Navigating the digital shift: Zeapl.ai aims to transform enterprise engagement with AI-powered solutions

Effective enterprise communication is crucial for success in the digital landscape. However, organisations often face challenges due to disjointed platforms for communication for both internal users and customers, unidirectional dialogues, and underutilised legacy systems. 

Enterprise engagement platform Zeapl.ai says it solves these problems by using artificial intelligence (AI) to automate engagement.

The platform integrates with the enterprise’s existing systems, CRM platforms, and databases, allowing businesses to use their existing data and workflows and work across various communication channels such as voice, web, and WhatsApp to engage with end-users.

The idea for the startup, according to Co-founder Vikas Kaul, emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“We primarily identified two reasons for the complexity in digitisation: the rigidity of existing systems and the lack of flexible, easily integrable platforms,” Kaul tells YourStory.

Recognising these issues, Kaul, Ritesh Sharma, Sundeep Aggarwal, and Rohit Khandelwal, former colleagues from Airtel, launched Zeapl.ai, in April 2020.

The Noida-based bootstrapped startup says it has registered a growth of 2.5X per year. The founders declined to comment on specific revenue numbers, claiming the startup is profitable. 

Zeapl.ai is available in about 18 Indian languages. 

Enterprise Engagement

Zeapl.ai provides personalised engagement with end-users, including employees, customers, intermediaries, and influencers, ensuring continuity, omnichannel excellence, proactive support, and actionable business insights.

It uses AI to predict user behavior and trigger alerts for early customer churn. It provides customisable dashboards for data monitoring and analysis, offering deployment options such as on-premise, cloud, and hybrid solutions. 

“This enables businesses to optimise their data and workflows, improving customer experience and loyalty by delivering unified experiences across multiple communication channels,” Kaul states.

Business Model

The startup operates on a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, with licensing based on the number of use cases. 

Businesses can select from basic, advanced, or enterprise plans, with additional charges for customisation beyond standard scope.

The platform currently serves more than 40 companies across multiple sectors including automotive, FMCG, telecom, retail, ISP, e-commerce, consumer durables and building materials, including TATA, TVS, JK Groups, Marico, Nerolac Paints, Tecno, Itel mobiles, Berger Paints and Century Ply, among others.

Zeapl.ai competes with companies such as Singapore-based EngageRocket and Mumbai-based WebEngage.

Encryption and secure communication 

Zeapl.ai says it prioritises data security through a multifaceted approach encompassing various deployment options, certifications, AI integration, customization features, and encryption protocols. 

“The integration of AI bolsters security measures by proactively identifying potential issues like customer churn or irregular usage patterns. Through advanced algorithms, anomalies can be swiftly detected, triggering alerts for both end-users and client service teams,” he says.

It provides clients with customisable dashboards, allowing them to control data access and visibility within their organisation, ensuring sensitive information is only accessible to authorised personnel.

In addition, the platform uses encryption and secure communication channels to protect sensitive information from unauthorised access and maintain data security standards across its platform.

Challenges and way ahead

The customer engagement solutions market size is estimated at $21.84 billion in 2024, and is expected to reach $36.74 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 10.97% during the forecast period (2024-2029), according to Mordor Intelligence report. 

As for challenges, Zeaple.ai has to deal with slow decision-making at enterprise levels which affects its sales cycles. 

“Enterprise adoption is complex due to intricate decision-making processes, significant sales investment, and multiple stakeholders' involvement. Startups face challenges in convincing decision-makers about the platform's value proposition and aligning their interests, highlighting the need for effective sales strategies,” Kaul states.

The company, which is currently focused on the Indian market, plans to expand into Southeast Asia and the Middle East in the next 12 to 18 months.

(This story has been updated to correct a typo)