Customer Story
Exotel empowers Ekart to link delivery agents and customers, ensuring privacy and superior communication
What Ekart says about Exotel
Last mile delivery is one of the biggest cost factors for an ecommerce company, so optimizing it internally helps to control cost.
Satish Chugh
Senior Manager - Last Mile Design
Ekart
About Ekart
Ekart logistics or Ekart courier is an Indian courier delivery services company, headquartered in Bangalore, Karnataka. A subsidiary of electronic commerce company Flipkart Pvt. Ltd., Ekart delivers around 10 million shipments a month.
Challenges
The last mile of delivery, accounting for 53% of shipping costs, is complex and unpredictable, with destinations unknown until an order is placed. In the e-commerce age, not just product and price but delivery quality drive sales.
Challenges
Lack of visibility into the final stages of delivery, also known as last-mile operations
Balancing high daily delivery demands without prior communication with customers led to wasted time and money on failed delivery attempts. This also hindered the ability to track last-mile delivery, creating a lack of visibility into false delivery attempts.
Lack of privacy leading to misuse of customer information
Implementing a calling mechanism that monitored, tracked, and secured all communications between customers and delivery agents was vital for data privacy. The significant challenge was to maintain robust communication without disclosing the contact details of either party.
The absence of evidence or documentation to confirm attempted delivery
Without a verifiable record of delivery attempts, resolving disputes between customers and delivery agents became difficult, impacting trust and operational accountability.
The Solution
PIN-Based Bridge Conferencing
Ekart agents, knowing their deliveries a day in advance, can call customers through the Ekart app. A PIN is passed, and Ekart uses this information to trace the customer and agent, requesting Exotel to call the customer. This feature has saved time and money by removing travel needs, thus enhancing business productivity and collaboration.
Number Masking for Privacy
Number Masking shields the customer's phone number and provides insights into delivery agents' interactions with customers, aiding in handling escalations, false delivery attempts, and ensuring data privacy throughout the delivery lifecycle.
Benefits
Enhanced Customer Engagement and Brand Image
Bridge Conferencing saved time and money, helping Ekart connect with customers without travel and improving business reputation.
Improved Security and Insights
Ekart uses protected phone numbers and agent insights to handle escalations better, ensuring privacy and professional interactions.
Operational Efficiency
Using Exotel for agent-customer connections ensures seamless communication, elevated collaboration, and secure data protection.