Say goodbye to the hassles of calling customer service, Aino is here

Aino app bridges the gap between customer service departments and the end customer. It allows users to add a brand to their dashboard in order to post queries, book requests or register a complaint. And a customer care representative will call the user as per their convenience.

Since Divij Singhal is an old player of the entrepreneurship game, he found it easy to overcome the challenges today’s young entrepreneurs face. In 2004, he started his first venture with ICCS, one of the leading BPO service providers in India. With strong determination and laser focus, Divij led ICCS to new levels of scalability and witnessed the success of the company through its 2,000 employees and a turnover of Rs 40 crore.

Being in the business of outsourcing services for more than a decade, Divij took stock of the major pain areas for customers during brand service calls. And an appetite to address the problem led to the conceptualisation of mobile-based helpdesk application Aino in November.

Delhi-based Aino is a unified voice-driven platform that bridges the gap between customer service departments and the end-consumer. Catering to both B2C and B2B customers, the platform accelerates the process of hassle-free queries, requests and complaints across various categories, including utilities, travel, and consumer electronics.

"Available on both Android and iOS, Aino enables its users to add a brand to their dashboard in order to post queries, book requests or register a complaint. Customers can also request an instant call-back from the customer care representative or schedule the call at a time of their convenience." says Divji.

Basically, users can select a brand, then select an issue and place the call request to the customer service department. And anyone from that department of the brand will call the user to address the problem. Categories of brands are mentioned on the app for the convenience of the customers and each of them is given a unique subscriber ID.

Divij, who holds a BE in Computer Science and Electronics from University Of Sussex UK, says Aino has a seed capital of Rs 1 crore, with 60-70 percent of it used in product development and in tie-ups with brands.

How it works

The startup helps businesses eliminate redundant consumer touch points and decrease call abandonment rate, thereby eradicating the cost of toll-free numbers. It claims to optimise consumer services by directly connecting the customer with the concerned consumer response team, aided by an intuitive GUI.

“Services offered by Aino reduce Average Handling Time (AHT) by a minimum 40 seconds and save up to 10 percent on customer service budgets for brands, whilst also enhancing consumer engagement and satisfaction by driving greater efficiency. This makes it the perfect tool for organisations to optimise their customer service operations,” says Divij.

For the end consumer, Aino provides the ease of receiving a call back once a call request is placed on Aino, saving the hassle of searching for a number, going through IVRS and holding the call in queue.

The India unified communication market is predicted to reach over $1,500 million in 2018, according to a report by 6Wresearch. Voice-based unified communication has captured a major pie of the market revenues in the India unified communication market, which can be attributed to its affordability and ease of usage.

Revenue model

Aino is currently generating revenue through its B2B model, where it charges the brands a monthly listing fee—ranging from Rs 5,000-50,000—along with per interaction/transaction cost, which is generated by its customers on the app. The platform is free for end users.

Since its launch, Aino has acquired close to 10,000 registered users who are making close to 300 calls everyday to more than 200 brands piloting the service currently. By December, the 20-member startup is expecting to have at least 10-15 paid clients.

Divij considers digital marketing platforms to be the most effective way to reach out to consumers, and is therefore leveraging platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter.

In 24 months, Aino aims to have 10 million users, more than 1,000 brands listed, and plans to cater to at least 20 million customer service calls every month.

The platform plans to integrate with Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) of different brands in order to allow consumers to receive live updates on their queries. Self-service options like recharge, bill payment, bill details, plan upgrade/change, and complaint registration are expected to be added, while other new features, such as a payment wallet for users and the issuance of brand tickets via CRM integrations, will also be launched in the near future.

Website: Aino