Engineers to Delivery boys with the hope of becoming Delivery Managers! What an idea? Why study Engineering for this? To become Uber drivers and delivery boys?? The startups are expanding and paying through the roof..But once supply side picks up demand will fall! Hope the youngsters realize soon!
[h=1]These engineers want to be delivery boys[/h]Apurva Venkat | Bangalore Mirror Bureau | Jan 4, 2016
Not school dropout, delivery 'executives' today are educated and, spurred by good money and perks, take these jobs out of choice
After Dithil D Kumar finished his mechanical engineering in 2014, he joined a firm as a fresher, for a package of Rs 12,000 per month. On the first of every month, his account would get credited with Rs 9,000. Three months in, he realised that the money was barely enough to cover his rent and basic expenses. "I went around looking for a new job but the salary was the same everywhere. I even thought about taking up a part-time job alongside," he says.
In May, he became a delivery boy with Petoo.in, a food-tech start-up based out of HSR Layout. Eight months in, he earns Rs 20,000 per month along with petrol allowance and bonus for extra work. He works eight hours a day out of which only lunch and dinner timings are 'peak' hours. He also gets to do what he loves while at work - ride his bike.
Dithil D Kumar is one of a burgeoning class of sophisticated, educated delivery boys, who, buoyed by the rise of food-tech start-ups in the city, are taking up these jobs out of choice, and not because they are uneducated or dropouts. This new squad come dressed in uniform, carrying your food in a hot case, and speaking politely in fluent English. And most of them are graduates, at the very least.
Much of this change is attributed to the change in the way people have started looking at the job. The reason for this is simple - big money, ease of work and a lot of perks. Companies too are preferring educated candidates, with long-term expansion in mind - "as we recruit more delivery boys we can always promote the existing delivery boys to the post of managers," explains Ravi Kumar, operations head of Petoo.in. The company has over 50 delivery boys operating in 16 locations around Bengaluru. Forty per cent of these boys are engineers, the next 40 per cent are graduates and only 20 per cent of the delivery boys are not graduates, says Kumar. "Earlier, delivery boys would get paid around six to seven thousand a month but with the rising demand the amount has gone up to Rs 15 to 20,000 a month. This is excluding the incentives and the petrol allowance. The job too is more dignified now, with smartphones, motorbikes and uniforms being offered to them." As he explains, they're not delivery boys but "delivery executives". And this is attracting a lot of educated people to the profile, as seen by the applications they get, even though the company does not explicitly request educated people in their advertisements. Petoo has three simple requirements - workable English, comfort with smartphones and basic computer knowledge. "If these three are satisfied along with a clear background we hire them. We have noticed most applications that come to us are from educated people."
For Somu (26), a BE electrical graduate who has been working at Petoo for a year, the job of a delivery boy offers more challenges than any engineering profile. "Money was not my first concern. I had a chat with a delivery boy I met once and thought about trying it, especially since I had a bike and knew my way around Bengaluru," he says. He lists the lessons he has picked up - handling customers, being on time and being cautious. "I have to be quick to meet the delivery deadline, but cannot drive rashly because I have food in my bag. And if I'm late I need to calm the customer down without being rude." He is sure he will take these skills to his family business (an incense stick manufacturing unit), which he plans to join a year later, where 100-odd employees will be working under him.
Satish Naidu (23) an automobile engineer and a delivery boy with Swiggy, however, has an altogether different reason for continuing in this job. The ads of a grocery delivery company showing how a delivery boy could meet a celebrity have actually come true for him. Naidu has been working for the past six to seven months and mainly delivers in the HSR and Kormangala area. Naidu says that along with all the other perks like good money and allowance there is also the "selfie perk". "When I go to deliver food at the homes of famous advocates, police officers or even celebrities, I get a chance to ask them for a selfie and they generally oblige," he says. The perks far outweigh the stress of his earlier job as a sales executive at Maruti Suzuki. "I do not have targets to meet. I have flexible timings. Work is hectic during the peak hours and later it eases out. I don't feel ashamed about what I do because I am happy," he says. So are his parents, who have come around to the idea after not being on board initially. "My parents now say I am doing a good deed my giving hungry people food on time." Swiggy, another food delivery start-up, prefers educated people as delivery boys. Nandan Reddy, co-founder, explains, "As a company we always strive to give our customers the best experience. While educational qualification is not a criterion, what we focus on is the soft skills and the basic communication skills of the delivery boys." He sees delivery executives as the face of his company, who represent Swiggy at restaurants and to customers. "It is very important for us to maintain good relations with the restaurants to ensure we service orders timely. It is mandatory for our delivery boys to know Hindi or English besides the local language to be able to converse with customers from diverse backgrounds."
The change in mindset is exemplified by the case of R Kumresh, an electrical engineer working with Swiggy since eight months. It was actually Kumresh's father who brought a newspaper ad to him showing him a vacancy with Swiggy. "Initially I was shocked," he admits. "But today I am thankful to him. A delivery boy's job helps two different parties meet." Kumresh worked in Bosch for six months as a team member trainee before he took up the job of a delivery boy. Customers, he feels, treat him with respect. "People ask me if I want a glass of water, thank me for delivering even in the rain and even wish me a safe return when I deliver late at night."
