Brands
Sulekha partners Truecaller to ensure ‘zero spam’
MUMBAI: Sulekha, one of India’s largest digital platform for local service need fulfilment, has partnered with Truecaller, one of the leading communication apps in the world, to reinforce its ‘Zero-Spam Assurance.’ With the Truecaller app, Sulekha’s users will be able to identify calls from service partners during their search for a variety of local services.
The “Truecaller priority access” technology labels all calls from Sulekha’s service partners as ‘Sulekha Service Partner’ on the user’s mobile screen. Besides, a new user on the Sulekha platform can now login with a single step using their Truecaller registered mobile number.
In November 2016, Sulekha announced the launch of its “Zero-Spam Assurance” campaign. Connecting service providers with customers forms the backbone of the local services fulfillment business. But this can also lead to a lot of spam calls. In a country where data selling is highly prevalent, users keep getting unnecessary calls long after their need is fulfilled.
In a pioneering effort in the Local Services industry, Sulekha introduced a tech feature- the UVN (Unique Virtual Number), where personally identifiable details of a user aren’t shared with a service partner till the user talks to them. As soon as a user’s need is fulfilled, he/she has the freedom to uncouple his/her number from the service request. This will make the user number inactive on the Sulekha platform, and therefore, no service provider will be able to reach the user post this. The “Truecaller priority access” feature will further strengthen Sulekha’s Anti-Spam strategy.
Sulekha head of marketing Soumendu Ganguly said, “With over 20 million users a month, customer privacy has been one of our foremost priorities. Besides ensuring that calls from service partners are recognized by customers, the “Truecaller priority access” feature will also equip customers with the choice to filter them. Our “Zero-Spam Assurance” initiative has resulted in a boost in customer satisfaction and better understanding of customer behaviour. The Truecaller partnership features will take us significantly further in this process. We will continue to innovate in this field as our users expect nothing short of the best from Sulekha.”
Brands
Mahesh Samat steps down from The Walt Disney Company after 9 years
Veteran executive closes four-decade career spanning Disney, J&J and Epic
MUMBAI: Mahesh Samat has stepped down from The Walt Disney Company, bringing the curtain down on a career that has spanned four decades across FMCG, healthcare, media and entertainment.
In a personal note marking the milestone, Samat said, “After 40 years, I’m calling it a day,” reflecting on a journey that saw him build brands, launch businesses and lead teams across multiple geographies.
Samat spent over nine years at Disney in senior leadership roles, most recently serving as global head of publishing and branded retail. Prior to that, he held positions including EVP, consumer, games and publishing for APAC, and managing director for India, playing a key role in expanding the company’s regional footprint.
Before rejoining Disney in 2016, he founded and led Epic Television Networks, where he helped shape a distinct content-led television brand in India.
His earlier career included leadership roles at Johnson & Johnson, where he served as managing director for Southern Europe in vision care and vice-president for Asia-Pacific, underscoring his cross-sector experience.
An alumnus of Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, Samat’s career has been marked by a mix of corporate leadership and entrepreneurial ventures across markets including India, Singapore, the UK and Europe.
Reflecting on his journey, Samat emphasised that beyond titles and milestones, it was the people and relationships that defined his career. As he signs off, his exit marks the close of a long and varied innings in India’s corporate and media landscape.
