Charu Kaushal, a seasoned leader with over 26 years of experience, has been pivotal in shaping Allianz Partners India’s success. Her expertise spans retail lending, consumer finance, and insurance. Known for her strategic acumen and people-centric leadership, she continues to inspire and drive impactful community initiatives.
In a recent conversation with Women Entrepreneurs Review Magazine, Charu explores her views on how assistance services must evolve to meet the unique needs of EV owners, focusing on roadside assistance and charging infrastructure. She highlights collaboration with EV manufacturers and infrastructure providers to enhance consumer charging experiences, workforce development, and adapting offerings to the shift toward electric and shared mobility.
With the rise of electric vehicles (EVs) in India, how do you envision the role of assistance services evolving to cater to the unique needs and challenges of EV owners, especially in terms of roadside assistance and charging infrastructure support?
EVs are steadily gaining traction into our daily lives, as evidenced by the evolution of Two Wheelers & E-Rickshaws servicing us today. They are poised for further expansion with increased adoption of EVs in passenger cars. Hence, to bolster that growth, roadside assistance companies like ours have a significant role to play in addressing the gaps that exists in the market today.
We have created an ecosystem to provide holistic support to our EV customers through a range of services. Providing immediate mobility during breakdowns is critical, and we achieve this through roadside repairs, towing services, and by offering charging on-the-go with our Portable Mobile Chargers for customers who run out of charge on the road. Additionally, recognizing the limited availability of public chargers and the long charging times required, we have undertaken Wall Box Installation to enable customers to charge their cars or two-wheelers overnight without worrying about charging.
Furthermore, we have set up EV helplines to address customer’s basic to technical queries and provide guidance on Public Chargers location, suitability, and availability. Through the helpline we assist customers planning outstation trips with their EV cars, ensuring a hassle-free trip and allowing them to enjoy their EV experience without concerns about charging locations and points.
These initiatives, along with offerings such as doorstep services, extended warranty packages, maintenance packages, ensure that our OEM clients extend assurance to end-users when selling EV products. They know they are not only getting state-of-the-art machines but also the essential services that will support them at every stage of the product lifecycle.
How are you preparing your network team to achieve this?
While we focus on providing latest technical solution to our network service partners, we also ensure that we equip them with know-how, trainings, certifications, soft skills &an environment to adopt to new age solutions. This enables them to effectively assist or service customers and build confidence, especially with the introduction of new products like hybrid and electric vehicles.
With this in mind, we actively engage with our network service partners to help them adopt technical solutions and knowledge necessary to support customers on the roadside using portable chargers or conventional roadside assistance vehicles. Additionally, we facilitate services at customers' doorsteps, including installation, basic and extended warranty services, and repairs.
As EVs become more mainstream, interoperability between different charging networks becomes crucial. How can assistance service companies collaborate with EV manufacturers and charging infrastructure providers to ensure a seamless charging experience for consumers across various platforms?
As an assistance company, we can serve as a single point of contact for EV customers, bringing all charging point operators together on a unified platform known as eMSP (Electric Mobility Service Provider). This platform offers a vast network to end-users, allowing them to access charging points without concerns about compatibility with their vehicle or the effort of locating them.
The unified repository integrates multiple charge point operators, providing real-time information, booking capabilities, payment options, and a Pan-India roaming facility for charger access, thus enhancing interoperability. Additionally, centralized helpline and support services with enhanced capabilities in multilingual support and EV technology knowledge, backed by OEMs, help consumers navigate different chargers effortlessly across the country.
Such a charge point repository ensures a consistent and convenient charging experience, thereby encouraging greater adoption of EVs by end-users.
As the EV market expands, there's a growing need for skilled professionals capable of handling EV-specific issues. How can assistance service companies contribute to building a skilled workforce equipped with the necessary knowledge and expertise to support the burgeoning EV ecosystem?
As a responsible corporate citizen, we recognize the importance of ensuring our service providers are fully prepared to handle any situation, from routine breakdowns to critical assistance. We provide them with comprehensive training, developed in collaboration with our OEM clients, technical teams, and companies who specialize in training and certifying professionals in this field and last-mile service delivery providers.
In addition to technological solutions and training, we equip them with tools capable of withstanding high voltages, essential masks, fire safety equipment, safety kits, and high-quality materials that ensure the safety of both caregivers and receiver. The right equipment, skilled personnel, essential tools, and a compassionate mindset are fundamental principles that underpin everything we establish and offer to our clients and the market.
Consumer trust and confidence are paramount in the assistance services industry. How do you suggest assistance service companies maintain transparency and build trust with EV owners, especially concerning service quality, pricing, and data privacy?
Consumer trust and confidence are paramount to us. With technological advancements and the significant transmission of EV data, the responsibility of assistance companies has increased. Ensuring service quality requires not only training but also regular monitoring and controlled checks, achieved by establishing an effective connection between the backend and frontend. This approach keeps customers informed and updated while extending the designed services.
Additionally, implementing a standardized pricing structure without hidden charges and providing transparent service offerings are essential for customers to benefit fully. Lastly, adhering to internationally acclaimed data privacy policies with regular audits is crucial to prevent data leaks and maintain customer trust. By focusing on these areas, assistance companies can build and sustain consumer trust and confidence in the evolving EV ecosystem.
With the growing demand for mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) models, how can assistance service companies adapt their offerings to align with the evolving needs and preferences of consumers, while also capitalizing on the opportunities presented by the shift towards shared and electric mobility?
We have evolved beyond traditional roadside services to become comprehensive mobility assistance providers. We offer an integrated platform that caters to all the needs of modern travelers, including access to private vehicles, taxis, rental cabs, public transport, flights, hotel bookings, and trip planners.
Our goal is to create a seamless experience where consumers can access mobility packages with flexible options tailored to their preferences. By promoting sustainable shared mobility, our platform opens new opportunities for innovation and leadership in the growing mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) market. This transformation enables us to better meet the evolving needs and expectations of our customers, solidifying our position as key players in the future of mobility.
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