Innovating Your Commute to Office | Disruptor Dialogues

Summary

In this episode of 'Disruptor Dialogues,' CEO and co-founder of MoveIn Sync, Shees Agarwal, discusses the company's journey in revolutionizing corporate transportation. With a tech-first approach, MoveIn Sync offers a SaaS platform and full-service solutions to optimize employee commutes, enhancing safety, efficiency, and cost savings. The company has adapted to post-pandemic trends, focusing on hybrid work models and ESG goals, with a significant female workforce benefiting from their services. MoveIn Sync's innovative strategies have disrupted industry norms, providing a reliable and tech-driven transportation solution for the modern workplace.

Takeaways

• 😀 The COVID-19 pandemic brought a temporary relief to the commuting woes of office goers, with many opting to work from home, but the trend is reversing as companies are asking employees to return to the office full-time.
• 🚗 Indian employees spend an average of 59 minutes traveling 20 km one way in big metro cities, which is a 15% increase in daily commute time compared to pre-pandemic years.
• 🔄 MoveInSync, an employee commute platform, has been disrupting corporate transport for over 14 years, focusing on digitizing and optimizing the entire commute experience for companies.
• 🤝 The founders of MoveInSync, batchmates from IIT, initially started with a carpool app concept, but pivoted to solving corporate transportation challenges after feedback from potential clients.
• 📲 MoveInSync's solution was built on the idea of using Android phones to digitize transportation operations at a time when such technology was not widespread among drivers in India.
• 🚦 The company addresses three main problem statements: ensuring the safety and security of employees, particularly women, making operations auditable and compliant, and optimizing employee convenience.
• 🛠️ MoveInSync offers two main products: a SaaS platform for automating transportation operations and a full-fledged service platform that provides end-to-end transportation services.
• 🌟 The company has experienced significant growth, with a 50% year-on-year growth rate over the last five years, and a remarkable 100% growth on average over the last two years.
• 💼 MoveInSync's revenue model is based on a per-employee per-month charge, reflecting the number of employees using their transportation services.
• 🌍 The company operates on a large scale, ferrying an average of 6 lakh employees daily and covering around 6 crore kilometers monthly, with a presence in 38 countries for its mobility products.
• 🚀 With a strong belief in the importance of in-office collaboration for innovation, MoveInSync is well-positioned to support the return to office trend and the increasing need for digitization in corporate commute solutions.

Q & A

What is the main challenge faced by office goers in big cities like Bangalore?

The main challenge faced by office goers in big cities like Bangalore is the long and often stressful commute times, averaging close to 2 hours one way, which is a 15% increase compared to pre-pandemic years.

What is the significance of the 'work from home' trend during the COVID-19 pandemic for Indian employees?

The 'work from home' trend provided a silver lining for Indian employees by reducing their daily commute time, which was a significant burden in big metro cities.

What was the initial concept of MoveIn Sync when it started, and how did it evolve?

MoveIn Sync initially started as a carpool app, but it evolved into an employee commute platform after realizing the need for optimizing and bringing transparency to corporate cab operations.

How did MoveIn Sync's first client come about?

The first client came about when a company that MoveIn Sync had pitched the carpool idea to, approached them after six months with a different problem statement regarding optimizing and bringing transparency to their existing employee commute operations.

What are the three main problem statements that MoveIn Sync addresses?

The three main problem statements are ensuring the safety and security of employees, especially women, making the entire operation auditable and compliant, and optimizing the employee commute experience for convenience and pleasantness.

What is the unique value proposition of MoveIn Sync's software offering?

MoveIn Sync's software offering is a tech solution that automates and digitizes the entire transportation operation for companies, providing a tech-led approach to employee commuting.

How did the COVID-19 pandemic impact MoveIn Sync's business?

The COVID-19 pandemic initially had a direct negative impact on MoveIn Sync's business as it disrupted the demand for office commuting. However, the company adapted and focused on the belief that the world would not entirely turn into a work-from-home scenario, and people would eventually return to the office.

What is the scale of MoveIn Sync's operations in terms of employees transported daily?

MoveIn Sync ferries an average of 6 lakh employees daily, which is about 12% of the total white-collar employees in India.

How does MoveIn Sync ensure the safety and security of its female employees during commutes?

MoveIn Sync has features like an SOS button in the app and preventive measures that raise automatic alerts if a cab does not reach the expected location within the average commute time, ensuring the safety and security of all passengers.

What is the current trend in corporate commuting patterns post-COVID-19?

The current trend is that employees are working from the office around 3 days a week, with variations depending on the industry, and a preference for Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays as the days in the office.

How does MoveIn Sync support its drivers and fleet partners?

MoveIn Sync supports its drivers and fleet partners by providing training, ensuring compliance with rules and regulations, and working on initiatives such as tax reimbursement, health insurance, and health checkups to ensure a safe commute for both drivers and passengers.