When former Infosys chief financial officer Mohandas Pai wanted to invest in Zimmber, the key attraction for him in the on-demand home services platform that trains its employees to deliver best services, was his passion for skilling people, says Anubhab Goel, the 35-year-old co-founder ad CEO of the Mumbai-based startup. The online venture works on the principle of ‘the right guy, doing the right thing, at the right time and at the right price’. If it deviates even a little from this, the business will be at risk.
Zimmber, came out of a simple thought that if buying things online was getting popular day-by-day, why can’t services be provided online.
“The market is booming with online buyers. You don’t have to wait anymore to call a store and order things. You just go online and order your stuff. We saw an opportunity to provide services online, and Zimmber was formed,” says Goel. Founded in 2014 by Goel and his friends Gaurav Shrivastava and Amit Kumar, Zimmber raised $2 million in July last year from IDG Ventures and co-founder Pai’s Aarin Capital, and another $5 million series A funding from Omidyar Network and IDG Venture this year.
Zimmber has been a hit. And so has been its name. “When we first came up with the idea of this business, my wife, Shilpi, had randomly suggested ‘Zimmber’,” says Goel, who is one of the BW Businessworld Young Entrepreneur Award -2016 winners.
“But we simply discarded it and started brainstorming for a better name. We wanted a generic but a catchy name, with a .com domain, and not .in. Two and a half months later, we were still struggling, when Shilpi reminded us of Zimmber again. And actually, it just fit the bill,” says Goel.
Zimmber, which made three acquisitions between 2015 and 2016 to expand its service categories, currently offers services of electricians, plumbers, carpenters, home decorators, beauticians, fitness instructors and tutors, among others, in India. It takes a cut from the fee — fixed by the company — charged by Zimmber Champs (service men associated with Zimmber) for their services to customers.
“Providing quality home service is not easy,” admits Goel. “It’s actually very difficult. But we ensure quality services and take whole-sole responsibility. When you call an electrician from Zimmber, he comes in a uniform with a Zimmber ID card.”
The company strives for complete customer satisfaction, which means ensuring best behaviour by its service men. “We have the highest vendor stickiness in the industry; we maintain a constant relationship with our Zimmber Champs. This is not something that can be easily aped, it takes a lot of time,” he says.
Zimmber constantly trains its workers to provide quality service as customer satisfaction is very critical. “We train them in soft skills as well as teach them to provide quality services. Every little detail is taught; from how to behave with customers, to how to talk, how to carry themselves, etc. Technology adoption on supply side is also important, as workers, when hired, are mostly not very tech-savvy. We teach them how to use the Internet and smartphones,” says Goel.
Goel believes in self motivation and motivating the entire team. “It’s a long-long journey with countless lessons at every turn, which is why it is really important for all entrepreneurs to know exactly why they believe in their product or services. It is also important for every entrepreneur to recognise the fire of passion within them and what drives them.”
unni@businessworld.in; @unni_CH
