BitQuest: Taking Your Business from Offline to Online
BitQuest Sdn Bhd, founded in Malaysia in the year 2017, is an all- encompassing Digital Agency in Malaysia offering services like Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Web Design and Development, Graphic Designing, Social Media Marketing (SMM), Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and more. The company has been granted the prestigious “MSC Malaysia Status Company,” a Special Economic Zone and high-technology business district in Malaysia.
Under the leadership of Ms. Shikha Kedia, CEO of BitQuest, the company hasrecently won the award for the Best Online Advertising Technology Solutions Malaysia 2020 by Global Banking and Finance. Here’s her story-
The Founder’s Story
Shikha is a digital strategist and serial entrepreneur with over 11 years of marketing experience with startups and large-scale corporations. She started her career working with an event software startup in India, spearheading marketing and sales.
After quitting her day job in 2010, she started her own entrepreneurial journey with Fourdy Digital, a web design and branding agency, working and consulting clients of various sizes and from different industries. In 2013, she expanded Fourdy to Malaysia and is currently servicing clients from Asia Pacific region. Under her leadership, her company has managed to crack major clients in India and Malaysia.
In 2017, she jointly founded Bit Quest Sdn Bhd, a global digital marketing agency.
To become a woman entrepreneur is a difficult and risky career move. She is proud to say that as the founder of her company she has played the role of the receptionist, CEO and everything in between. She has been responsible for matching pace with the quick and ever-changing digital landscape. With an expanding team, Shikha now plays a much strategic role in running the business. She likes to call herself as the motivator for her team and innovator for business growth 🙂
Over the past few years, the company has worked with some of the biggest brands in Malaysia, namely Aesthetic Academy Asia, PohKong, MajuHome, ICCA Congress among many others, as well as numerous SMEs and local business owners who are struggling with the change in the digital scenario and are willing to take the plunge into the online world.
“We believe that when millions of people have shifted online for all their needs, the respective businesses need to be online as well and not just to cater to the people but to remain relevant in these changing times as well. For us, digital marketing is the bridge that connects consumers to businesses online and that is what we at BitQuest work towards- Connecting more and more people to your business to help you reach your true potential online!” Says the CEO.
The sudden birth of the largest remote working experiment in the history of humanity has changed work culture in unimaginable ways. For all fear and uncertainty about the days to come, there is one thing that is crystal clear. The future is going to be digital. The world will rely heavily on technology.
“We were looking for opportunities and realized the importance of online shopping during this time and how it was “MORE THAN EVER”. Whether it be a restaurant, fashion, or even just consultation. Everything has gone online during this time. To talk in numbers around 25% of food and beverage businesses moved online for the first time. The fashion industry saw a 14% increase in online conversion for business owners. The e-commerce industry was one of the biggest players during the whole of MCO. Harping on this we promoted eCommerce to all our existing clients and even pitched for new ones. To tell you the truth we did set up more eCommerce during lockdown than ever.” says the CEO.
We had a conversation with Ms. Shikha Kedia, CEO of BitQuest to bring you some exclusive insights.
Q: Express your side of the dilemma, when you got to know about the 21- day prolonged nation-wide lockdown. How did you ensure the serenity for yourself and your employees as well, when you came across the News?
A: As a leader, I am not only responsible for constant innovation and growth of the company but also act as a motivator for the team, bringing everything together. I have always believed that your people perform best when they are happy and satisfied. We operate at two offices- one in Malaysia and the other in India. When the news of the initial 21 days lockdown came, the first dilemma I had was, how to assure safety for all. Communication wasn’t an issue for me because I am anyway mostly operating from our Kuala Lumpur office and see the team in India maybe once in 2-3 months. Thanks to technology, we are constantly in touch with each other and the team knows that I am just a phone call away. We do our regular video calls for any team meetings and on the lighter side, have a casual conversation to maintain higher spirits.
Q: Amidst the challenging situation like this, how did you ensure to attract the customers and clients?
A: There were a few initiatives that we adopted to help our clients as much as we could. Firstly, we devised special customized plans for each of our retained clients where they could make the most from our marketing activities with minimum spending. We even gave credit time to some of our clients to pay at ease. One of our clients was also given the liberty to use our services like that of a retailer- allowing them to pay-per-use. We were also looking for means to create more opportunities for our business, hence we focused more on eCommerce pitching than our other popular products.
Q: How did you ensure CSR during these hard times? Have you helped your local community or your customers/clients by offering them something out of your usual offerings and services?
A: During this lockdown, many daily wagers have to sell their household items to buy food. There’s fear. There’s uncertainty. Many lives have gone forever. To back the disadvantaged sections of the society, we supported a local NGO in Kolkata who prepares lunch for the nearby slum every day during the lockdown.
Q: How did you make sure to keep your staff and employees motivated during this time?
A: I always make sure to visit Kolkata once every 2 months to meet all of them, mostly just to talk to the whole team.After I missed going to Kolkata on 13th March due to flight cancellation, I have tried to get on weekly video calls with everyone. We pull each other’s legs, motivate each other, share recipes and pictures what we cooked during the week. This helps us keep the spirits high.
Q: What message would you like to convey to our readers?
A: Firstly, I would like to take the opportunity to sincerely thank the millions of healthcare professionals around the globe who manage the front lines every day. The impact of COVID-19 is prompting organizations to look more closely at the mental health of their employees. They deserve our empathy, compassion, and kindness.
From the business perspective, I would like to say that when such a pandemic occurs it wipes away a few businesses and paves way for new ones. It’s your strategies and hard work that will define where your organization will stand.
