JustDial - the successful multi-channel search service

(via Business India, December, 13th, 2009 issue) First remember coming across the JustDial service, in the year 2000. We started using it extensively in Bangalore and continue using it after we have moved to Pune a few years ago. Always found the service to be very well run, with continuous improvements every few months and a prompt and courteous service. From giving information on the phone, as read out by the operator, they moved onto emailing answers to your queries, sending SMSes to both the enquirer and the businesses that were referred to the caller. A Caller database was added and they began to greet customers by name based on the caller-id.

We were once looking for a professional photographer for a book that we are working on. Called JustDial, got names and numbers of @ 10 photographers over email & SMS in a few seconds, started calling a few while we were called by a few of the photographers themselves in a matter of a few minutes. After some qualifications, reference checks and face to face meetings with two of the short-listed photographers, the deal was closed! I guess a committed and serious customer, a well qualified and hungry service provider and the (technological) swiftness with which a deal can be closed makes all the difference.

As I saw the progress of their service over the years, would always wonder how they were doing, here's how they have done over the years:

• 10 million monthly telephone callers seek information from their database of 4 million clients (up from 86000 in the early part of the decade)
• Now adding directions information to the business addresses through geo-coding
• Serves information over a number of service channels - telephone, SMS, WAP, Internet
• 100 Crore annual turnover
• Now ready to go global having acquired 1-800-JUSTDIAL in the US, Canada and Australia
• Has moved Indians who are not a predominantly DIY society to become one - now Indians do not hesitate to pick up the phone and ask for help
• SMEs have been big beneficiaries of their service and are ready to pay for the service
• They can answer pretty much any questions - sending flowers to friends, movies in town, nearest hospital, home delivery restaurants
• Available in 240 Indian cities
• Its website registers more than 5.6 million hits a day (up from 72,000/day in July 2008)
• Service also gets 700,000 SMSes and 300K WAP messages a day (up from 100K and 6K from a year ago)
• Dominates the 500 Crore SME market - directories, classifieds, ad-spends - providing SMEs a national platform with just a phone call
• Started with a seed capital of Rs. 50,000/- and Sequoia Capital is now investing $8 million; the company valued at Rs. 500 crore

Are they ready to take on the US market which has over 1000 telephone search engines? Keep following the progress of this company. They are the guys who (instantly) connect "seriously opted in customers who look for specific services" with "SME businesses that are hungry to close deals"!

Tata Swach - better than the Nano?

(via Business Standard) The Tata's announced their latest product, this time in the water purifier space, recently. Two variants of the "Tata Swach" water purifier, one priced at Rs. 799/- and the other at Rs. 999/- will be available in the market by the end of the month. This will enable the Tata's to take a larger share of the Rs. 10,000 crore water purification market.

The Swach purifier, has a life span of 3000 litres, which will last a family of 5 a full year. The filter uses paddy husk ash as a matrix, bound with microscopic silver particles to kill 80% of the bacteria that cause diseases. And India produces 20 Million tonnes of paddy husk ash a year, known for long to have water cleansing properties.

A great product, has all elements of "frugal engineering" and a great collaborative effort:

• Needs no electricity, and uses local materials
• Doesn't need running water like most other electricity powered water purifiers do
• Complies with US EPA standards
• Collaborative effort between three organizations - TCS, Tata Chemicals and Titan Industries (try getting 2 organizations in one company to work together!)
• Great combination of nano technology, precision engineering and CAD technologies

This one is a coup. And notice the way Tata's launch their products - free press, stir the imagination of consumers, get their distribution networks in place, make consumers "line up" to book/buy the product. Many other companies would have done this after blowing up tens of crores.

Here's a toast to a great green product, to frugal engineering and frugal marketing. I am queueing up to buy this one!

PS: Here's my previous article on Water Management - Jalyatra - http://www.blogger.com/previous