How Cellular Technology Was Leveraged to Help A Traditional Jewish Community That Does Not Use Smartphones
Telgoo5, a telecom billing company recently took up a special project, a rideshare application for IVRs that enables people without smartphones to connect with rideshare drivers. Telgoo5 developed this application for a traditional Jewish community in Monroe, NY. Since its inception, this application has expanded to cover 25 locations in the United States, as well as locations in Canada and Belgium. The community that inspired the project does not believe in or rely on smartphones, which effectively locks them out of rideshare applications like Uber and Lyft. Using an innovative approach, Telgoo5 developed a way for community members to request rideshare drivers through a phone call on a non-smart cellular device.
Read More: Trillium Mutual Insurance Company Selects Guidewire for Business Innovation and Growth
In order to connect with a rideshare driver, the user must dial a phone number and leave a message detailing when they need a ride, where to, and from what location. There are options for users to specify whether they need local rides, long-distance rides, and sprinter rides. Through the proprietary IVR application, a request is sent out to a variety of drivers. The drivers can accept the rides and are then presented with response options like “I will be there in 5 minutes” or “I will be there in 10 minutes.” Once a driver has accepted the ride request, the user gets SMS notifications that the driver is on the way. Both the requester and the driver are given the option to communicate with each other directly over a telephone call. Just like smartphone rideshare applications, credit cards can be loaded into the IVR for contactless payment. There is an included administrator and reporting panel that allows the company to view and manage all rides remotely.
Read More: GlobalFintechSeries Interview with Veenerick Vos van Liempt, Founder, CEO at ZeroTouch Order and Pay
“We are passionate about using technology to solve modern problems,” said Sandy Mehra, managing partner of Telgoo5. “We relished the opportunity to put our skills to use outside of the telecom business space in order to solve a problem for a community in need.”
“The rideshare application developed by Telgoo5 has greatly improved the quality of life for our community members,” said Mr. Rosenberg. “We had been struggling to secure reliable transportation for a long time before the Telgoo5 team provided us with such an easy-to-use solution.”
Read More: Neat Capital Hits $2 Billion of Annualized Applications