Outsourcing Life

Getting chairs repaired is but one of the many tasks that are taken on by Chachii.com,a personal assistance service provider. From handling dispatches,installing software,sorting paperwork to cleaning,getting repairs done and running errands — it promises to take care of a variety of personal tasks that a busy Mumbaikar may struggle to find the time for. “In a city like Mumbai,people often have no time for daily errands,making calls and taking care of things as mundane as getting a chair repaired. At Chachii.com,we do the running around for you. All one has to do is register on the site and let us know the details as to what needs to be done,where and at what time,” explains its co-founder Tanvi Surti,who started it last September.

The concept of outsourcing chores to a dedicated company is popular in the West (where staff is hired and paid on an hourly or per-task basis). However,in India,the trend is only emerging,with the focus largely on metropolitan cities.

Even in a city like Mumbai,which has scope for plenty business opportunities,there are only two such services available. Chachii.com aside,there’s At Your Service (AYS) that calls itself ‘India’s first intelligent virtual personal assistance service’. “We provide a monthly package to our clients with a dedicated personal assistant who can be reached on a separate cellphone number and an email id. Also,there’s a man who will run errands whenever and wherever you want,” points out Bharat Ahirwar,CEO and Founder,AYS.

Moreover,his company has a long task list,covering personal and some official tasks as well. “We organise plumbers,drivers,mechanics and electricians,pick and drop of cheques,do grocery and medicine shopping. We handle research work and RSVP for major events such as weddings,thread cermonies and conferences,” adds Ahirwar. Moreover,they even help settle in people who are new to Mumbai.

He cites the example of Radhika Sharma,a corporate trainer who recently moved from Bangalore. “AYS drew up a list of property options and fixed my meetings with the landlords. They do travel booking for me and my personal assistant also filters my calls,” says Sharma.

These two companies are a big boon to small and medium-sized enterprises,which are constantly in need of freelance workers. Entrepreneur Swadeep Patil says that outsourcing some of his regular office chores to Chachii.com has helped him save up on money. “I don’t have a full-time office boy. Through Chachii.com,I have to pay on a per-task basis — where a task costs as low as Rs 125 for an errand — as opposed to coughing up a salary of Rs 8,000,” he says. While Chachii.com charges for individual tasks,AYS also offers trial (up to 25 tasks) and monthly (unlimited tasks) packages for a sum of Rs 7,000 and Rs 10,000 respectively. “The average urbanite forms our target group. As of now,I have 12 clients for the packages and an average of 50 clients a month for one-time tasks,” says Ahirwar. Surti,on the other hand,gets around 100 clients per month.

In order for their businesses to flourish,without any hiccups,Surti and Ahirwar emphasise on running a background check on their staff before hiring them. “A lot of our clients were initially hesitant to assign us any important tasks,especially ones that involved money. Over time,we have built a rapport with them,” says Surti.