The ELEVATE experience
"Sir, I have reached the location."- A simple line in our everyday commuting life, yet little do we realise the myriad processes and the work of thousands of people that go behind that comforting line you hear, every single time you order an Ola ride. I have been fortunate to get more than a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes, thanks to the Ola Management Trainee Program- Elevate.
My journey at Ola began with this two-month program, perfectly designed for Management Trainees from across the three major verticals that make up Ola- ANI, OFT & FoodPanda. By involving us in live projects of strategic importance to the company, the program ensured that we got into the groove immediately, gearing us up for our respective roles and giving us a clear picture of the size & scale of operations.
The program began with classroom sessions where business heads from various functions took us through the steps of inducting us into their respective verticals. The sessions stretched through the day and enabled us to get a good grasp of the company and our own individual roles. We then headed to our respective offices to begin our stints.
My batch had twenty-two management trainees and our individual projects meant that we were divided across four cities- Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore & Hyderabad. Five other trainees and I had the luck of being able to avoid the blistering summer by being deputed to a city with a cooler clime, Bangalore.
As program managers, we are expected to carry out end-to-end tactical planning and execution of our assigned activities and we had to ensure that the processes we recommended, made a business impact and delivered ROI.
My days began at a petrol bunk on MG road, where I spent my time onboarding autos on our platform (Disclaimer: This was not one of those cliched sales stints). Although we had the same targets as that of a field sales executive, our responsibility was to ensure process optimisation. It involved troubleshooting product-based bottlenecks at various stages of onboarding, understanding partner perception and proposing viable cost-efficient solutions. What greatly eased me into my assignments were the diligent but fun-filled role-play sessions, we all had been put through earlier.
After a week of spending my mornings at petrol bunks and evenings with my laptop compiling all my insights, it was time for my first review. I got through with ease, thanks to my hands-on experience on the field, having put myself in the shoes of a field executive, playing the quintessential role of customers, trying to avoid the flag of "no cabs/autos available” and managing to draft a holistic picture of the process.
I must share a moment of pride. My day included field trips to locations like the airport, where Ola has revolutionised the “no waiting for cabs process." The uncertain Bangalore weather meant it rained on the day I made my airport visit. I was pleasantly surprised to see men in green attire, helping commuters board their cabs, sheltering them with umbrellas to avoid the downpour. It was a simple gesture, but one that I thought, truly made Ola a customer-centric organisation. I felt proud, being part of such an organisation.
Continuing the Elevate program, my second assignment was at one of Asia's largest fleet operators- OLA Fleet Technologies. Here I was given the opportunity to make an impact on the digital payments process used by driver partners. I enjoyed this assignment, as it was a pivotal problem that involved interaction with cross-functional departments like training, sourcing and city ops. I delved deep into my learnings at B-School and understood that the business model of OFT was unique to India and I found the nuanced solutions to various challenges, very interesting. I found myself rummaging through business case studies and implementation strategies of prominent players in the payments industry. What I was also really happy about was the enthusiastic support from the functional teams and within two days of primary research, I was able to send a bilingual survey in Kannada and English via SMS to the entire driver base of Bangalore. The responses helped me understand partner behaviour, validate my insights and draft a feasible action plan.
I couldn’t have asked for a more exciting end to my induction program, where the story ends with food. Yes, my third assignment was in the kitchens of FoodPanda. And to my surprise, I found myself dishing out Khichdis at "The Khichdi Experiment" and blending delicious milkshakes at "Flrt". This stint at FoodPanda helped me understand the processes at play for standardised, good-quality food, throughout the country. It also lent a nice flavour to the entire program, adding variety to it and helping me learn a lot about the food industry.
Today, after an intense two months, when I gather together with my friends for a cup of coffee, I find myself being the expert in Ride-Hailing services, being able to explain all their curious questions about what goes on behind that innocuous App that they all use. Without the ELEVATE program, my transition to being considered an expert wouldn’t have been possible! I really look forward to an amazing ride!