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...-to-be-delivery-boys/articleshow/50434572.cms
[h=1]These engineers want to be delivery boys[/h]Apurva Venkat | Bangalore Mirror Bureau | Jan 4, 2016
After Dithil D Kumar finished his mechanical engineering in 2014, he joined a firm as a fresher, for a package of Rs 12,000 per month. On the first of every month, his account would get credited with Rs 9,000. Three months in, he realised that the money was barely enough to cover his rent and basic expenses. "I went around looking for a new job but the salary was the same everywhere. I even thought about taking up a part-time job alongside," he says.
In May, he became a delivery boy with Petoo.in, a food-tech start-up based out of HSR Layout. Eight months in, he earns Rs 20,000 per month along with petrol allowance and bonus for extra work. He works eight hours a day out of which only lunch and dinner timings are 'peak' hours. He also gets to do what he loves while at work - ride his bike.
Dithil D Kumar is one of a burgeoning class of sophisticated, educated delivery boys, who, buoyed by the rise of food-tech start-ups in the city, are taking up these jobs out of choice, and not because they are uneducated or dropouts. This new squad come dressed in uniform, carrying your food in a hot case, and speaking politely in fluent English. And most of them are graduates, at the very least.
Much of this change is attributed to the change in the way people have started looking at the job. The reason for this is simple - big money, ease of work and a lot of perks. Companies too are preferring educated candidates, with long-term expansion in mind - "as we recruit more delivery boys we can always promote the existing delivery boys to the post of managers," explains Ravi Kumar, operations head of Petoo.in. The company has over 50 delivery boys operating in 16 locations around Bengaluru. Forty per cent of these boys are engineers, the next 40 per cent are graduates and only 20 per cent of the delivery boys are not graduates, says Kumar. "Earlier, delivery boys would get paid around six to seven thousand a month but with the rising demand the amount has gone up to Rs 15 to 20,000 a month. This is excluding the incentives and the petrol allowance. The job too is more dignified now, with smartphones, motorbikes and uniforms being offered to them." As he explains, they're not delivery boys but "delivery executives". And this is attracting a lot of educated people to the profile, as seen by the applications they get, even though the company does not explicitly request educated people in their advertisements. Petoo has three simple requirements - workable English, comfort with smartphones and basic computer knowledge. "If these three are satisfied along with a clear background we hire them. We have noticed most applications that come to us are from educated people."
For Somu (26), a BE electrical graduate who has been working at Petoo for a year, the job of a delivery boy offers more challenges than any engineering profile. "Money was not my first concern. I had a chat with a delivery boy I met once and thought about trying it, especially since I had a bike and knew my way around Bengaluru," he says. He lists the lessons he has picked up - handling customers, being on time and being cautious. "I have to be quick to meet the delivery deadline, but cannot drive rashly because I have food in my bag. And if I'm late I need to calm the customer down without being rude." He is sure he will take these skills to his family business (an incense stick manufacturing unit), which he plans to join a year later, where 100-odd employees will be working under him.
Satish Naidu (23) an automobile engineer and a delivery boy with Swiggy, however, has an altogether different reason for continuing in this job. The ads of a grocery delivery company showing how a delivery boy could meet a celebrity have actually come true for him. Naidu has been working for the past six to seven months and mainly delivers in the HSR and Kormangala area. Naidu says that along with all the other perks like good money and allowance there is also the "selfie perk". "When I go to deliver food at the homes of famous advocates, police officers or even celebrities, I get a chance to ask them for a selfie and they generally oblige," he says. The perks far outweigh the stress of his earlier job as a sales executive at Maruti Suzuki. "I do not have targets to meet. I have flexible timings. Work is hectic during the peak hours and later it eases out. I don't feel ashamed about what I do because I am happy," he says. So are his parents, who have come around to the idea after not being on board initially. "My parents now say I am doing a good deed my giving hungry people food on time." Swiggy, another food delivery start-up, prefers educated people as delivery boys. Nandan Reddy, co-founder, explains, "As a company we always strive to give our customers the best experience. While educational qualification is not a criterion, what we focus on is the soft skills and the basic communication skills of the delivery boys." He sees delivery executives as the face of his company, who represent Swiggy at restaurants and to customers. "It is very important for us to maintain good relations with the restaurants to ensure we service orders timely. It is mandatory for our delivery boys to know Hindi or English besides the local language to be able to converse with customers from diverse backgrounds."
The change in mindset is exemplified by the case of R Kumresh, an electrical engineer working with Swiggy since eight months. It was actually Kumresh's father who brought a newspaper ad to him showing him a vacancy with Swiggy. "Initially I was shocked," he admits. "But today I am thankful to him. A delivery boy's job helps two different parties meet." Kumresh worked in Bosch for six months as a team member trainee before he took up the job of a delivery boy. Customers, he feels, treat him with respect. "People ask me if I want a glass of water, thank me for delivering even in the rain and even wish me a safe return when I deliver late at night."
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...-to-be-delivery-boys/articleshow/50434572.cms
