For some people phone apps which claim to make life easier have been a discovery in this period, when stepping out is being discouraged. For content creators like Seema Mohapatra apps like the eponymous Wefast have become the next-best thing to going out themselves. Mohapatra has used the courier service almost 15 times over the past two months to deliver cakes to friends, traditional Kannadiga food, and even hard discs and documents across the city, and even outside the city to Navi Mumbai.
Mohapatra practically swears by Wefast, a courier service she considers reliable. “They are very good and sometimes courier charges can amount to merely Rs 100 or even lesser. They are also very simple to use. You can use them to deliver anything, from cosmetics, to clothes to edibles that need to be sent house to house. With Wefast you don’t need to download the app on your phone, you can simply click on the website and book a courier.”
Mohapatra specifies how some of her friends who are single need that extra hand. She pitches in by sending them food generously cooked by her house help. She further mentions that in order to avoid putting her own staff at risk, for example the driver or office boy, she would rather use a personalized services app like Wefast to courier packages. Courier boys who work for these companies get a livelihood during this time she adds.
For Nidhi Taparia, CEO of a digital media company, apps like Dunzo and Wefast have also been a life saver of sorts. Earlier this year Taparia even used Dunzo to get diapers couriered to her when she was at a party, for her toddler, since it slipped out of her mind to carry them. Says Taparia, “We got the diapers without breaking up the party. My husband teases me that these services wouldn’t run without people like me. I should by a stake in them, I use them so often! The first time I used them was 2015. My husband had bought all these goodies for friends from Japan, and it had been over a month that they were lying at home, and I just decided to use Russsh and send them. That time there was Russsh. When you are running a small business and you don’t have a driver, these apps come handy. For example they drop off documents for you; I’ve even had laptops picked up from a friend’s office and delivered to a specific location…It was in Pune last year that I started using Dunzo. I’d heard about them because Google invested in them. What I loved was that they would deliver anything from anywhere. They would deliver your charger, buy you an Apple if you wanted….”
Now more than ever Taparia has truly become an avid user of the seemingly convenient app services. Her reliance on them has grown and her experience with them has been deeply satisfying. “I have used them so much during the lockdown it’s unbelievable. I’ve used Wefast bakery items, had books picked up for my daughter, sent books and clothes which my daughter has out-grown. These apps keep our entire life moving.”
There are also other apps that promise to take the load off by being one-stop-shops. A pest control service at home, AC repairs, providing you with plumbers and electricians at home. Too good to be true? Today, the integrated services apps have become a reality. Some of them are brainchildren of Ivy Leaguers and leading management school alumni helping one leverage technology to meet daily needs. The well-run ones have blossomed during the lockdown.
Gautam Gokhale, co-founder of one such app called TaskMitra, shares, “Ours is a progressive app. You don’t have to download it on your phone. You can use it directly by visiting the website. You make a booking and the delivery professional picks up the item and delivers it to you. We completely customize requests, whether they involve taking your car to a service centre or delivering breast milk to a new mother who has those kind of needs. We do exactly what you want done. All you have to do is fill in the form and write down as many details as you need to. We use algorithms for pricing. If you are lucky you may be charged only Rs 250, but the base price for Mumbai is generally Rs 400. The price changes depending on the size of the package, where packages of 4 kgs and above will mean an additional amount added to the base. Also, there are waiting charges. For example if a delivery boy has to wait an hour in an Ayurvedic store’s line, that will mean an additional charge.”
There are other apps like Ease Your Life that have similar offerings for a convenience seeker. One can download the app and call or send them a WhatsApp on a designated number to book a service. A run of above 15 kms ‘within the same zone’ costs a flat rate of Rs 150. They, on the other hand, use a kilometre-based pricing system. A distinctive service this app provides is ‘shadow shopping’ where a professional accompanies you to the market, lifting for you your heavy bags.
Says Shashwat Bhatt, co-founder of the app, “We started the app when we realized that it would be cool to have someone do for you all those things you want to avoid. Like stick labels on invitations cards. And charge the customer a nominal price for that. We realized that in a metro like Mumbai working couples would be a great target audience. Since they are always hard-pressed for time. Today we even cater to home entrepreneurs, for example a chocolatier in Bombay who was able to expand her operations in Delhi with our logistical help. We can do anything, from helping people change their curtains, to getting a print-out from a shop in your vicinity.”
Most importantly the co-founder stressed on contact-less delivery where one’s packages are left with a security guard and where delivery professionals wear the requisite gear, claiming that delivery bags are sanitized every day. On July 31, Ease Your Life will be delivering rakhis for free across Mumbai. They are also running The Rakhi Pop Store from till August 1 to promote small scale local businesses for selling rakhis, gifts, sweets, and gourmet snacks.
It remains to be seen and only enthusiastic use will tell a user about the efficiency of the above services, how nifty customer service executives are, and whether care is taken by delivery boys to maintain hygiene during the pandemic.
