India’s Most Loved SUV – All-New CRETA Completes One Year In The Indian Market

 

* Over 1.21 Lakh Units Sold in India Since Launch in 2020

* Over 51 % Sales from higher spec SX & SX(O) trims of all-new CRETA 

* Over 60 % sales contribution of 1.5 l U2 CRDi BS6 Diesel powered models of all-new CRETA

* Over 20 % sales for models equipped with automatic transmissions on all-new CRETA

Hyundai Motor India Ltd. (HMIL), country’s first smart mobility solutions provider and the largest exporter since inception today announced the completion of one year since launch of the all-new CRETA that has received exceptional love and admiration from Indian Customers. Riding high on the blockbuster success it has achieved, all-new CRETA has recorded over 1.21 lakh unit sales in India since launch in a short span of 1 year, thereby becoming a clear leader in the Indian SUV space. 

Commenting on the remarkable achievement, Mr. Tarun Garg, Director (Sales, Marketing & Service), Hyundai Motor India Ltd., said, “All-new CRETA has set new benchmarks in the Indian Auto Industry and has become the most loved SUV in India taking the pole position month after month in this highly competitive SUV space. This exemplary feat is a testimony of Hyundai’s manufacturing excellence and class leading features that we offer to our discerning customers. As we move ahead, I am confident that our smart Indian customers will continue to choose Hyundai cars that are redefining benchmarks across segments.”

All-new CRETA has spearheaded Hyundai’s SUV leadership in India in CY 2020. Launched in 2015, Hyundai CRETA has become a household name with over 5.8 lakh units sold in the domestic market so far. Additionally, Hyundai has also continued to bolster the ‘Make in India’ initiative with an export of over 2.16 lakh units of CRETA from India. 

All-new CRETA comes equipped with a host of Smart Technology features ranging from Electronic Parking Brake with Auto Hold to Paddle Shifters that offer a sporty and fun-to-drive experience. Segment leading features such as Ventilated Front Seats offer added comfort in hot Indian weather conditions, along with added smart convenience functions like Driver Rear View Monitor and Smartphone Wireless Charger. Customers across India continue to make the smartest choice, opting for the feature rich package of all-new CRETA. Over 51 % customers have opted for higher spec SX & SX(O) trims of the all-new CRETA.

With its advanced powertrain options, all-new CRETA continues to offer customers the ultimate performance and efficiency. Over 60 % of all-new CRETA sales comes from models with the 1.5 l U2 CRDi Diesel BS6 engine, while over 20 % sales contribution emerges from automatic powertrain options of all-new CRETA that is powered by BS6 engines - 1.5 l MPi Petrol (6MT/ IVT), 1.5 l U2 CRDi Diesel (6MT/ 6AT) and Powerful 1.4 l Kappa Turbo GDi Petrol (7DCT).

Haier Introduces Industry-First Service Initiative To Upgrade Customer Feedback Experience Through A WhatsApp Survey

Haier, the global leader in Home Appliances & Consumer Electronics and World’s Number 1 brand in Major Appliances for 12 Consecutive Years*, today unveiled its new customer service initiative that is now available on WhatsApp Messenger. Through this service, Haier aims to conduct customer surveys through WhatsApp to improve the service experience.

In 2020, Haier had introduced a WhatsApp Channel that helps its customers resolve issues, generate new service requests & inquire about the status of existing ones. This channel is empowered with Chatbots & live agents to help the customers solve the issues they are facing. Taking it up a notch, Haier has now started the industry-first survey through this WhatsApp channel to gather information on service provided on a real-time basis while improving the customer experience.

Consumers can register for the service by sending a quick message or scanning the QR code that is directed to Haier’s WhatsApp account on +91 8553049999. They can use WhatsApp to get technical assistance for Haier’s appliances across categories, rate the customer service, and provide feedback on the technicians and engineers. Not only this, but Haier plans to explore and innovate further in the customer communication & experience space through WhatsApp. With the aim to provide best-in-class service offerings to its consumers, the company will bring in new features and also optimize the existing ones. 

Commenting on the initiative, Mr. Eric Braganza, President, Haier Appliances India said, “Consumers are at the core of everything we do at Haier, and we're dedicated to providing them a first-class customer experience through our excellent service initiatives. In a bid to provide support to our customers in the new normal, our WhatsApp assistance will provide our consumers the luxury of giving feedback or raising an issue with just a touch of a button. We're optimistic that this new service feature will strengthen our customer relationships while offering them more ease. We hope that our consumers can take advantage of the newly launched WhatsApp helpline.” 

