AskRobin takes flight with grant

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

THE development of innovative SMS service AskRobin will finally be realised thanks to the Brunei Economic Development Board's (BEDB) grant scheme awarded to developer Modasys Technology two weeks ago.

The local company and iCentre incubatee was one of nine recipients for the first batch of the $2 million Local Enterprise Applications & Products (LEAP) grant, a programme established by the BEDB with the objective of supporting the development of new and innovative products or applications by local SMEs (Small to Medium Enterprises).

Through the grant, Modasys received over $100,000 worth of funding to develop its pilot project AskRobin, a business-to-customer solution that will let anyone with a cellphone make plans and perform tasks via short messaging service (SMS).

Modasys is a mobile media and content service provider company most notable for its popular "CoolTones" brand, a ring back tone service for B-Mobile customers nationwide. Already in its fourth year of operations, Modasys' executive director Hj Mohd Fawzi Hj Zainal Abidin said that the development of AskRobin will mark the beginning of the company's business expansion.

"The grant has allowed us to proceed with the development of the system, and within six to twelve months we will finally have a finished product that can be commercialised and used in Brunei," he said.

He described AskRobin as a unique SMS service which will allow businesses to provide call centre-like services to customers.

"Once this service is available, anyone with a mobile phone can use it for any kind of service, from movie ticket bookings to flight schedules to dinner reservations. By simply sending a text message to 39993, our team of operators will then go to the database of businesses that are connected to the system, and they'll instantly put customers in touch with them," he said.

Besides making lives much easier for consumers, the service will also greatly benefit companies that signs up for this service.

"The service will be a low-cost solution for businesses big or small, as opposed to setting up their own call centre. They will also be able to reach their customers better and quicker through us," he added. Hj Mohd Fawzi said that the firm will partner with all mobile carriers in the Sultanate so that everyone in Brunei, regardless of what carrier they've signed up to, can enjoy the service.

He also said that with the help of the LEAP grant, the company is able to employ highly skilled local programmers for the project, stating that the bulk of the cost of developing the project is manpower resources.

"We have already hired a foreign programmer who is an expert in the field, but we will employ as many local programmers and staff as possible where they will benefit from the transfer of knowledge," he added.

Hj Mohd Fawzi said that though there are plans to deploy the technology to neighbouring countries in the future, the service needs to prove its success locally before heading out.

"Being a small country with a small population, Brunei is a perfect testing ground for many pilot projects because its manageable. So we hope to succeed here first before we can head out and penetrate the larger market overseas," he said.

He added, "Of course, AskRobin is whole new and innovative idea, and we are not yet aware of any similar services developed in other countries, so we need to do this fast."The Brunei Times