Drishti powers India's first mobile-based Infoline for farmers

Online, February 25, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Drishti-Soft becomes technology partner for a robust information system targeting rural India. More than 72.4% of Indian population lives in rural areas. Even with a literacy rate of as high as 65% in the rural areas and increased subscription of mobile services, a mass-reach information system is yet to become a movement. Such a system would require a simplified, cost-effective and relevant solution that can lead to a better tomorrow.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) data shows that rural subscribers form a formidable block of 21.31% or over one-fifth of the total mobile user base in India. This penetration of mobile phones can be utilized to create a phone-based information service for educating and assisting the farmers in making important crop-related decisions and planning a rich harvest. The idea of a phone-based information dissemination system has been around for quite some time. But the high costs of information propagation were a major setback. Drishti's Ameyo communications suite became the advanced solution enabling this at an unbeatable cost.

A much-appreciated service in telecommunication and information technology targeting primarily the Indian Farmer base is the Rural IVRS (Interactive Voice Response System). It provides new and relevant information services to rural communities and supports regional languages to reach the end farmer and speaks out in a language he understands. G S Management - a Bangalore-based leading business services company runs India's first mobile-based farmers' info-line for a reputed company. Drishti's award winning Ameyo communication suite is the technology powering this pioneering info center.

The info-line powered by Drishti employs a complex IVRS supporting 7 regional languages including Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Kannad, Telugu and Tamil (another 7 languages would be added soon). This multi-lingual IVRS provides complete, reliable and high performance software solution for rural India. The farmers can create their personalized service comprising of localized weather updates, crop advisory, agricultural rural news and market prices in 11 states, from a wide menu of 250 crops and 1200 local and national markets, in the local language of their choice. It provides filtered information to the needs of a rural user in a language he understands through normal telephone beyond any terrestrial boundaries.

As Girisha R, Area Sales Manager, Drishti-Soft explains - "The process required a complex IVR that incorporated multi-lingual support and enabled skill-based routing. The IVRS included a unique feature called Personalized IVR. In this, the system automatically recognizes a caller based on interaction history and treats the customer with appropriate language. Many other customizations were made to our standard product to map the process requirement of this Rural IVR. A mammoth effort in such innovative processes serving Rural India is towards the challenge of achieving extremely low costs per transaction, which was met successfully with Ameyo IPCC."

Providing an effective technology solution to bring the benefits of a personalized mobile information service to the huge farming community across the country is not just an innovation but also a much-appreciated social cause. Says H S Gopal, MD, G S Management - "Being a part of rural info-line domain was a pleasure. Drishti has been the right technology partner to help us deliver the standards expected. The efficiency of IVRS implemented and its flexibility to accommodate on-going process changes has been a key attribute for us to appreciate Ameyo more."

Rural information systems are witnessing technology innovations that would take this revolution further. Being able to reach to the roots of India in an economical way was a dream. This has become a reality with feature-rich and cost -effective applications like the Rural IVRS of Ameyo. With companies like Drishti-Soft innovating in futuristic technologies and delivering robust solutions at unbeatable costs, the majority of Indian population would be able to leverage information technology for individual as well as community benefits.

About GS Management

G S Management is a Business services company, in operations since 2001. They specialize in unique customer care solutions and promise unparalleled customer satisfaction. Their services are based on a combination of relevant knowledge, relevant technologies and a reliable service delivery model helping their customers increase value through cost reduction, process re-engineering and most importantly through enhancement of their revenues in existing and new markets.

About Drishti (www.drishti-soft.com)

Drishti-Soft Solutions Pvt. Ltd. is a leading innovator of communications technologies for next-generation Enterprises, empowering them to dynamically manage their Business Processes. Their customers enjoy significant benefits in terms of increase in efficiency levels, reduction in operational costs, flexibility to grow, consistent user experience and a demonstrable ROI. Drishti's multi-award winning innovative solutions are powering millions of customer interactions across the globe.