-up and communicate with the applicants,” shares Chandarana. A highly customer-centric venture, Chandarana believes that one of their strengths is understanding and acting upon their client’s needs. “Everything we do – whether it is developing features, new products, pricing, support methods, delivery, onboarding and more – we always keep the customer at the center. This is our unique competitive edge and that one thing that makes us quite different from the rest.” One of the other software features that was born from this way of operation was the capability of providing customization and branding to help clients further build on their brand awareness.

Operating in a highly competitive market with significant potential business opportunities and even more competitors, Chandarana digs further into their unique selling proposition and how the company leverages those propositions to create user-friendly and flexible solutions.  “Software companies should not be just about technology – they should focus on quality of engagement with their customers and their customer’s users.We at RhythmQ carefully listen to our customers, providing them expertise through consulting on how they can effectively use our software to grow their engagement with their users .” With a platform designed to make customers’ lives easier, the company also offers the unique value-proposition of unlimited admin support. “We are confident of our software and so, our support is built into the licensing. There is no additional fee, regardless of the number of administrators. We will train and support you, but we are sure that you will not need much from us as the software is very simple, easy, robust, and customizable,” says Chandarana. The fact that the software can be adapted to the requirements of the company, instead of the company needing to work with a standard version of the software, proves to be another major advantage, ensuring a smooth, simple, and intuitive customer experience.

Coming to Canada as an immigrant and now a Canadian citizen, Chandarana has now lived in this country for 26 years. An immensely proud citizen, Chandarana believes that Canada is indeed a country of opportunities and shares his thoughts on Asian Heritage Month, “Regardless of where you come from, if you have a dream and are committed to positively work with others in a focused manner, I believe you can excel and achieve your goals. Our (RhythmQ) story is a journey of hope, where dreams come true through patience, perseverance, and prudence.”

Starting with zero investment, the company has always been a positive cash flow venture. Recently having had a US-based institutional investor come onboard, the team is now focused on developing a new mobile-based solution that will truly give their clients the power to engage with their users 24×7 and in a proactive manner. “If you seize an opportunity, do the right thing by sticking to the basics, there is so much you can do,” says Chandarana.

To know more about RhythmQ, visit https://rhythmq.com/