mSurvey, a revolutionary mobile data collection tool launched Wednesday April 24 in Nairobi promises to disrupt industry survey by use of the mobile phone, a tool affordable and used by over 30 million Kenyans.
mSurvey makes it possible to gather knowledge and insights directly to the individual on any mobile phone and wants to be the driving force in achieving Vision 2030 by offering it’s dynamic information gathering platform to the masses. Entrepreneurs, businesspersons, students, institutions, development agencies, creatives, and newly elected Governors alike are encouraged to experience the mSurvey Do It Yourself (DIY) tool and benefit from the power of capturing local knowledge.
According to Kenfield Griffith, mSurvey’s Chief Executive Officer, “We believe real-time, actionable data can have significant benefits to innovation, creativity, sustainability, and entrepreneurship. We have market tested our technology for over 2 years and have had great success at keeping it simple and friendly to use. We now want the rest of Kenya to join in the fun with data.”
The mSurvey DIY tool is just one it’s first of many products mSurvey is offering according to Louis Majanja, the Head of Product Development. The mSurvey DIY platform promises to shake the research world from its comfort zone and bringing excitement to real-time data. By developing an SMS based data gathering tool, information seekers can get direct response from any of the country’s 30 million mobile phone subscribers. The set up process is as easy as opening an email account and the creation of questions within minutes.
mSurvey believes research driven innovation is central to the growth of an economy and by maximizing on the potential of the mobile phone and empowering the individual, Grifith says they have created a tool that allows anyone to conduct their own research. The firm uses large scale SMS (Text Message) mobile surveys and interactive mobile applications to collect, visualize, and represent data across emerging markets. mSurvey solves the problem of connecting with difficult to reach communities to assess, impact and follow community trends in real time.
Developed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) connect directly to all telecommunication and network providers, enabling the connection between our clients and their customers, mSurvey makes sense of SMS data through a wide variety of automated interactive experiences on any mobile phone, which allows data collection from real people, in real place, in real time; bringing data to life. However, mSurvey is not launching in a virgin field.
Echo Mobile, a Web-based platform for SMS launched in Nairobi in 2010 says organizations use their product to communicate, collect, and respond to their clients and survey respondents. Formerly known as mSwali, Echo Mobile clients have send over 500,000 SMS to extend their reach and give voice to markets and communities across Kenya.
mSurvey and Echo Mobile will have to show their best for users and market share.