New technologies may queer poll pitch in state
New technologies may queer poll pitch in state
Bangalore: As the pre-election fever catches on in Karnataka, several politicians are using all means at their disposal, including innovative ways of using technology, to gain voters’ attention and eventually votes. One such method being tried for the first time during these elections is that of pre-recorded personalized calls and messages—and companies such as Bangalore-based TringMe are hoping to cash in on this.
Yusuf Motiwala, founder and chief executive of TringMe, explains his product: “This is a voice-based platform that allows people to create voice-based applications. It’s been used now for campaigning purposes. It’s a simple and effective way to get your message across."
Politicians not content with this way of reaching their target audience can opt for custom-made suggestions that can be routed to the local MLA (member of legislative assembly). Internet-savvy politicians also have the option of using chat engines such as Yahoo Talk and GoogleTalk to get their message across.
The technology may soon find usage in other states as well.
“The platform is localizable in various Indian languages, including Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi, and is being used so far largely in south India, but some politicians in north India are planning on using this as well", Motiwala said.
Given the enthusiastic response to the product, one cannot help asking why this model was not tried earlier on. Motiwala explains that some politicians did try experimenting with this model during the last elections, but the staggering volumes proved to be a hurdle.
But this time around he says, his company is well prepared. “TringMe has the capacity to handle up to 10,000 calls per minute to begin with and can scale it up further if needed."
cnbctv18@livemint.com
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