“Go buy 1 kg onions! Send these documents to uncle tomorrow! Go pick up the stitched clothes from the tailor!”

As the oldest kid in the family, Bharat Ahirwar was tired of having to run errands for everyone at home. He wondered if there was any way he could outsource these errands. In 2012, he realized that he wasn’t alone. Many people found it difficult to find time to run errands in the rush of Mumbai.

So he decided to launch Russsh, an on-demand same-day service provider that helps people run any personal or professional errand anytime, anywhere in Mumbai.

But businesses and clients were not happy giving orders over phone or text messages. So, Russsh started using the WhatsApp Business app, and since then, they’ve never missed a lead. They use it to communicate with customers to get their requests and provide real-time updates on the tasks. They also use the app to communicate with their on-ground team and share last-minute updates.

The app contributes to 40 percent of Russsh’s income

“Since WhatsApp is already installed on customers’ devices, communication becomes easy. Even if they are not available on the phone, we use the app to drop a task completion message as soon as the job is done,” says Bharat.

The app contributes to 40 percent of Russsh’s income. The features that Bharat finds most useful are the away message, greeting message, and quick replies features. The WhatsApp Business app also helps them connect with international clients who have work in India.

“Through WhatsApp Business, we were able to retain our existing clients. These are customers who hate downloading new apps. It also helps in direct sales as requests are received and confirmed instantly,” says Bharat.

With Russsh — and the help of the WhatsApp Business app — running errands has never been easier.