Route Mobile, founded in 2004 by Managing Director Rajdip Gupta, began as a vision to revolutionize communication through simplified digital solutions accessible to businesses of all sizes. This strong foundation has propelled Route Mobile into becoming a billion-dollar brand and one of the world’s leading Cloud Communications Companies. Listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange in September 2020, Route Mobile offers innovative Communication Platform as a Service (CPaaS) solutions, catering to enterprises, over-the-top (OTT) players, and mobile network operators (MNOs) globally.
In his role as Chief Corporate Marketing Officer at Route Mobile, Milind Pathak is responsible for new market penetration, driving innovative product development, and has over 20 years of senior leadership experience in various key portfolios across domestic and global markets, focusing on Sales, Marketing, P&L Management, and New Product Development in Startups and Growth Organizations.
Medianews4u.com caught up with Pathak.
Q. Last year, Proximus Group took a majority stake in Route Mobile. How is the move helping Route Mobile expand?
Proximus Group’s majority stake in Route Mobile is a testament to the growing importance of CPaaS in the global communication landscape. This partnership provides us with access to Proximus Group’s and their affiliates Telesign and BICS’s extensive resources, expertise, and network.
It has bolstered our ability to scale globally, particularly in Europe and North America, while also expanding our product portfolio and accelerating innovation. The collaboration enables us to leverage synergies across the group, allowing Route Mobile to deliver enhanced communication solutions with greater reach, reliability, and efficiency.
Q. With clients like Google, Facebook, and financial institutions, what is Route Mobile’s strategy to help shape the future of communication in the country?
At Route Mobile, our strategy revolves around enabling seamless, secure, scalable, and personalised communication experiences for our clients.
By leveraging an end-to-end CPaaS platform, Route Mobile empowers businesses to deliver seamless omnichannel communication across SMS, WhatsApp, RCS, email, and voice.
Advanced AI and analytics ensure interactions are meaningful and data-driven, while robust digital identity solutions enhance security. By continuously innovating and understanding customer preferences, we empower organisations to streamline operations and enhance customer engagement. For our marquee clients, we provide scalable and secure solutions that align with their vision of connectivity and personalisation.
Q. Could you talk about Route Mobile’s solutions in AI, chatbots, and cloud communication that help bring brands closer to consumers?
We have added Generative AI capabilities leveraging AWS Bedrock to our chatbot platform RouBot and are experimenting with AI-powered analytics for our customers. Our chatbot-driven ticketing solution on WhatsApp and RCS makes us the largest enabler of metro ticketing in the country, serving over 8.3 million daily commuters across Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad and Nagpur. This innovation lets users purchase and pay for tickets directly through WhatsApp/RCS, providing a convenient and efficient travel experience.
Through our partnership with Vodafone Idea Limited, we deployed A2P monetisation solutions across its network. We also empower one of the largest consumer electronics manufacturers to engage with its 6 million customers through rich messaging solutions while providing CPaaS solutions to one of the world’s largest e-commerce players to streamline customer engagement and communication.
Q. What trends are being seen in the CPaaS industry? How big is the whitespace in tier two, three, and four towns and cities?
The CPaaS industry is witnessing rapid adoption of omnichannel communication, conversational commerce, and AI-powered automation. Enterprises are prioritising real-time and personalised interactions to enhance customer experience. India’s mobile-first approach is driving eCommerce growth, with Tier two and three cities driving over 50% of online shoppers.
Growing at 23% annually, the market is set to hit $100 billion by 2026. As smartphone penetration increases and digital literacy improves, businesses in these regions are poised to adopt CPaaS solutions to engage customers effectively. This whitespace represents an exciting growth opportunity for Route Mobile.
Q. Data privacy, digital fraud, changing algorithms are some of the themes being played out. How is Route Mobile adapting its strategy in this regard?
Data privacy and security are paramount to our operations. Route Mobile adheres to stringent compliance standards, such as GDPR and other regional regulations, to safeguard user data.
We invest in advanced AI based fraud detection mechanisms and authentication to mitigate risks and protect user data. Additionally, our partnerships with OTT platforms and MNOs ensure the highest level of security in message delivery.
With Proximus’s integration, our affiliate, Telesign’s digital identity solutions add a crucial layer of security to our suite of solutions, enabling accurate user verification and safeguarding against fraud.
These solutions bolster trust by authenticating interactions in real-time, ensuring brands can deliver secure and reliable experiences in an increasingly complex digital ecosystem. By staying agile, we continue to adapt to evolving algorithms and regulatory landscapes.
Q. Your point of view on WhatsApp’s efforts to bolster the ad business and how Route Mobile helps businesses leverage WhatsApp to drive customer engagement?
WhatsApp is revolutionising digital communication by enabling businesses to connect with their audiences on a personal level. WhatsApp’s push to create seamless conversational user journeys is transforming customer engagement.
From Click-to-WhatsApp Ads (CTWA) to interactive flows enabling personalised interactions, to payments directly within the app, it facilitates a full customer journey of customer acquisition, engagement and care on a single platform.
At Route Mobile, we enable enterprises to engage customers throughout their journey, from discovery to purchase, driving both loyalty and sales. Our tools enable businesses to engage customers, support transactions, and offer on-demand assistance through AI-powered chatbots. With voice integration coming soon, we empower brands to deliver comprehensive, intuitive experiences on WhatsApp.
Q. Could you talk about the work done with Paisabazaar to help bolster their customer acquisition strategy?
For Paisabazaar, we implemented a tailored communication strategy that leveraged our RCS Business Messaging solution to optimize their customer acquisition strategy. The platform’s rich, native messaging capabilities significantly enhanced user engagement, achieving a 20% increase in click-through rates and a 96% delivery rate.
With a verified badge and trust shield, RCS built credibility among users, reducing lead costs by 30% and increasing the efficiency of campaigns. This innovative approach allowed Paisabazaar to reach 45% of their target audience, creating a cost-effective and impactful solution for driving leads and enhancing customer trust.
Q. Marketers are inundated with tons of data, which can get confusing. How does Route Mobile help clients sift through it and use data to forge a deep connect?
Route Mobile’s OCEAN platform simplifies data-driven customer engagement by consolidating campaign management, audience segmentation, and performance analytics into one dashboard. By offering actionable insights, our platform helps marketers identify patterns, optimise campaigns, and deliver hyper-personalised content.
This approach not only streamlines decision-making but also enables brands to create deeper, more meaningful connections with their customers.
Q. How is AI helping brands and digital marketers through automation?
AI is revolutionising the CPaaS industry by enabling intelligent automation, enhancing customer engagement, and optimizing marketing campaigns. Through AI-powered tools like chatbots and predictive analytics, brands can deliver personalised experiences, streamline workflows, and reduce response times.
A key example is Route Mobile’s AI-driven chatbot platform, which automates customer interactions across messaging channels like WhatsApp. For instance, a retail brand used this solution to manage order tracking and FAQs, reducing human intervention by 40% while improving customer satisfaction. AI ensures scalability and efficiency in delivering seamless customer journeys.
Q. How is 5G bolstering communication?
5G technology enhances communication for Route Mobile through faster data speeds and lower latency and also enables advanced messaging features through Rich Communication Services (RCS).
RCS modernises traditional SMS messaging by introducing features like rich media, file sharing, read receipts, and typing notifications. With 5G, these features can be delivered with greater efficiency and reliability, providing a more interactive and engaging messaging experience directly through native messaging apps.
For Route Mobile, this means improved communication for brands with their customers, enabling richer interactions, better customer service, and more effective marketing and engagement strategies.
