About ITC E‑Choupal
ITC Limited’s Agri-Business Division launched the e‑Choupal initiative to create an effective, sustainable supply chain while delivering value to its clients worldwide.
Introduced in June 2000, e‑Choupal has grown into one of rural India’s largest internet-based interventions.
Today, the platform serves more than 4 million farmers across over 35,000 villages, giving them access to information, advisory, and support that were once difficult to reach.
The Human Story Behind the Challenge
For many of these farmers, home is miles away from the nearest town, on roads that are hard to navigate and often unreliable.
When questions arise about crops, inputs, or equipment, waiting for an in-person visit can mean losing precious time in already uncertain conditions.
ITC knew that if it wanted to truly stand with farmers at scale, it had to create a simple way for them to reach out whenever they needed help, by voice, in their own time, from their own villages.
Business Problem & Objectives
The core objective of e‑Choupal was to connect with farmers spread across remote and difficult-to-reach parts of rural India. One of the most critical missing links was a seamless telecom layer that could reliably connect these millions of farmers with ITC’s teams.
ITC set out to:
- Set up an on-call helpdesk so farmers from various regions could reach out and request assistance.
- Monitor on-call discussions to better understand the real difficulties and patterns of challenges that farmers were facing.
With high potential call volumes, multiple regions, and diverse issues, ITC needed a system that could scale without overwhelming its staff or compromising on quality of support.
The Solution: MyOperator’s Integrated Call Management Platform
To address these challenges, ITC partnered with MyOperator to deploy an integrated cloud telephony-based call management solution. The approach focused on making access easy for farmers while giving ITC full control and visibility over every interaction.
1. A Single Toll-Free Entry Point
ITC e‑Choupal’s first priority was to provide an easily accessible helpdesk. MyOperator provisioned a toll-free 1800 number so farmers could call without incurring any charges.
This number created a unified, memorable identity for the helpline and ensured that farmers could reach ITC around the clock, regardless of their location or mobile plan.
2. IVR Menu to Handle High Volumes
To manage a large and diverse inflow of calls without hiccups, the toll-free number was equipped with an IVR menu. Farmers could choose menu options relevant to their needs and be routed directly to the appropriate department.
This automated routing system streamlined the experience for callers and significantly reduced the need for staff to manually answer and transfer calls.
3. Call Recording and Reporting for Deeper Insight
The cloud telephony solution also included robust call recording and reporting capabilities. Every incoming and outgoing call was recorded and securely stored for later review. This allowed ITC to monitor conversations, understand recurring issues, and ensure that farmers were receiving consistent and accurate guidance.
Detailed reporting tools provided structured visibility into call patterns and trends.
4. Real-Time Analytics and CRM Integration
Live call analytics updated every few minutes, giving ITC’s operations managers a near real-time view of call activity. They could track performance, listen to interactions, and provide constructive feedback to teams where needed.
At the same time, CRM integration meant that agents could see the caller’s entire history the moment a call connected. This greatly reduced the need to search manually for information or repeatedly ask callers for the same details, making every interaction smoother and more respectful of farmers’ time.
Before vs After: How Operations Changed
| Operational Area |
Before MyOperator |
After MyOperator |
| Access for Farmers |
Fragmented communication, making it harder for farmers in remote villages to reach ITC easily |
Single toll-free 1800 number, free and always accessible for farmers |
| Call Routing |
Staff manually answered and transferred calls |
IVR menu routes farmers directly to the correct department |
| Visibility into Conversations |
Limited monitoring of call discussions |
Every call recorded and available for review and analysis |
| Manager Oversight |
Difficult to track agent performance in real time |
Live analytics updated every few minutes, enabling timely monitoring and feedback |
| Agent Context During Calls |
Agents had to manually search or re-ask for caller details |
CRM displays complete caller history instantly during calls |
| Staff Workload |
High workload due to repetitive answering and call transfers |
Reduced workload with automated routing and call logging |
Impact & Outcomes
The rollout of the MyOperator Call Management solution played a key role in enabling ITC to lead what it calls the “connected farmer” revolution.
- ITC was able to reach as many farmers as possible, while farmers could request assistance more easily through the toll-free number.
- Operations managers gained the ability to monitor calls effectively in real time and offer constructive feedback using live analytics.
- The CRM view of a caller’s entire history in real time minimized repeat questioning and removed the need for agents to search for data mid-conversation.
- The IVR-based routing streamlined the journey so farmers reached the right department directly.
- The staff’s workload in manually answering and transferring calls decreased, allowing them to focus on meaningful engagement with farmers.
Over time, the call management solution contributed to significantly improving how more than 4 million farmers interacted with ITC e‑Choupal, making it easier for them to seek help and support.
It also relieved ITC teams of demanding call-related tasks by automating the most repetitive parts of the communication process.
Customer Testimonial
“ITC ABD has been using cloud telephony services of My operator from 2019 onwards. The services and support offered by them are satisfactory.”
, Dr Anita Sharma, ITC Agribusiness Division
Closing: Connecting Outcomes to MyOperator
The e‑Choupal story shows how thoughtful use of cloud communication can transform support for widely dispersed communities.
A toll-free number, IVR, call recording, reporting, live analytics, and CRM integration came together to give ITC both reach and clarity, connecting millions of farmers while lightening the load on internal teams.
For organizations that need to serve large, distributed stakeholders with clarity and care, MyOperator’s cloud communication platform offers the same foundational capabilities that helped ITC build its connected farmer ecosystem.
Exploring this platform is a natural next step for any business looking to create accessible, scalable, and insight-driven voice support at scale.
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