Talking The Talk

With the help of machine learning and automation, Uniphore wants every Indian to access health care, education and banking on their mobile phones—in their own language

- Harichandan Arakali

There are 52 million hours of phone calls recorded every day worldwide, by call centres and such like, say Umesh Sachdev and Ravi Saraogi, co-founders of Uniphore Software Systems. And, based on industry estimates, only 1 percent of that voice data ever gets analysed.

However, companies such as Uniphore are changing that skew by bringing machine learning and automation to analyses, and providing large businesses—from insurance companies to airlines—with useful, and often, real-time information. A classic example of their work would be a voice-engine based automated response system to quickly switch a call to a human agent, when it “senses” a caller’s distress or note of urgency, Sachdev says.

Today, such things are possible, and are being tried out at large businesses, say Sachdev, 31, CEO, and Saraogi, 32, president for Asia Pacific. Voicebased biometrics too is no longer in the realm of science fiction. Sooner, rather than later, millions of people in India’s small towns, and even villages, can expect to speak into their smartphones to buy things online, transfer money, and so on.

And Uniphore, which will turn 10 next year, is well-placed to tap that massive opportunity. This potential was validated in December 2017 by a significant infusion of money from John Chambers, chairman of Cisco Systems, in his personal capacity, in Uniphore’s series B funding. IDG Ventures, an existing investor, and IIflalso invested in this round. Uniphore has more than 70 large-business customers— including State Bank of India, ITC Ltd, and Tata group—touching 2 lakh hours of voice data every day, and 40 lakh end-consumers in total. It also claims to have accumulated six patents for its technologies.