Conventionally, white goods companies conduct customer experience surveys through outbound calls & emails. With the company’s trademark to stay unconventional and redefine innovation, Haier took the lead and became the first consumer durable firm to start a customer experience survey through WhatsApp. With the disruptions that technology has made, today, WhatsApp has become the most preferred medium of communication in India. This step will enable the company to reach more customers to understand their service experience to improve it further and thereby generate a positive word of mouth. Customers will have more convenience to respond to the survey whenever & wherever they want.

In line with consumer feedback, the questionnaire has been kept brief and easy to grasp to encourage a better response to the survey. When a customer contacts Haier Customer Service Channels, contact center agents ask for the customer's WhatsApp phone number and attain an opt-in from the customer to deliver messages via WhatsApp. Once the Haier Authorized Service Engineer visits the customer's place and resolves the service request, a message is sent to the customer for attending a small survey. The questionnaire is short & simple to understand and the response can be provided in options. 

Truecaller Joins Hands With The Office oOf Tejasvi Surya, MP, To Enable Govt Services: A Single Directory For Citizens

Truecaller, India's most trusted and accurate telephone search engine, today announced that it is working with the office of Tejasvi Surya, Member of Parliament, to develop Govt. Services: a directory within Truecaller’s search engine that aggregates contacts by the departments in various districts within the app. This directory will serve as a single repository of government contacts for the citizens. Moreover, this comes after the government recognized that there is a huge gap in easy access to information for citizens to connect with the touch-points for various government services and also for the citizens to provide their feedback on the experience with the different departments. This feature is currently being tested and will be launched very soon for users in Karnataka, and the hope is to expand this partnership with other state governments.

Truecaller has evolved to become more than just a telephone search engine app on the user’s phone, and is today bridging the digital divide between the urban and growing semi-urban/rural markets in India by enabling trustful communication. Over the years, Truecaller is increasingly investing in their home market and is committed to providing its users with the best of services. Today, a majority of Truecaller employees are from India with offices in Bangalore, Gurgaon and Mumbai. In fact, Govt Services, like many other Truecaller features, is built entirely by the product and engineering teams in Bengaluru. As part of the government representative’s request, we will also be adding a feedback mechanism to check whether user queries and issues have been resolved within acceptable timelines.

Speaking on the development, Alan Mamedi, CEO & Co-founder at Truecaller said “This is one of the many steps we are taking to ensure a better quality of our core services across calling, messaging and other features that Truecaller offers. We are excited and pleased that the government official gave us the opportunity to make communication more accessible and efficient for citizens, while creating a platform for them to be able to improve their services long-term. We would like to expand this to many more states and eventually the entire country. Over the years, we have built a large user base in India and I am pleased to announce that we now have over 200 Million active users in India alone. “

Sharing his thoughts on the partnership, Tejasvi Surya, Member of Parliament, Bengaluru South :-said "We want to be more accessible to the people so we saw a big opportunity here for a partnership.Truecaller is India's most popular telephone search engine with a huge reach of millions of active users. And we know for a fact that people, in general, have trouble finding and reaching out to the correct numbers of various government departments. With the Government Services directory being an integral part of the search engine inside Truecaller, people in Bengaluru and Karnataka should have no trouble at all finding the correct person or department in case they have any sort of question or civic issue."

About Truecaller:

People use Truecaller to stay ahead. It helps them know who’s getting in touch, by providing a search engine for telephone numbers, filtering out unwanted calls and SMS, and focusing on what really matters. The company provides a suite of additional services such as a dialer that offers caller ID, spam detection, messaging and more. Truecaller’s mission is to build trust everywhere by making communication safe and efficient. Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, the company was founded in 2009 by Alan Mamedi and Nami Zarringhalam. Investors include Sequoia Capital, Atomico and Kleiner Perkins..

K Raheja Corp Prioritizes its ‘People’s’ Health; Covers Vaccination Cost For All Its Employees, Across Its Offices In India

* Becomes one of the first Indian real estate majors to lead the initiative 

As a first for the real estate industry, India’s leading real estate conglomerate, K Raheja Corp, has announced that it will cover the cost of Covid-19 vaccination for all its employees in its offices across India. As India’s Covid-19 vaccination drive is in its advanced stages, and as business resumes, companies are re-opening and employees are returning to their offices. As the country celebrates National Vaccination Day on March 16th, the company announces its initiative to ensure the safety of their employees, where K Raheja Corp will cover the vaccination costs, while encouraging employees to join the drive to making India free of the pandemic. 

