Net delivery service puts women first

By Dwi Rahayu

JAKARTA (JP): Joko is a tall, well-groomed young man who is glad to be at your beck and call.

Need that important document you accidentally left at home? Craving a takeout order of mutton fried rice from Kebon Sirih in Central Jakarta but loath to head out of the house and wait in line?

Then Joko and his colleagues, who are called Clickboys, are only a click away to help you get what you need -- as long as you are a woman!

It is a service distinctly reminiscent of sci-fi author Robert A. Heinline's short story We Also Walk Dogs, telling of a future when a virtual service company provides all types of services, from paying overdue phone bills to taking pooches for a stroll.

But is the Jakarta version, with a print ad which includes the blurb "Let the Men Serve You", nothing more than a clever marketing ploy which actually amounts to reverse sexism? Is it a case of move over Playboy bunny, here comes the Jakarta Clickboy?

Not so, according to the company which runs http://www.talullah.net, now two months old, a website which also includes information and features articles. It says it is merely tapping into the real power behind the family's purse strings.

"Sometimes we seem to forget that the real decisionmaker of the family is the mother," said PT Tallulah Dotnet president director Sahat Siagian. "She decides what things to buy for the whole family."

However, he conceded the use of the suggestive ad line was a deliberate strategy in setting the Clickboys apart from regular courier and delivery services.

"It's part of our selling point ... if we get more customers and need more Clickboys, then we may set certain criteria, such as the Clickboys must be taller than 170 cms and are better looking than the average delivery man."

He listed the members-only services, such as picking up restaurant orders to paying phone bills, which may help a busy mother with her hands full taking care of the kids, or a single career woman who spends her life at the office.

Siagian, who claims the service is the first of its type in the world, said the idea came from his experience working at giant delivery service companies such as FedEx, DHL and UPS. He realized that everybody considered it a luxury to have someone to take care of their personal needs.

Psychologist and counselor Monty P. Satiadarma said such services showed how the Internet was actually reducing social interaction. Instead of meeting others, talking with them eye-to- eye, people can take care of many of their needs without any social contact.

"It's the age of the computer and it's becoming part of the lifestyle ... more people are spending time with their computers instead of with other people.

"A husband has a computer, his wife has one, and they are not doing things together, like shopping, because they can do it over the Net."

Occasionally, a few renegade male customers try to bypass the women-only rule. One man had a Clickboy pick and deliver a fruit basket for his in-law in the hospital. And a gay man mistakenly tried to order a Clickboy because he believed it was an escort service.

Clickboy Hidayat said the use of customer service officers was a help in ensuring that misunderstandings did not occur. "They have to decide if we can do the job or not, for instance if a package will be too heavy for us to carry."

Business sense

Monty said it made good business sense for a service focused on women "because there are more women here and in the world. It would be a good idea to promote meeting their necessities."

The idea may be on target, but the physical act of getting to a destination can be difficult. As they navigate their way around the city on motorbikes, the Clickboys greatest obstacle is traffic.

"That's why we can only guarantee a 90-minute pick-up and delivery time," Siagian admitted.

Although customers are usually understanding of the situation, the management has set a target of delivery in 48 minutes in the future. However, they said it will only be possible if membership reaches 2,000.

"That way we will be able to arrange an effective way of picking up and delivering things at the same time with a certain number of Clickboys covering one area," he explained.

They try to shorten the time with virtual stand-by points in several places in each district. Through handy-talkies, the customer-service officer at head office communicates with the clickboys, telling them what to pick up, where to get it and the final destination.

From its opening on Dec. 15 to mid-February, 200 women have joined the service, which has an admission fee of Rp 20,000 plus a delivery charge of Rp 13,500. Siagian said almost half of the membership was active in using the service.

Tips are strictly prohibited for clickboys -- "it's a company policy, unless the customer really insists" -- said Siagian.

So, is the emergence of the clickboys more evidence that women are edging ever closer to equality with men?

Monty said the service indicates gender roles are changing, but ultimately it comes down to the almighty rupiah.

"It's still a male society, but today there are more women with better positions, better income, even higher than their husbands, than in the past," he said.

"And money is power in so many ways."