From embracing ‘blue collar’ to launching service app: Rajkot couple comes full circle

The application will be available on Android as well as iOS mobile phones, says the couple. The launch of the mobile phone application comes around six months after they launched the website –www.imbluecollars.com.

The twin platforms allow service providers to register for free to connect to consumers. The couple said that the platforms will host contact details of vendors, providing more than 200 types of services in 55 broad categories.

The vendors include mechanics, electricians, technicians repairing TVs, refrigerators, mobile phones, computers, tiffin service providers, vehicle drivers, auto-rickshaws, tailors, cobblers, carpenters, masons, potters, casual labourers, welders, photographers, videographers and others. “The objective is to give digital identities to these workers and artisans and help them connect with consumers. In the process, consumers will also get easy access to these services,” Bhatt, who holds a doctorate in chemical engineering, said. The couple immigrated to Denmark in 2013 and took up blue-collar jobs there.

Later, they worked in Sweden, Norway, and France. Recently, they incorporated Ritesh Ventures Private Limited (RVPL), a firm that provides services like website development, air travel booking among other services.

“While we were working in European nations, we noted how these services are very organised there. On the other hand, in our country, because these artisans are not tech-savvy, they are not able to leverage the power of technology to maximise work opportunities. On the other hand, consumers have to go looking for technicians and workers who can fix a faulty refrigerator or a broken sofa. Our own families back here used to struggle to get jobs like these done while we were abroad. So, our venture is an attempt to address this,” Mehta, who has worked as a teacher, said. She further added that the platform will help women who love cooking and making pickles find a market for their recipes.

The couple said that 64,000 vendors have already registered on the website. They expect the numbers to grow with the launch of the app.

“We are not charging any onboarding fee. The consumer who contacts a worker or artisan through our app or website also does not have to pay for accessing the database of workers and artisans. In fact, we have launched a helpline number to help those who are not tech-savvy, to get themselves registered on IMBLUECOLLARS platform,” 35-year-old Bhatt, the promoter director of RVPL said, adding, “We developed website and the app in-house, we have enough savings to keep the app and the website going.” The app has a consumer review section and based on the reviews, vendors will get ratings. Bhatt said the vendors getting negative consumer reviews will automatically get downgraded.

“IMBLUECOLLARS is nowhere near Just Dial in terms of consumer response. However, we are aware that IMBLUECOLLARS is just taking its first steps and its promoters have noble cause as they are not charging anything while other service providers like Just Dial charge a minimum of Rs 10,000 per annum for hosting contact details. So, it makes sense for people like us to get oneself registered on IMBLUECOLLARS,” Harsh Patel, proprietor of Patidar Enterprise, a firm in Patidar Chowk providing services of repairing electrical appliances, told The Indian Express.
“I had got my firm registered In two moths, I have got two service requests,” Patel added.