While the vaccination process is voluntary, the company is encouraging employees to proceed with the vaccination in interest of their own safety as well as colleagues at the workplace.  This initiative is in alignment with the Government’s efforts to curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.   

Speaking about this initiative, Ms. Urvi Aradhya, Chief Human Resource Officer, K Raheja Corp said, “The health and safety of our employees has always been paramount for us. We are encouraging our people to get vaccinated for their safety as well as that of their families and colleagues at work. As we get ready to gradually scale up the headcount at work, in tandem with the Government mandates, we are going the extra mile to ensure the best interest of our people.” 

Backed by the belief that ‘people are a company’s greatest asset and competitive advantage’, the Company leads the way with admirable HR policies, benchmarked to global standards and tailored to ensure highest levels of engagement and fulfilment for its employees. The company has been recognized and awarded across credible industry forums including Dream Companies to Work for Awards, 23rd Global HR Congress, Asian HR Leadership Awards, Best Employer Brand Awards, World HRD Congress and Asia Pacific HRM Congress Awards, Best Place to Work, to name just a few.

About K RAHEJA CORP

K Raheja Corp is a success story spanning four decades and stands today as one of India’s leading developers, having pioneered the concepts of self-contained townships and commercial business districts in the country. Premeditating the changes in the industry, the Company continually crafts state-of-the-art spaces to meet the ever-changing demands of the market. With business diversified across commercial and residential real estate, hospitality, retail, malls and power, K Raheja Corp         has extensive acumen in all sectors of development.

From adaptive workplaces to exquisite residences, skillfully created hotels and convention centers, to extensive retail destinations, the Company has made a significant impact on the evolution of modern-day living. K Raheja Corp delivers aspirational spaces with distinct characteristics and attributes, making each of its offerings inimitable..

Amplify.ai Launches AI-Driven Comment Moderation SaaS Solution; Enables Store’s Social Moderation To Be 90% Automated On Facebook

* Targeted at high-engagement consumer brands, the AI-Powered SaaS Solution is available now on Facebook and Instagram

* Empowers social teams of brands with instantaneous, 24/7 moderation superpowers

* The solution is also available for brands to extend to their influencer marketing communities

Amplify.ai, a global leader in Conversational AI, today announced the launch of the industry’s first AI-driven Comment Moderation SaaS Solution. A first-of-its-kind, the AI-powered SaaS solution empowers consumer brands and their social media teams with access to proprietary social media tools. Brands can now deploy this revolutionary solution for real-time comment analysis and the choice of prioritized recommendations for team members to act upon or automated actions taken instantly. This includes liking positive comments, posting public replies to FAQs, tagging comments for customer support issues, privately replying when appropriate, and hiding problematic comments, such as those containing hate speech.

One of Amplify.ai’s first partners in India to see the positive impact of AI-driven Comment Moderation is Lifestyle, India's leading destination for the latest trends. After implementing the solution, Lifestyle’s social moderation is now 90 percent automated on Facebook and approximately 50-70 percent automated on Instagram.

Talking about the announcement, Mahi de Silva, Co-founder and CEO of Amplify.ai, said, "Consumer brands are dealing with a pandemic-driven surge in digital engagement, especially in the form of comments on Facebook and Instagram, overwhelming the social teams that must moderate those comments. Our AI-driven solution uniquely enables Comment Moderation at a superhuman scale, delivering the most efficient and the most capital-efficient path to getting the brand's social media inbox to zero.”

Kartik Walia, Head of Operations, India, Amplify.ai, said, “At Amplify.ai, we believe that the future belongs to AI-assisted conversational brands. With increased internet penetration and access to smartphones, digital engagement for brands is on the rise. Consumers are looking for instant gratification and solutions, hence, comment moderation and engagement have become a huge cost for brands. With this innovative Comment Moderation solution, we are offering brands an opportunity to engage in faster, better and lower-cost conversations that can drive brand lift and higher sales.”

Mr. Srinivas Rao – Sr. Vice-President, Marketing, Lifestyle said, “With the help of Amplify.ai's AI-driven comment moderation solution, we have been able to effectively boost our social media engagement and adopt a more efficient process. The integration has allowed us to build a stronger community on social media with increased positivity across platforms. This next-gen AI tool is surely the future of digital automation and will escalate productivity across verticals.”

