We have stringent internal control norms that look at temperature so we have data loggers on our trucks. It's fairly intense. In our setup, the points where we need quality control continue along the chain, because temperature has to be maintained between 1 to 4 degrees Celsius. We have to meet international quality norms and about 400 managers play the quality controller role.

IT helps us get our quality reports to a central place. We are also planning to give handheld devices to all quality auditors, so that they can be on the move and still keep updated to allow them to analyze problems and find solutions. We are also planning to backend this to our vendors so they get online access to our quality reports.

In an organization like Domino's, what's the role of an IT head?

An IT head in our company should and does think like a business manager. With the kind of IT advancements that are taking place, it is integral to the job of the IT head to study how IT can enable the execution of business. In the future, IT is not only going to assist the business, but also be central to customer acquisition, retention, and loyalty.

What technologies do you plan for in the near future?

Domino's in the US has launched a pizza tracker service. We make a '30-minutes or free' offer and now if customers want to know which stage within these 30 minutes their pizza is at, we can tell them. Ten minutes after placing their order, customers will be able to know whether their pizzas are still in the oven or on the road.

In India, that service will be launched soon. All we require for that is a 100 per cent seamless online connectivity. Within the next few months, our main server will have 100 this. Then customers will be able to order online, via SMS and we will be able to track their pizzas.

Do you see further growth of ready-to-eat foods in India and do you plan to join it?

Due to an increase of double income families, the growing number of TV channels that are enticing people to stay glued to their TVs and the growth of nuclear families, people have less time to cook. Therefore, I expect the market for ready to eat foods to grow rapidly like it has in the US. We often say that our real competition is not from what anybody perceives as competition but from home food. At the moment, however, Domino's is not planning for any diversification of any sort into the ready-to-eat business.