SMS Data Collection
With the proliferation of cell phones it is
possible that they will soon replace the keypads in ARS systems and
also be used for many other meeting and presentation functions,
including the collection of questions from the audience prior or
during a meeting.
The Q&A scenario is a huge improvement over the
old "step to the microphone" method. A Q&A moderator can sort,
select and put the questions in order and context. Issues can be
clarified before they are brought in front of the entire group and
long rambling questions edited. As questions are answered within the
presentation itself, they can be dropped from the queue. Finally,
with a real time setup between the database and the projector, the
questions can be shown to the entire audience as they are presented,
making repetition unnecessary.
Companies like Pangolin (http://www.pangolinsms.com/)
are now using SMS (Short Message Service) text messaging in this way
to aggregate feedback, gather audience questions, and user responses
with telephone messages.
Another benefit is that the system stores phone
numbers (which may not be a benefit if the users are later annoyed)
and of course the range of the system is not limited to a convention
area or even a city but information can be distributed to and
gathered from the entire world.
Pangolin offers a Windows-based control center
called IMU (Interactive Messaging Control). SMS text messages from
cell phones come into the computer via a GSM/GPRS modem or a
person's mobile phone connected to a computer via USB, allowing interactive viewer
participation. Pangolin's IMU lets anyone with a mobile phone send
messages that can be displayed over video, including large
projection screens, on television, or even on web pages.
At this point the interactive polling is generally
done over a more protracted period of time but the results are the
same—graphical feedback and database collection. In addition the
ability to collect information in real time during a live event or
large trade show gives participants a greater sense of involvement. |
