Net delivery service puts women first

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."