Context :
Hello
bot, I am feeling lonely. Help?
.. Eco Times .. 13 April 2024
Extract :
In India , a loneliness economy is coming up. Companies offering tech
solutions like “ listening as a service “ , social apps for finding friends and
“ AI powered Companion Bots “, are trying to solve the social loneliness
problem.
Clarity App calls itself an “ Online
Emotional Support Platform “
Users can call in and will be connected to people who have encountered
similar experiences such as the loss of loved ones, break-ups or career
challenges. A call costs Rs 8 pper minute
Says cofounder Ishan
Gupta ( ishangupta.prof@gmail.com,
/ ishangupta@wehealapp.in ) :
“ We provide a platform where, whenever you are feeling low or lonely, you
can quickly get on a call with someone who can make you feel better, with whom
you can probably discuss your feelings. We are not trying to validate your
feelings “
Listening services like Clarity steer clear of the term “ counselling “ and
do not have trained professionals on their rosters of “ Listeners “
When logged onto the Clarity app, there was a “ List of Listeners “
I chose one and asked the LISTENER how to overcome loneliness
The Listener enquired if I had “ any
fiends or a boy-friend because spending time with them can cure loneliness
Since the service is not solution oriented, the founders guage the success
of the product based on USER
RATINGS and FREQUENCY
of repeat customers
My Take :
Ishan,
Congratulations for fulfilling a need to address the growing menace of “
feeling of loneliness “
In this context, you might like my following blog :
Ø Share
- Your - Soul / Outsourcing Unlimited .. …………………..24 July 2016
Extract :
Here is an outline of my suggestion ,
re how young / educated / unemployed Indians can offer such service :
# VEHICLE
This strictly " Online " service
will have a platform called , www...COUCH...com ( supported by a
Mobile App )
# USERS
There will be two
kinds of users who will register on this site , viz:
* " Talkers "
, who want to engage someone who will listen to them / sympathize with them
* " Listeners " , who will listen
patiently / ask occasional question / offer advice - sympathy - empathy
# REGISTRATION FORM
For
both type of users , the Registration Form will require to submit following
details :
* Personal Details ( Name / DOB / Gender /
Nationality / Bank Account No / Photo / Short Video etc )
* Family Details ( Who are members of immediate
family ? )
* Contact Details ( Address / Mobile No / Email
ID / Skype - FaceTime ID / WatsApp..etc )
* Social Media Footprint ( Facebook / LinkedIn /
Twitter : No of Friends - Contacts - Connections - Followers )
* Cultural Exposure ( Countries visited / lived-in
, with stay-periods / Foreign friends )
* Language Details ( Languages spoken / fluently -
reasonably well )
* Experience Details ( Where worked / for how long )
. Retired / Worldly Wise , Listeners get ranked higher !
* Availability Details ( Available from - to / GMT-
Local time )
Based
on the completeness of the Registration Form Details , a software will rate and
rank the Listeners , which will
There
will be facility to update / edit the data submitted
Upon registration , users will be
assigned USER ID and PASSWORD
In
addition , Listener will be assigned a unique COUCH
/ INTERVIEW-CABIN number
# SEARCHING DATABASE OF LISTENERS
Talkers
will be able to search the database of the registered Listeners , except for their "
Contact Details "
Talkers can , then select / shortlist , a few listeners of
their preference
# SERVICE CHARGE
Talkers will pay $
2 per hour to the portal , which will credit this amount to the Bank Account of
the
Concerned
# PAYMENT MECHANISM
Using online payment gateway , Talkers will deposit a minimum of $ 20 , on the portal as
PRE-PAID amount
As Talker continues using the service ,
credit balance will get displayed ( in $ and in " Hours "
terms )
There will be
facility for online ( or through Mobile ) re-charging of the account
# PROCESS
A Listener can login anytime and occupy
his own virtual COUCH / CABIN ( " I am now available for
listening " )
As soon as he
does , a GREEN light will shine on the CABIN ,
showing the online availability of the concerned
Listener .
This
green light will tell the Talkers : " Welcome ! I am ready to listen "
The
light will turn RED , as soon as a Talker walks into Listener's CABIN (
" I am engaged
right now " )
Any time a Talker logs in , he will find if any Listeners ( that he had previously
shortlisted ) are available online
If he finds one , he simply CLICKS on
the CABIN icon and enters that VIRTUAL cabin !
Simultaneously , both the Talker and the Listener , turn on their Skype ( on
Mobile or Tablet ) to start the talk
Remember , Skype ID
of neither the Talker , nor the Listener , is ever visible to each other !
All conversation / transaction , can ONLY take place through
www...COUCH...com ( no bypassing !
)
The
entire conversation will get recorded ( Video + Audio ) and can be downloaded
by the Talker ( but not by
the Listener ) , if he so desires
Portal
will be obliged to make this recording available to a Court of Law , in case of
any litigation
Portal will carry a WARNING that it
reserves the right to remove any Talker or
a Listener , if it finds that its
service
is being misused / abused ( will need defining , in detail )
# REPUTATION SYSTEM
At the end of each
" talk / conversation " , Talker will
be obliged to " Rate "
the concerned Listener
on a 5 point scale ( Excellent > Horrible ) .
Cumulative / Average " Rating " will be prominently
Of
course , a Listener can see his own rating as soon as he logs in
At some future date , it should be
possible ( through appropriate software ) , to introduce following variations in
* Surge Pricing ( depending upon the DEMAND
of any given Listener ) ie: No of Talkers waiting for a given
Listener at a given point of time
* Reputation
Pricing , based on points accumulated
by a given Listener from all past ratings
# USAGE HISTORY
For each user ( Listener or Talker ) , there will be a Usage History page of all the
past transactions / talks ; as
also Credit Balance ( for the Talker ) and the Earnings ( for the Listener )
# PRIVACY
The
portal will NOT reveal any info / data (
including Audio-Video recording ) of any user to anyone else.
However , portal will reserve the rights to subject those Audio recordings (
but not Video recordings ) to
an Artificial Intelligence ( AI ) software
, which can , over a course of time , come up with a SOFTWARE
ROBOT
When that happens , this portal may morph into a PPO ( Psychology
Process Outsourcing )
!
The portal will also reserve the rights to use the Audio recordings for
offering Voice-to-Voice
Language
# PROMOTING THE
SERVICE
To an extent , the portal may affect the jobs of local Psychologists /
Psycho-Analysts who offer low level
consulting in any country. They will be in danger of being " Bangalored
" ! So , it is bound to face resistance
from those vested / threatened interests !
But foreign Hospitals / Educational Institutions /
NGOs / Medical Colleges , etc could be targeted for
promoting
# BUSINESS MODEL
Business Model will be in the nature of
" Sharing
Economy " , where those owning /
possessing " Idle /
Spare /
Eg:
Millions of private car-owners use their cars for ( may be ) two hours per day
. Uber aggregates this spare
capacity and makes it available to travellers who do not own ( or wish to own )
their own cars
Both parties
benefit . Economy also benefits by fuller utilization of the spare/surplus
capacities of millions of
assets
All in all , I think this is a
great opportunity for some Indian Start Up to seize
For an depth idea ( Page Write-ups
for web site / User Interfaces ) , look up :
# www.hemenparekh.in >
Reports > OnlineJobsFair
( http://hcpreports.blogspot.com/2016/02/online-jobs-fair.html )
Carpe Diem !
With regard,
Hemen Parekh
www.HemenParekh.ai / 18
april 2024