Try : Insurtech, Application Development

AgriTech(1)

Augmented Reality(21)

Clean Tech(9)

Customer Journey(17)

Design(45)

Solar Industry(8)

User Experience(68)

Edtech(10)

Events(34)

HR Tech(3)

Interviews(10)

Life@mantra(11)

Logistics(6)

Manufacturing(3)

Strategy(18)

Testing(9)

Android(48)

Backend(32)

Dev Ops(11)

Enterprise Solution(33)

Technology Modernization(9)

Frontend(29)

iOS(43)

Javascript(15)

AI in Insurance(38)

Insurtech(66)

Product Innovation(59)

Solutions(22)

E-health(12)

HealthTech(24)

mHealth(5)

Telehealth Care(4)

Telemedicine(5)

Artificial Intelligence(153)

Bitcoin(8)

Blockchain(19)

Cognitive Computing(8)

Computer Vision(8)

Data Science(23)

FinTech(51)

Banking(7)

Intelligent Automation(27)

Machine Learning(48)

Natural Language Processing(14)

expand Menu Filters

COVID-19 Lockdown Effects: A Paradigm Shift in Indian Edtech

6 minutes, 16 seconds read

There has been a significant change in the education industry in India in the past couple of years. From syllabus to teaching methods, from enrollment levels to infrastructure available; technology was majorly responsible for this major shift. Educomp, founded in 1994 and one of the earliest Indian edtech, changed academia with multimedia content, computer labs and teacher training. Today, BYJU’S, founded in 2011, is revolutionizing edtech with its m-learning platform. There’s something more that is contributing to the widespread adoption of e-learning platforms.

As the country came to a standstill with a 21-day nationwide lockdown being imposed, online education companies in India sought this as an opportunity to attract students, academicians, schools, colleges, corporates and the media.

Within the first two weeks of the lockdown, many online and edtech players offered their online courses for free — trying to reach as many audiences as possible. The COVID-19 crisis turned out to be an amazing opportunity for edtech to spread its perimeter and reach out to the audience which was earlier ignorant of this sector. But the question is whether the edtech surge is short-term or will it turn out to be a paradigm shift in India.

Why Online Education?

Government awareness programs have shaped the importance of education in people’s minds, which is that education leads to jobs. But the lack of adequate infrastructure, facilities, and teachers have led to decreasing quality of education. Online education is convenient to access, which is why it is gaining popularity amongst the rural population. In places where there is limited infrastructure, many are turning towards online courses, courtesy — access to the internet.

[Also read: What Makes Saas-based Education Technology in India Effective]

While many cannot afford an institutional education, online education has made it monetarily feasible for the population at large. By 2021, $1.96 billion will be the size of the edtech market in India, a KPMG edtech study reveals. In the current crisis where the lockdown has led to massive unemployment, online education concerning skill enhancement has seen an upsurge.

Technology trends in EdTech

From the introduction of hardware such as projectors and computers in the classroom to learning through tabs and laptops at home, the education industry has evolved tremendously. The ideology behind edtech has been to create newer learning experiences keeping with the pace of rapid digitization. 

Gamification has gained significant popularity amongst Indian education service providers as it has made the learning process interesting. Many edtech players have started adopting technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning which enable teachers and policy makers to get better insights about their students and modify learning methods accordingly. A lot of research is going into technologies like Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality to create interactive learning modules for better understanding of complex subject domains. In case of long-form answers, natural-language processing (NLP) can make the assessor’s job easy by giving detailed and formative feedback.

[Also read: Top 25 Disruptive Augmented Reality Use Cases]

Cloud-based data storage provides convenience to students who can access and share data easily. With the on-going lockdown and social distancing, there could be scope for untapped technologies such as wearable devices and virtual labs which can take learning experiences to another level. 

For instance, Indian edtech startups like Edureka are very serious about customer experience and are taking AI initiatives for Live Chat Analysis and Career Path Research.