Amplify.ai’s AI-driven Comment Moderation solution is powered by the most advanced Natural Language Processing (NLP) engine, enhanced by Machine Learning across the largest and best consumer-grade conversational dataset, built from over 10 billion digital engagements with over 500 million people around the world. Now, high-engagement consumer brands can listen to and react to input from customers and prospects 24/7 either instantaneously via automation or in an expedited way via prioritized recommendations to their social and support teams.

The new Comment Moderation solution is also available for brands to extend to their influencer marketing communities. Automated Comment Moderation delivers a win/win outcome, protecting and enhancing both the company’s brand and the personal brands of their top creators and influencers. Brands can assess and manage overall online reputation, while data and insights from the platform help brands optimize their custom audience segments for pin-point targeting and re-engagement. 

The new solution is available to qualifying consumer brands via a two-week free trial. Brands can request a free trial here: https://amplify.ai/comment-moderation/

About Amplify.ai

Amplify.ai, is the global leader in Conversational AI, delivers conversational superpowers to brands across the world. Our unique AI-driven digital engagement platform enables truly conversational natural language engagement across the entire customer journey. Amplify.ai has enabled more than 10 billion interactions with more than 500 million consumers around the world. 

About Lifestyle:

Lifestyle is India's leading fashion destination for the latest trends. Part of Dubai-based retail and hospitality conglomerate - The Landmark Group, Lifestyle brings multiple categories including men, women and kids’ apparel, footwear, handbags, fashion accessories and beauty under the convenience of a single roof. Lifestyle provides seamless and hassle-free shopping, offering leading national and international brands along with the convenience of a true omni-channel experience with its online store lifestylestores.com. The company is recipient of numerous awards and accolades, including Most Admired Fashion Retail Destination of the Year at Images Fashion Awards for 5 consecutive years; No. 1 India’s Best Company to Work for in the retail industry for 2 consecutive years and Top 10 Best companies to Work for in India in 2015 - Great Places to Work Institute®. Currently, Lifestyle has a network of over 80 stores, across 44 cities and delivers to over 19000 pin codes.

Jaguar Land Rover's Future Air Purification Technology Proven To Inhibit Viruses And Bacteria By Upto 97 Percentage

* Prototype air filtration system has been proven to inhibit viruses and bacteria by as much as 97 per cent

* Technology that will be used in future Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles has also been tested against novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2*)

* Jaguar Land Rover commissioned independent research to assess performance in lab conditions

* World-leading research is the first milestone in ongoing research into air purification technology

* The advanced technology also deodorises and inhibits allergens and can create a cleaner air environment for the customer

* Cabin purification research is helping Jaguar Land Rover reimagine modern luxury, unique customer experiences, and positive societal impact

Jaguar Land Rover’s future cabin air purification technology has been shown in laboratory tests to inhibit viruses and airborne bacteria by as much as 97 per cent.

The prototype heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system uses Panasonic’s nanoe™ X** technology to inhibit harmful bacteria and viruses, and will help the cabins of future Jaguar and Land Rover models to deliver a unique customer experience. The research comes as Jaguar Land Rover defines its future strategy: a sustainability-rich reimagination of modern luxury, unique customer experiences, and positive societal impact.

Jaguar Land Rover partnered with Perfectus Biomed Ltd, a leading microbiology and virology lab, to perform the world-leading laboratory-based sealed-chamber test designed to simulate a vehicle ventilation system in recirculation mode over a 30-minute cycle. The independent research showed that viruses and bacteria were inhibited by as much as 97 per cent.

Panasonic’s innovative nanoe™ X technology has also been tested on novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2*) by Texcell, a global research organisation that specialises in viral testing and immunoprofiling, and is one of the laboratories in the world with permission to test against novel coronavirus. It found more than 99.995 per cent of the virus was inhibited during the two-hour laboratory test***.

Dr Steve Iley, Jaguar Land Rover’s Chief Medical Officer, said: “Our customers’ wellbeing is of paramount importance to us – and now, more than ever, we are all looking for technological solutions that can help take care of our loved ones. The independent research, developed and commissioned by our expert engineers, is just one of the ways we are working to assure our customers that harmful pathogens are being minimised, providing a cleaner environment for passengers inside the cabin and setting new standards in the ownership experience.”

