Home Smart 100 2010 myAnswers (SMART 100)

myAnswers (SMART 100)

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The following SMART 100 profile and the information it contains is a duplication of content submitted by the applicant during the entry process. As a function of entry, applicants were required to declare that all details are factually correct, do not infringe on another’s intellectual property and are not unlawful, threatening, defamatory, invasive of privacy, obscene, or otherwise objectionable. Some profiles have been edited for reasons of space and clarity. More about the SMART 100.

This innovation initially came to life when…

We discovered that the keywords we were using to deliver self-created (text) content could be treated as ‘managed interaction objects’. Or in simple terms, keywords could be embellished with logic to allow a mobile user to perform fairly complex but identifiable tasks and functions, by effectively proxying a user of existing system interfaces. From this point it quickly developed where keywords come together to create an ‘answerSpace’. The keywords provide structure to the browsing, enquiry and resulting information for users of mobile devices, to access common or high demand elements of an organisation’s web and business systems.

WHAT & HOW

The purpose of this innovation is to…

Allow organisations to quickly enable mobile services and mobile user interactions with ANY existing information system, and have that interaction accessible by ANY mobile device — from the latest smartphones and tablets to simple 2G SMS-only phones.

It does this by…

The creation of keywords with programmable logic that determines the pathways to any data source (typically web based), structures the form of end-user questions, and formats return content for optimal viewing across a wide range of mobile devices, screen sizes and OS. Return content is contextualised for a mobile user as a distillation of existing information or a ‘mashup’.

PURPOSE & BENEFITS

This innovation improves on what came before because…

myAnswers offers organisations a completely new, lower cost, quicker and more agile alternative for their users to access interactive systems from their mobile phones. It does this by avoiding time-consuming device specific application development and without the need to replicate, hold and sync common data across different locations and systems.

Its various benefits to the customer/end-user include…

Organisations quickly mobile-enabling their existing business systems while also managing the important workflow and business rules around each user’s access with those information systems. End-users respond well to the straightforward availability of key information on their mobile.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

In the past, this problem was solved by…

Traditional thinking around mobile information retrieval has focused on two paths — mobile applications per type of device (such as an iPhone) or OS (such as Windows Mobile) and/or dedicated .mobi sites (a complete second website built just for mobile browsers and screen sizes). In terms of data upload and form filling there are point solutions based on expensive hardware/software.

Its predecessors/competitors include…

Some web content management systems now offer simple ‘skins’ of websites for mobile screen sizes. While more limiting than the design requirements of an ‘answerSpace’ for delivering clear, well-structured interfaces for mobile browsing, such techniques are regarded as competitive.

TARGET MARKET

It is made for…

Typically large organisations with dynamic web resources and large and diverse user bases (either clients, staff or partners). The early customers that fit this profile include universities, local councils, publishing/media houses, travel/tourism operators, schools/education and directory services. These are very recognisable markets both locally and internationally and represent significant markets in their own right. While these early adopters are being developed there are additional market opportunities appearing for many commercial organisations. These organisations are drawing on the capabilities of the platform to either build mobile intranet services for staff or external services to drive demand and/or service enquiries.

DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY

It is available for sale through…

Partners who have existing ‘domain expertise’. Those partners are coming from diverse industries including advertising, business services, application vendors and web hosting as well as the traditional ICT system integrators. Blink has dealt directly with lead customers in each vertical.

Our marketing strategy is to…

Blink will continue to sell direct in order to open up new market segments and then appoint sales partners. A lot of our business is coming by word of mouth and we have offered discounted pilot or trials for high PR value customers. Current marketing is largely promotion of awards, case studies, speaking at conferences and membership/sponsorship of industry groups.

SUPPORTING IMAGES AND/OR VIDEO

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To check out the Anthill SMART 100 Readers’ Choice winner for 2010, click here.