[Read Case Study: Customer experience design in Edureka e-learning mobile app]

Opportunities for Indian EdTech amidst the pandemic

Education can be categorized in different segments such as Primary and Secondary education i.e the K-12 segment, Test Prep, Skill Enhancement, and Higher Education. Schools and colleges have been hit quite a bit due to the lockdown as they remain shut till the situation improves. Even though learning has not stopped as teachers have been taking online lessons, will online education replace a traditional one? 

Many edtech experts say that online learning enables students to interact with a larger pool and gives more focus to individual learning. Certainly, technologies can help create innovative and imaginative learning experiences but can they match with learning through human interaction? That is doubtful. However, edtech would be a very powerful aid for teachers to improve the learning process. 

A research by McKinsey states that teachers spend around 20 to 40 percent of their time on activities which could be simplified by automating using current technologies. This time could be optimized by spending on relevant activities focused on student learning. Children are the future citizens of the world. Teachers have a pivotal role in grooming them towards successful personal and professional life. In order to adapt in the post-pandemic world, technology alone cannot bring the change. The learning experience brought in by a teacher is equally important.

The economic slowdown has made the youth cognizant of the unemployment that may hit the world. The upside to this is that the online education industry will see more enrollments in skill-enhancement courses from both rural and urban population. The digital education initiatives will see a monetary boost by the government. This lockdown has enabled people to pursue their passions and take up online tutorials such as cooking, teaching, writing, learning a different language, fitness, learning musical instruments, and other art. This could potentially lead to a thriving passion economy driven by budding entrepreneurs. 

Probable obstacles to Indian EdTech

Edtech will certainly prove to be a booming sector but there are certain challenges on the way. 

Access to internet and bandwidth issues

One of the biggest challenges to the Indian edtech would be accessibility for the population especially in the rural areas. Issues with internet connectivity, bandwidth, hardware might make it difficult to pursue online courses.

Lack of digital literacy

A major part of Indian populace is still digitally illiterate. Especially, the rural population is still not tech-savvy to understand the features of digital devices. Products with simpler UX suitable for the end-user is the need of the hour. Many edtech players still find it difficult to create user-friendly UX that makes technology easy to apply.

Rising competition

EdTech has been making huge progress in the past 10 years and many have recognized its potential to even grow further with the lockdown. The industry is getting crowded with new entrants which makes it difficult for the consumers to remain loyal to one. Subsequently, it is leading to reduced market share for each company.

Investment in advance technologies

This sector definitely has huge potential. However, with the economic slowdown, huge investment in technologies like AI, ML, AR, VR could get affected. There are huge risks in materializing AI projects and might take some time to receive RoI.   

The Bottom Line

Edtech has its pros and cons but there is no doubt that the industry is here to thrive in the long run. This lockdown has proved that the virtual learning systems can operate. Many education boards have understood its potential to grow and will start integrating technology into their syllabus. 

Furthermore, EdTech could significantly improve the quality of educational content and overall learning experience especially for the rural population. For instance, an edtech initiative — EkStep (a non-profit organization) intended to build an advanced, universal, and collaborative platform for K-12 Education space with a focus on rural India. 

Post pandemic, the world will still follow social distancing for some time but the need for human interaction will not diminish but rather see a craving for it. In the short term and the medium term, the edtech industry can reap the benefits of this crisis but to survive in the long run, continuous innovation in technology that does not substitute but rather aid in the classroom learning is needed.

Cancel

Knowledge thats worth delivered in your inbox

Sales Applications Are Disrupting More Than Just Sales

Sales success today isn’t about luck or lofty goals—it’s about having the right tools in your team’s hands, wherever they go. Following our earlier in-depth exploration of sales technology, we will now examine how cutting-edge sales apps are becoming the backbone of modern industries, transforming complex workflows into seamless, growth-driving machines.

From retail to healthcare, logistics to real estate, businesses are deploying sales applications to enhance operational transparency, cut redundant tasks, and build intelligent sales ecosystems. These tools are not only digitizing workflows—they’re driving growth, improving engagement, and redefining how field teams operate.