To provide active air purification the nanoe™ X technology - ten times more effective than its predecessor nanoe™ - uses a high voltage to create trillions of Hydroxyl (OH) Radicals enveloped in nano-sized water molecules****. These OH Radicals denature the virus and bacteria proteins, helping inhibit their growth. The OH Radicals deodorise and inhibit allergens in a similar way to create a cleaner air environment for customers.

Alexander Owen, Research Engineer at Jaguar Land Rover, said: “This technology is a great example of being able to harness the power of nature and puts Jaguar Land Rover right at the forefront of this cabin technology. Hydroxyl Radicals are one of the most important natural oxidants in chemistry and have been helping to clean our atmosphere for millennia, removing pollutants and other harmful substances. The creation of this technology and our advanced research, is the first step in deploying this scientific phenomenon within vehicle cabins of the future.”

This pioneering research will allow Jaguar Land Rover to offer the next generation of advanced cabin air filtration in the future. Models^ across the Jaguar range, including the new all-electric Jaguar I-PACE performance SUV, and Land Rover line-up – including the Discovery and Range Rover Evoque – currently offer nanoe™ technology and PM 2.5 filtration. An innovative pre-conditioning feature is also available so customers can enable the system before getting into the vehicle.

Microsoft Launches Azure Migration Program And FastTrack For Azure In India; To Simplify Cloud Migration For Organizations

Microsoft has announced the general availability of Azure Migration Program and FastTrack for Azure in India to simplify migration to cloud platforms for organizations. Azure Migration Program, allows organizations to plan and implement Azure migration projects using proven and customized Microsoft cloud adoption methodologies, tools, resources, and best practices. FastTrack for Azure is a no-cost, technical enablement program for seamless migration to Azure, with support for Windows Server, SQL Server, SAP, Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD), app modernization, and data analytics.

An effective cloud migration approach is essential for organizations to reimagine their business in a dynamic environment. Several factors can impact seamless migration of workload to cloud. Among them are cost of operations, managing multiple servers, disaster recovery, compatibility with existing physical infrastructure, and latency issues. Moreover, organizations have to evaluate data sovereignty related concerns, which are common in highly regulated industries such as financial services, healthcare, and government. With Azure Migration Program and FastTrack for Azure, organizations can get the required support and expertise from Microsoft to make cloud migration simpler and faster.

Shivir Chordia, Azure Business Group Lead, Microsoft India, said, “With Azure Migration Program and FastTrack for Azure, we aim to help organizations accelerate their digital transformation and cloud journey with business-tailored guidance and support directly from our engineering teams. Both programs have been designed for organizations in the country to enable them bring innovations to market with agility and resilience by leveraging Microsoft Azure. Through these programs, Microsoft will continue to support Indian industries better engage with customers, empower employees, optimize operations, and innovate products and services.”

Azure Migration Program offers, curated, step-by-step training directly from Microsoft and cloud migration specialized partners for planning and implementing every aspect of migration. The program provides comprehensive technical resources and skill building through foundational and role-specific courses to help organizations in getting the maximum value from Microsoft Azure and drive long-term success. Organizations can avail free Azure migration tools before, during and after migration, including Azure Migrate a service that helps move workloads to the cloud, quickly and more securely. Azure Migration Program also provides cost-saving offers including Azure credits, Azure Hybrid Benefit and free extended security updates.  

Under FastTrack for Azure, organizations are provided with direct assistance from Azure Engineers and Project Managers. It effectively assesses their architectural needs helping them accelerate deployment of Azure solutions and enables seamless design and deployment of cloud solutions. FastTrack for Azure also provides data center migration, business continuity and disaster recovery, and high-performance computing, among other benefits to organizations.

Through Azure Migration Program and FastTrack for Azure, Microsoft aims to deliver a unified, integrated experience across Azure and partner migration tools, for organizations to identify the right tools for their migration scenario. The programs build on Microsoft’s depth of expertise in helping organizations transition to the cloud seamlessly and is a continuation of its efforts to help them increase their agility.

About Microsoft:

Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Microsoft set up its India operations in 1990. Today, Microsoft entities in India have over 13,000 employees, engaged in sales and marketing, research, development and customer services and support, across 11 Indian cities – Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, New Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune. Microsoft offers its global cloud services from local data centers to accelerate digital transformation across Indian startups, businesses, and government organizations.