Uber makes an unprecedented move to win India and the rest of Asia

Uber has just announced an unprecedented move. This lean and mean global startup today opened a customer support center in Hyderabad, India for its riders and drivers across Asia. This will have a team of over 500, proficient in multiple languages, who will provide assistance 24/7, according to a company statement.

The center aims to provide specialized support for “critical incidents that require immediate attention … via multiple channels like email, phone, and social media to ensure seamless experience before, during, and after the ride,” the company said.

This move is a departure from Uber’s lean and mean, asset-light structure. It has had a policy of hiring only three employees in each city that it operates in.

Uber India president Amit Jain with Jayesh Ranjan, IT secretary, and Sandeep Sultania, transport commissioner.

Uber’s ride across Asian cities hasn’t been smooth. The Philippines had declared it to be operating in violation of the country’s Public Service Law. Indonesia had called for a ban in Jakarta because Uber didn’t have a taxi permit. So did Seoul, and so on. In India, Uber’s been facing flak ever since a woman passenger was allegedly raped by an Uber cab driver in Delhi. Several state governments in India banned the company and slapped a slew of new regulations on all on-demand cab services.

One of the demands by the authorities was for a customer support center. Today’s announcement fulfills that requirement on an Uber scale.

Travis Kalanick comes calling

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi with Uber CEO Travis Kalanick at an event in Silicon Valley in 2015.

Uber has been mending bridges for a while now. It got a new BFF in India, thanks to funding and a partnership with the country’s biggest media conglomerate, the Times of India Group. Last month, it launched a first-of-its-kind startup mentorship program in India, inviting entrepreneurs to be mentored by its CEO Travis Kalanick and the company’s global leadership team.

In July last year, Uber inked a pact with the state government of Telangana to invest US$50 million in its capital city, Hyderabad. This new center came off that agreement.

The company said today that it has so far hired 30 percent of the team for the center which is up and running already.

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