July 18: 1) What prompted you to start a delivery company?
During the pandemic, it was very difficult to get things done. On one occasion, when my daughter’s spectacles broke, and we had to get them fixed, I wished there was someone who could drop and get them back from the shop. Another incident was when I wanted to send my friend food since her family had just recovered from covid but were still weak and craved homemade food. While talking to my friends and neighbours, I realised everyone had the same struggle. This was when I decided to take the initiative to solve the issue. And thus Delivery Pigeon came to be! I envisioned a company which would be a helping hand for everyone.
2) As a woman, what challenges did you have to overcome at the beginning of your journey? How supporting has your family been?
Initially, everyone refused to take me seriously. No one believed I could start such a venture which is so heavily dependent on technology. Even some providers and business partners seemed to ignore my words. It was very discouraging at the start especially given the fact I was not starting this initiative as a profitable business but as something which was a necessity then. My family, thankfully, was very supportive of me. They helped me every step of the way. My husband and daughter helped me in managing the operations as well as advising me on the technological aspects. My son was also very enthusiastic about giving ideas and helping me improve our services.
3) What sets delivery pigeon apart from the competition?
One of the major factors that set apart delivery pigeon from its competitors is the fact that we are a purely local and Kolkata-based company, unlike the other companies that are either foreign organisations or big unicorns. Despite this, we not only do not lack in our service but, in fact, have several more additional features. To highlight a few, we have the reordering feature wherein the customers can simply place a past completed order with a simple click. They don’t need to fill in the details once again. We also have multiple drop features, which the customers can avail to send several packages to multiple drop-pointed. The orders can also be scheduled up to 24hrs in advance! Not only that, we have double security measures that ensure parcel safety at both pickups and drop points via OTP and image capturing. Furthermore, we have in-app support and customer service personnel always ready to help the customers. Apart from all these advantages, we deliver up to 16 kg at the most competitive prices!
4) What Delivery Options and Other Services are Available?
At the time of the conceptualisation of the delivery pigeon, there weren’t many options available. However, today some of our competitors include Swiggy Genie, Uber Connect, Rapido Local Send Items, Dunzo and Burzo.
5) How do you train your delivery partners and other employees?
We carefully pick our delivery providers and staff. Each person joining our team is reviewed and interviewed beforehand to ensure they are proficient in their role. We then also train them to use our app and how to behave with the customers. Furthermore, we take regular feedback from our customers and review each employee accordingly.
6) Do you have size and quantity limits?
Yes. We carry up to 16 kgs for a single order. All our deliveries are carried out by either bike or scooty, so the parcel to be delivered must be appropriate to be able to be carried on the two-wheelers.
7) It is very impressive now. Finally, I would like to ask. How do I place my order?
It is very simple. We have a website: www.deliverypigeon.in and are available on both android and ios platforms. Keeping in mind the wide demography of our customers, we have worked to make the app extremely easy and user-friendly!
8) Some advice you would like to give to startups to stand out in the market, especially women entrepreneurs
I think the most valuable lesson I have learned so far is to be always in touch with your customers. Take regular suggestions and inputs from them. You will be shocked to see how beneficial their feedbacks are! As for my fellow women entrepreneurs, all I would like to say is to believe in yourselves. I know it sounds easier than done; however, if you keep the confidence and keep reminding yourself why you started in the first place, all obstacles will crumble in front of you! I wish all the budding women entrepreneurs all the best and advanced congratulations on their success!
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Divya Agarwal
