AI advantages targeted Scandinavians but attracted Lithuanians too

Many company executives still think that AI is irrelevant to them. There is a notion that it is only used by high-tech companies or by very large companies in some faraway lands. However, practice shows that AI can be applied in a wide variety of activities right here in Lithuania and in many companies that engage in many different activities.

‘When we meet with company executives and founders and demonstrate to them the possibilities of AI, many cannot believe their eyes and say that it looks very space-age. When they see what can be achieved using the solutions we have developed, these companies usually become our clients,’ says Marijus Strončikas, Co-owner and CEO of Alantic.

He states that no advertising was needed even at the very beginning when he first started the business with his like-minded colleague, Martynas Špokas – sales transactions began with companies they had already collaborated with previously whose managers and owners trusted the young entrepreneurs. Soon, these clients recommended them to others.

‘We were working in IT and telecommunications and we both saw many uncharted niches, especially when it came to innovative, modern and automated services. As a result, we were convinced that we needed to build our business to claim them,’ says the Strončikas.
Alantic was founded in 2018, but the key breakthrough came last year. The company's revenue from IT services in 2020 was over EUR 650 000, whereas in 2019, it amounted to EUR 89 000 only. It grew more than 7 times. This year, the growth is expected to be 2.5 times bigger.

This leap was possible for several reasons that are all connected.
‘We focused on services that would provide more value to our clients and significantly expanded our team. We are able to adapt to the needs of our clients more quickly when we have a larger team of experts,’ says Strončikas.
Our company’s executives try to invite the best professionals possible, regardless of the fact that their work costs more. The average salary in the company in February was almost EUR 3 200. Currently, we have 15 people working here, but the team is expected to become even larger due to the planned expansion abroad.

‘When a person is a professional, they will find a solution in an hour or a few, whereas others might take a couple of days. The competencies of our employees cost a lot, but the speed at which they complete the work and their professionalism ensure greater efficiency and bigger revenues. We could not be as competitive as we are without our extremely experienced employees,’ says Strončikas with confidence.
It is precisely because of the fast and innovative solutions that many clients choose Alantic. According to Strončikas, large companies are not as flexible, sometimes they do not consider the specific needs of their clients and how to solve their client’s problems, how to improve their performance – all you get is a standard package.

Works differently

The entrepreneur has no doubts that the growth of the company is determined by the strategy chosen from the very beginning.

‘We have never been just a regular service provider. That was never enough for us. How do IT service companies usually operate? When something goes wrong for a client, they rush to fix and resolve the issue. We work differently: we offer a product that is reliable from the beginning, and we take constant preventive actions to anticipate any risks, detect impending disruptions, and resolve these before they even happen,’ explains Strončikas.
The company aims to use automated systems and IT tools as well as AI as much as possible when it comes to their products.

‘There is a lot of talk these days about the importance of data analytics and AI, but we are not talking – we are doing. By taking advantage of what the modern cloud can do, we can offer specific solutions to our client in a short time,’ says the CEO of Alantic.
For example, the specialists from Vilnius have developed a solution for a Swedish telecommunications company where the AI can provide their customers with better offers than a sales manager, thus improving the probability of a sale and larger revenue.
Another example is a solution where the AI predicts the price at which the seller will agree to sell, or the buyer to buy, a car on a vehicle trading platform. AI can also help to select customers that are more likely to make the purchase first. Such recommendations increase the speed of transactions, thus saving the sales team some time.

‘Currently, we are also implementing innovations in the Lithuanian emergency medical services system to help the physician on call to diagnose the patient based on their symptoms and to choose further actions during their visit. It is rewarding to know that we can contribute to solving the challenges that our health system is facing at such a difficult time,’ says the CEO of Alantic.
He has no doubts that AI will move into many areas of life and business in the future. The sooner companies start using it, the more powerful their competitive message will be.

16 04 2021