SaharaCareHouse August 3, 2007
Posted by Pallav Sharda in : Business , trackbackI was never much of a visionary. Maybe that’s why the concept of online NRI Concierge Services never seemed to have a business potential in my mind. Obviously, I was wrong.
Sahara Care House is a venture of Sahara India Pariwar, the $10 billion Indian conglomerate. It provides over 60 support and concierge services in India for non-resident Indians. They aim to be a single-point facilitator for services in four categories: Healthcare (like medicine delivery, ambulance), Utility (paying bills, finding a lawyer, security guard etc.), Personalized (like travel arrangements, tax filing) and Relationship (Gifts, flowers, etc).
If you are an NRI, think of it as outsourcing some of your responsibilities and life- you can get your family’s electricity bill payment task for $4 a pop, or find them a security guard for $17. (Note charges may be a bit higher if you are not willing to shell out $110 membership + $1000 advance deposit).
Pun aside, this leaves me a bit more convinced about the viability of the ‘concierge’ business concept. Most NRI’s have the cash and the guilt (of not being there for families back home) to avail of these services. YourManInIndia is another such service by the ttk group. But it remains to be seen how these paid relationship ambassadors can handle both sides of this equation- NRI’s are bound to be over demanding and execution of such tasks is never easy in India.
Meanwhile, I’m tickled by the $17 ‘Kundli Matching’ and ‘Janampatri Making’ services. It’s outsourcing at it’s best
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Rather than just services, Sahara Care House helps its members send wide range of gifts to their parents and friends in India. For a long time, I was planning to send a laptop to my parents in India. I am glad I sent it through Sahara Care House. A friendly ‘relationship ambassador’ presented the laptop to my parents along with a bouquet of fresh flowers. Besides, he assisted my parents in installing the laptop and also explained its functionality to mom with great patience and care. My parents were greatly impressed and happy. Since they are happy, I am all smiles.