How Plus91Labs is redefining SaaS consulting in India

India’s SaaS consulting landscape is evolving rapidly, driven by cloud adoption, AI-led innovation, and a growing demand for faster, outcome-oriented digital transformation. At the heart of this shift are firms that combine global consulting rigor with India-specific agility. Plus91Labs, a Salesforce Platinum Partner, exemplifies this transformation, building enterprise-grade consulting capabilities while staying deeply rooted in the realities of mid-market and enterprise customers.

Led by Tushar Dhawan, Partner at Plus91Labs, the firm’s journey from Gwalior to global markets is not just a growth story, but a reflection of how modern SaaS consulting in India is being reshaped, through people-first leadership, reusable cloud assets, and a sharp focus on value over brand optics.

A Personal Journey That Shaped a Consulting Mindset

Tushar Dhawan’s career has been shaped as much by professional milestones as by deeply personal experiences. “I’m 39 years old, almost touching 40 now, and most of my life we had a very humble background,” he shares, recalling a childhood spent moving across states as his father worked in textiles.

After completing engineering from ITM Gwalior, Dhawan began his corporate journey with Accenture, where he spent over five years. A pivotal shift came when he moved into consulting. “I learned how I should sell in the market, how should position a product, how I should think about the customer first and rest everything later,” he says about his time at BWC. Entrepreneurship followed, along with its challenges.

A subsequent leadership role at KPMG, where he led a practice for nearly five years, helped him scale teams, manage large clients, and understand enterprise consulting at depth. “I learned how to build a team, how to manage people better, how to manage clients better,” Dhawan recalls.

Taking the Helm at Plus91Labs

Plus91Labs entered Dhawan’s journey through a long-standing professional relationship. What began as a loosely structured, freelance-led setup was transformed into a strategic consulting organisation when Dhawan took over leadership. “I thought this was not a good way of working, it’s very unstructured, let me lead the organisation,” he explains.

Over the last five years, Plus91Labs has evolved into a fast-growing Salesforce Platinum Partner, with Dhawan curating six additional co-founders from early team members. “We have given them hard equity for the hard work which they have done,” he says, underscoring the company’s people-first philosophy.

Despite growth and acquisitions, including Pixly in Singapore, Dhawan’s approach has remained grounded. “I’m still withdrawing the same amount which I used to withdraw in KPMG; the intent was always to reinvest,” he notes.

Redefining SaaS Consulting for India’s Market Reality

For Dhawan, the biggest flaw in traditional transformation narratives is scale-blindness. “For ages, we have been told transformation is a mammoth job, two to three years just to stabilise a CRM,” he says.

Plus91Labs chose a different path by segmenting the Indian market sharply, strategic accounts, large enterprises, and mid-market firms, while consciously avoiding very small transactional engagements. “We will only work in mid-market, enterprise and named accounts,” Dhawan states.

The firm’s differentiation lies in delivering Big Four–level consulting outcomes at significantly lower cost and faster timelines. “We are giving you the experience of a Big Four organisation at a much cheaper price, and at a much more efficient value,” he explains.

Reusable Salesforce-led assets play a central role. “If I’ve done some great work for an enterprise, can we replicate it for mid-market at a much faster pace and lesser price? The answer is yes,” he adds.

Competing and Winning Against the Big Four

Plus91Labs does not shy away from competition. “Today, we are competing with Deloitte and we are winning against them,” Dhawan says. The reason, he believes, is agility and readiness. “The customers are now ready to take chances with new players like us because they know we will go beyond limits to deliver.”

This shift reflects a broader change in buyer mindset, where outcomes and speed matter more than brand legacy.

Industry Focus: From Manufacturing to Healthcare Innovation

Plus91Labs works across six major sectors, including manufacturing, FMCG, pharma, auto, edtech, and nonprofits. Healthcare and pharma, however, have emerged as key innovation areas.

Dhawan explains why pharma became a focus: “For the last 10 years, there has been no improved product, same old UI, no one talking about AI.” High-cost global solutions were also misaligned with Indian realities. “Products built for Europe are completely unaffordable for India.”

This led to the creation of TrueSales, an AI-driven platform aimed at improving field force efficiency. “Let’s create something for the Indian market which gives you everything Viva IQ offers, at a fraction of the cost,” he explains.

TrueSales now supports pharma and consumer goods companies and has already expanded internationally. “We just launched TrueSales in Cairo, Egypt, and received very good feedback,” Dhawan notes.

AI-Led Field Enablement and Sales Coaching

Beyond CRM transformation, Plus91Labs is pushing AI deeper into day-to-day operations. Recent innovations include conversational bots for medical representatives and AI-powered sales coaching.

“You can simply speak with the bot and it will give you a response immediately,” Dhawan says. Another tool evaluates real-world sales interactions: “It tells you if you are dressed appropriately, how you spoke, what you missed with the customer.”

The platform also delivers real-time nudges. “This is not just analytics, it is telling you do this, do this, and your performance will increase,” he explains, emphasising guided decision-making over dashboards.

Lessons for Entrepreneurs: Experiment, Pivot, Repeat

Dhawan’s advice to entrepreneurs is rooted in experience. “Do not fear to experiment,” he says firmly. “If something has been done the same way for 10 or 20 years, there is always space for improvement.”

He highlights the unique advantage of startups. “That is the beauty of being a startup, you can pivot, which big enterprises cannot,” he notes, urging founders to stay close to customers and remain open to feedback.

Conclusion: A New Consulting Archetype for India

Plus91Labs’ journey reflects a broader shift in India’s enterprise technology ecosystem, away from long-drawn, expensive transformations and toward agile, asset-driven, Salesforce-led consulting. Under Tushar Dhawan’s leadership, the firm demonstrates how a Salesforce Platinum Partner can combine global consulting discipline with local market insight, AI innovation, and a people-first culture.

As enterprises seek faster ROI, personalised solutions, and partners willing to “go beyond limits to deliver,” Plus91Labs represents a new archetype of Indian SaaS consulting, one built not just on platforms, but on purpose, resilience, and relentless execution.

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