We all love Instant Messaging. And to pamper us even more, numerous IM apps are coming up with all sorts of features including stickers and audio calls and more stickers. However, using IM so as to allow customers to connect directly with businesses ? Sounds like a more business utilisation of IM’s immense communicative ability. Well, Yellow messenger is doing exactly that.
Based out of Bangalore and founded by Raghu Kumar , Yellow messenger is an Instant Messaging app which is probably the first, well-conceived product which utilises Instant Messaging for providing consumer convenience.
Yellow is more like your Customer care IM app. It connects users directly with local businesses and brands, thus allowing them to address their problems, directly to businesses, LIVE, and get instant, foolproof responses to the same. While instant responses are probably the last thing we get through Customer care numbers, it is exactly opposite when it comes to Yellow messenger.
Craving for some pasta ? Wish to get detailed info. on a gadget you’ve been 
wanting for some time ? Simply log on to Yellow, and get guaranteed responses to your messages on product information, availability, product & customer support , book appointments , Order for home delivery – all through Simple private messaging.
After a simple signing process, the user can directly search for a Business or Brand with which he/she would like to communicate. Alternatively, the user can choose a category to see an aggregation of all the businesses listed in that specific category.
Select the business you wish to talk to, and you are live in a matter of minutes. Yellow Messenger is a location aware App, thus giving you a by-default listing of the businesses closer to your location. To help you further, Yellow messenger has in place, a unique ‘expert agent’ model, wherein Yellow’s expert agents help get responses to all the user messages from Businesses within a guaranteed response time of 5 minutes.
To deliver on its promise of connecting you directly with businesses, Yellow partners with all sorts of businesses. Be it e-commerce players, local delivery firms or legal advice firms, Yellow has a growing partnership base in almost every business arena, thus solving consumer issues in every field.
[huge_it_gallery id=”14″]So why build the app after all ? Raghu Kumar, Founder of Yellow tells me,
It all started when I was looking to buy an apartment and I found out how difficult it was getting the information, availability, options and pricing. Firstly, some of the contact numbers were not updated and even if I was able to reach the number, I had to wait on hold or go through the maze of IVR options.
But then, this isn’y new here in India. Isn’t it ? Be it Raghu’s real-estate worries or our cellphone connection problems, we all know how pathetic India’s call center responses are. Raghu further adds,
After all this, if I reach the concerned person, I would not have all the information at hand and had to connect with a different person or come back with information. All this was arduous. At the same time one of the property marketers was communicating with him on WhatsApp updating him of the details of the project and answering his queries when needed and also scheduled a site visit. I found this very effective. And hence, Yellow was born.
And its not just consumers who benefit from Yellow. In times when businesses are accused of being reluctant in helping consumers with their problems, Yellow helps businesses redeem a cleaner image by helping them connect directly with consumers. It offers a business subscription of it service, wherein it charges them on a subscription basis.
Businesses can start by registering their firm on Yellow’s website. They can either claim their business if it is already listed, or register for a new listing. The business will be verified by a code communicated to the business owner through a IVR call or a text message to the registered phone number of the businesses.
To prevent consumers ending up frustrated due to fraudulent listings, Yellow lists only verified businesses on its platform. Once a business’s verification process is complete, each firm gets its own Business Dashboard to manage their listing, and track consumer traction through a comprehensive, in-built analytics platform. A mobile app for businesses is also under development for both iOS and Android platforms.
And more and more businesses are realising this potential. Yellow claims to have over 200 business subscriptions to its service already, with more than 80 Million businesses listed on its platform. The app has been downloaded over 5k times already, and this is a significant number considering that its founders have largely kept it in stealth mode.
All in all, Yellow messenger is a fine attempt at solving one of India’s tech savy youth’s major issue, quality customer redressal systems. While Government systems continue to defecate, private businesses are taking steps to improve the scenario. Yellow could be an important cog in that wheel. Though bootstrapped as of now, founders are already in advanced talks with certain investors, for a probable angel round.
Stay Tuned as we continue to bring out India’s most disruptive ideas, on India’s most disruptive tech-journalism platform ever, The Tech Portal.
