Khatabook rolls out app for micro-entrepreneurs to manage staff, payments

Software as a service (Saas) digital ledger app Khatabook, which is working towards digitising the workflow of micro entrepreneurs, has rolled out a solution to manage staff and their payments.
 
Using the new app Pagarkhata, micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) will be able to digitally manage workforce-related tasks like monthly/hourly wages, attendance/leaves, payslips, salary calculation, and payment, the Bengaluru-based company, which is backed by Facebook Co-founder Eduardo Saverin, said.
 
“Pagarkhata is a separate app which will be integrated with the Khatabook app to get more value out of the user ecosystem,” said Ravish Naresh, chief executive officer and co-founder, Khatabook, who had earlier co-founded Housing.com that was later merged with PropTiger.  “Employee management platforms are not a new concept in the digital world. But until now, such platforms catered only to the requirements of organised businesses and corporates. Merchants like kirana stores, salons, electric shops, too, need digital solutions to manage their workforce,” added Naresh.
 
Pagarkhata is available in 13 languages. Khatabook is looking at leveraging its user-base to push the new app as it targets 1 million users over the next two months.
 
Khatabook is a book-keeping app which has digitised the bahi khatas of kiranas and small merchants, with over 9 million daily active users currently. Backed by marquee names from the start-up world, such as Cred’s Kunal Shah and Snapdeal Co-founders Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal, Khatabook addresses the biggest pain-point of small businesses - cash flow.

Ravish Naresh, CEO & co-founder, Khatabook

 
“These MSMEs die not because of low margins, but mismanaged cash-flow. The biggest benefit is the automated reminders we send out using Khatabook, which improves their pending cash-flow level significantly,” said Naresh.
 
With cash-flows hurt more during the pandemic, the Bengaluru-based company has seen an increase in its user-base by up to 40 per cent, compared to the pre-pandemic peak. Looking to digitise the entire shop, the company will be adding other features, such as filing taxes and creating bills, to platform.

 
It has already rolled out storefront MyStore, which helps shops create an online version of their businesses. The country has an estimated 60-million MSMEs, and the start-up aims to reach a third of them in the next two to three years via its digital offerings.
 
The plan is to roll out value-added services, such as e-commerce and lending in the paid format, to gene­rate revenue by the latter part of next year.  “We are still exploring the regu­latory landscape for this,” said Naresh, who runs a team of 25 engi­neers, but has managed to reach over 95 per cent districts via digital pure-play.