Easing your Life Digitally

Co-founders Shashwat Bhatt and Jaymin Trivedi of hyper-local start-up Ease Your Life talks about the business model and how technology is boosting productivity

What is the operating model and business model of Ease Your Life?

In terms of the operating model, the essence of Ease Your Life (EYL) is to help people with tasks and chores which are primarily mundane in nature and also help people save on time. EYL works across a network of people in a hybrid model. We have an army of Knights work with us on a permanent basis who take care of day to day operations. We have an array of verified vendors across multiple streams who work with us as preferred partners for particular services

In terms of the business model, we work across a model that is fixed fee + a variable service charge. In terms of the delivery arm, we operate across fixed rates which is a KM based pricing system and on other verticals, such a lot of services are customized and basis the requirement and task at hand the fees are quantified.

How did digital technologies help Ease Your Life deliver during the current situation?

The entire backbone of the service relies on a strong technological network. Not only did we shift to variable km based pricing to enable better and efficient service across short distances but we have also moved to a complete digital cashless system wherein all payments across customers, vendors, and knights happen digitally. We have an entire backend system for managing the boys and task and have multiple interfaces for customers in the form of app, Website, Whatsapp and a phone call during these times

Additionally, this current situation also gave us the perfect opportunity to pull ahead of our e-commerce platform and make it available to consumers much earlier than anticipated. We will soon be making this service live on our apps and website in the coming weeks
What sort of collaboration model did Ease Your Life have with other platforms?

We look at ourselves as a platform which apart from helping ease customers’ lives also builds a sustainable model for all our vendors. A majority of our customers are home chefs, cloud kitchens, and other small entrepreneurs for whom we have been logistics partners through their growth cycles. We have collaborated with partners and entrepreneurs to assist them in their delivery logistics

How would you differentiate yourself from other similar hyperlocal delivery platforms?

Currently, no other hyperlocal service is in entirety what EYL is. Our service model combines various different options provided by other platforms into one. While deliveries are one part of our business we also have a complete bouquet of services ranging from Home front jobs like AC repair/service, pest control, plumbing, fumigation & sanitization just to name a few, onwards to banking services, bespoke gifting, and other such varied customized request as well

What sort of innovative fulfillment models have you developed?

In terms of fulfillment, we primarily use public transport and biker boys. During the times of COVID, we even partnered with a local cab vendor who had permission to do essential services for the movement of our boys during the time. We have in the past also use tempo and other services for fulfillment. All our employees including the directors have served their time in fulfilling customer requirements and continue to do regularly

What is your geographic spread till now? Where are all the expansion planned and by when?

Currently, EYL is functional across Mumbai ,Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida and also our recent entry into Gwalior (test market) over the next few months we aim to further branch across major motors like Pune, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai and a host of other tiers 2 towns as well

What is the role of technology in Ease Your Life’s supply chain?

Technology plays a very key role in EYL’s supply chain. The front end facing apps and websites are linked to a back end which is seamlessly merged with a Knights app which is exclusive to all our delivery Knights. These two interfaces work seamlessly in ensuring an almost zero human interference system by the operators for the efficient functioning of our logistics at the moment. Furthermore our soon to be launched e-commerce platform will ensure that the vendors/stores on our platform will have access to maintain and operate their stocks from within our backend to ensure a smooth experience for our customers

How do you maintain the safety and hygiene standards in your supply and delivery chains?

All our EYL knights operate with a strict hygiene code. All Knights are equipped with sanitizers and at all times wear a mask & gloves before packages are handed off the Knight ensure he sanitizes hands in front of the customer and then removes the parcels from the sanitized bags. We also ensure contactless deliveries. Currently, a lot of the services like pest control/fumigation are also offered with an option wherein the personnel servicing would do so in PPE kits

What are the expansion plans and key focus areas on your roadmap in the next 12-18 months?

Our major plan on the next 12-18 month is two folds.

a) We are looking at adding new cities to our service map and also not limit it just to the top 10 metros but also further venture into tier 2 as well.

b) With our soon to be introduced e comm platform the focus will be on onboarding business and stores across categories and services to eventually create a one-stop super app for all of the consumer’s needs