Lead Ecosystems: Unified visibility across channels

One app. Five workflows. Zero friction.

A leading insurance brand relaunched their app—a sleek, powerful sales companion that’s turning everyday agents into top performers.

No more paperwork. More time to sell.

Here’s what changed:

  • Every visit is tagged, tracked, and followed through. Renewals? Never missed. Leads? Fully visible.
  • Attendance and reimbursements went on autopilot. No more manual logs. No more chasing approvals.
  • New business and renewals are tracked in real time, with accurate forecasting that sales leaders can finally trust.
  • Dashboards are clean, configurable, and useful—insights that move the business, not just report on it.
  • Seamless Integrations. API connectivity with Darwin Box, IMD Master Data, and SSO authentication for a unified experience.

The result? A field team that moves faster, sells better, and works smarter.

Retail: Taking Orders from the Frontline—Smartly

Field sales agents in retail, especially FMCG, used to rely on gut instinct. Now, with intelligent sales applications:

  • AI recommends what to upsell or cross-sell based on previous order patterns
  • Real-time stock availability and credit status are visible in the app
  • Geo-fencing ensures optimized route planning
  • Built-in payment collection modules streamline transaction closure

Healthcare: Structuring Sales with Compliance and Precision

Healthcare leaders don’t need more reports—they need better visibility from the field.  Whether it’s engaging hospital networks, onboarding clinics, or enabling diagnostics at the last mile, everything needs precision, compliance, and clarity. 

Mantra Labs helped a leading healthcare enterprise design a sales app that integrates knowledge, compliance, performance, and recognition, turning frontline agents into informed, aligned, and empowered brand advocates. 

Here’s what it delivers:

  • Role-based onboarding that keeps every level of the field force aligned and accountable
  • Escalation mechanisms are built into the system, driving transparency across commissions and performance reviews
  • A centralized Knowledge Hub featuring healthcare news, service updates, and training modules to keep reps well-informed
  • Recognition modules that celebrate milestones, boost morale, and reinforce a culture of excellence

Now, the field agents aren’t just connected—they’re aligned, upskilled, and accountable.

Real Estate: From Cold Calls to Smart Conversions

For real estate agents, timing and personalization are everything. Sales applications are evolving to include:

  • Virtual site tour integration for remote buyers
  • Mortgage and EMI calculators to increase buyer confidence
  • WhatsApp-based lead capture and nurture sequences
  • CRM integration for inventory updates and automatic scheduling

Logistics: From Chaos to Control in Field Coordination

Field agents in logistics are switching from clipboards to real-time command centers on mobile. Modern sales applications offer:

  • Live delivery status and route deviation alerts
  • Automated dispute reporting and issue resolution tracking
  • Fleet coordination through integrated GPS modules
  • Customer feedback capture and SLA dashboards

What’s new & what’s next in Sales Applications?

Here’s what’s pushing the next wave of innovation:

  • Voice-to-Text Logging: Agents dictate notes while on the move.
  • AI-Powered Nudges: Apps that suggest next-best actions based on behavior.
  • Omnichannel Communication: In-app chat, WhatsApp, email—unified.
  • Role-Based Dashboards: Different data views for admins, managers, and field reps.

What does this mean for Business Leaders?

Sales Applications are not just tactical tools. They’re platforms for transformation. With the right design, integrations, and analytics, they:

  • Replace guesswork with intelligence
  • Reduce the cost of delay and manual labor
  • Improve agent accountability and transparency
  • Speed up decision-making across hierarchies

The future of field sales lies in intuitive, AI-driven applications that adapt to every industry’s nuances. At Mantra Labs, we work closely with enterprises to custom-build sales applications that align with business objectives and ground-level realities.

Conclusion: 

If your agents still rely on Excel trackers and daily call reports, it’s time to reimagine your sales operations. Let us help you bring your field operations into the future—with tools that are fast, field-tested, and built for scale.

Cancel

Knowledge thats worth delivered in your inbox

Loading More Posts ...
Go Top
ml floating chatbot