Technology Interaction

I know Kannada, Tamil and Telugu, but it understands better in Hindi. If I speak in Kannada, it will say something and I will understand something else. In Hindi you understand at once.

No, I use my phone language in English. Yes, I can understand English. I can't speak in English, but I can understand. I can read Hinglish; I don’t know how to read Hindi. I can read English and Kannada. Besides these I can't read any language; I can converse in Tamil and Telugu.

I use YouTube and WhatsApp. I ask my daughters to do that. They are well-educated. I only use YouTube and WhatsApp. I listen to songs on YouTube. Nothing related to my business, I message regarding the volleyball team. If it is raining, I decide whether to play or not. I send greetings to someone. If I need to order any undergarment items, I write the names and send them. I also take photos and send them. Some customers send a saree photo to check if I have it. I reply yes or no. I have some customers coming from a distance, so I reply to them.

Everyone knows about WhatsApp as we all use mobiles. If anyone is coming from our village and we have to tell them something, we WhatsApp them. As it is essential to learn it, I did.

My loyal customers taught me to use Google Pay and PhonePe. If anyone makes a payment, we have to click here to view the history. The first name will be that of the person who made the payment. That is how I started accepting payments using PhonePe and Google Pay. I cannot force anyone to pay in cash. Previously, I used to turn away customers who used PhonePe and Google Pay.

It has been a week that I am using a smartphone. Guruji has given this to me. He scolded me a lot and then he bought this for me. He says I have to change with the times. When we go there for an hour or so, they tell us about all of this. He teaches me how to use this phone. He has taught me everything, even how to download apps.

Facebook and YouTube. I listen to devotional songs on YouTube. I don't know what Instagram is. I visit Facebook when they share informative content. I watch devotional rituals and related content where saints share stories. Yes, it is related to business; when it comes to devotional matters, we also learn about the business aspect. If they share good things, we should listen to them. If someone is unaware, they should be informed about it. If a customer comes and asks questions, we need to provide them with the information. I enjoy listening to stories told by the saints. There are saints like Prem Bhushan Maharaj, Rajan Maharaj, and Premanand Maharaj, from whom we keep receiving information. Guruji created my Facebook account. Yes, I only watch devotional songs on YouTube and nothing else.

Yes I have been using smartphone since 10 years. If something went wrong, I used to get worried and think, "What's wrong with the phone?" even though it's a new phone. I used to run to the person who had more knowledge about it and ask him to check what's wrong with it. I went to my uncle.

I have multiple payment options like Paytm, Google Pay, ICICI, and BOB. I have placed Paytm on the table. Since I have three current accounts, customers choose the one they have, like ICICI, BOB, or Paytm if they already have it. This caused confusion for me because the money was being transferred to different banks. So, I finally combined them into one account with a sound box. The other accounts didn't have a sound box. Initially, I didn't buy the sound box when they came to sell it. Sometimes, when I wasn't at the shop, my staff would receive payments from customers and call me to check if the payment was received. But now, with the sound box, my staff doesn't need to call me because they can hear the payment notifications through the sound box. They charged me 2000rs for this service.

They provide lifetime service after I paid 2000rs. If the sound box gets damaged or the battery weakens, they will repair it. When we file a complaint with their customer care number, they will notify the headquarters and their local technician will come and fix it.

By utilizing technology, your inventory costs have decreased. Previously, if you needed any technology, such as when you're sitting here and I can place an order from here, we would put it in the group and the stock would be available for delivery. In the past, without technology, you had to maintain a certain minimum stock level. However, with the implementation of technology, inventory costs have reduced. Information is now provided immediately. A group has been created so that all electricians can receive it promptly. Status updates can be uploaded and customers can receive information instantly. Everything is happening quickly. These are the advantages. You continue to receive information. For instance, like the app I just showed you; if technology was not available, we wouldn't have access to this incentive.

When I'm not in the shop, there is a camera here and another camera there. Previously, when I was not around, my brothers and nephews used to take care of the shop. However, they have grown up and now have their own shop. The camera is connected online, allowing me to monitor it remotely. Recently, I was away for 14 days, and during that time, girls took care of everything here. I have installed the cameras for safety purposes, as there is a fear of theft in Mumbai. I have caught many thieves, but they quickly retreat. I always warn them not to repeat their actions.

Actually, I chose him because I have a good relationship with his father. One day, he told me that his son wants to do some work, so he asked if I could give him a job in my shop. I said okay, send him over. So, he sent him and it turns out he knows how to operate a computer and everything. He knows how to do photocopying and all that. However, he doesn't know the price of all the products, so I wrote the price on each of the products. I instructed him to check the price and inform the customer. If the price is not written on any product, he should call me and ask. So, if I'm not available, he calls me and asks. I then check the CCTV footage to identify the product and tell him the price.

If there’s some app that will help me with my business there, then I will obviously look because there are so many applications. You can also create your advertisement on Facebook, but at the same time, I feel that there are so many shops just like mine and I don't have anything exclusive. So, I am not a specialist in anything which makes me unique and people will come to me for that. If it were something edible, then I could have thought about using methods of publicizing. I could be the only person creating some fantastic food item, but I am not doing anything like that. But of course, I will see what kind of facility I am going to get with the application, and then I will deliberate whether I should use it or not because I will benefit from it.

We check the received payment by monitoring the alert in the box. If they deposit it into my son's account, I don't receive a notification. I have to ask my son directly. We don't have a box for Bharat Pay. If the customers are unfamiliar to us, they would save our name in their phone. If we are unable to check, then I ask my brother. My son goes out and we are unaware if the money has been credited. We only find out when we check our mobile. They simply leave after claiming that the payment has been made and show the checkmark. Then my son comes and informs me that the money has not been received. When they return to our shop, we inform them that we have not received the money and ask them to pay again. They would also know when they check their bank account. We tend to only check if the amount is significant. We don't bother if it's just 5 or 10 rupees.

When the money is credited, I check my SMS. I have an app, but I don't know how to check in the app.

Yes we have a CCTV camera. Mistakes can be avoided. There may be a chance of a fight with the customers or our product can be stolen. This is safe as we can show the proof to others.