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Below is our recent interview with Rodney Williams, CCO and Co-Founder of LISNR:
Q: What is LISNR?
A: LISNR powers transactions and connects the online to offline customer journey globally with the most advanced Ultrasonic Data Platform. LISNR’s data over audio technology was originally created to address the growing need for a device and platform independent protocol for sending and receiving short communications. Sound offered customers a simple way to communicate with the growing number of devices consumers use. Based on that idea, LISNR created a proprietary software solution for encoding data into inaudible “tones”, which were then transmitted and received using standard speakers and microphones.
LISNR was founded in 2012 and has offices in Cincinnati, Ohio and Oakland, California.
Q: You’ve recently teamed up with RideYellow; could you tell us something more?
A: We recently announced our partnership with RideYellow, the leading taxi app in Southern California. Anyone who has ever hailed a cab knows that the process is complicated: from communicating the best route to being able to pay with a credit card instead of cash.
Now with smartphones in so many pockets, it was only a matter of time before technology helped boost to the taxi industry. But it also introduced a number of additional complications to the process. Getting into a cab someone else ordered created a billing nightmare for the passengers and drivers. The existing solutions to this, such as entering a code to connect driver and rider apps was cumbersome at best.
With our new partnership, now passengers with the RideYellow app can hop into a cab and automatically pair with their driver—allowing them to pay digitally and get on to their destination faster. This innovation allows the taxi industry to be competitive with the many transportation options available and provide a seamless customer experience.
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Q: Tell us more about your technology. How does it work?
A: LISNR’s technology centers on our use of ultrasonic data transmission, the process of using barely audible and inaudible sound waves to transmit digital data. Sound waves are first encoded with data in the 14-19 kHz range, then the ensuing tone can be broadcast from a standard speaker over a variety of distances, depending on amplification and tone type. That tone is recognized by a standard microphone and locally decoded via another device or series of devices using the LISNR SDK.
In such a connected world, LISNR is making it possible to send and receive data without incurring the cost of additional hardware. With our technology, businesses can connect with their customers using existing hardware. This makes our technology just as effective and lower cost than other solutions on the market.
Q: What kinds of solutions do you provide to your clients?
A: LISNR provides seamless connections between any devices equipped with speakers and/or microphones. We are currently focused on the payments, mobility, and customer journey segments of the market. Our technology integrates into apps and devices using software that allows leading companies to provide better experiences for their customers.
When it comes to customer journey, businesses need to be able to identify, market to, and assist their customers through their shopping journey and beyond. Some of the biggest use cases we’ve established in the customer journey sector are automatically connecting shoppers to in-store wifi, easy open for in-store pickup lockers to retrieve orders, and authenticating online purchases to cut down on card-not-present transaction fees.
In-store transactions are also much easier with LISNR tech. For example, we recently announced our partnership with Equinox Payments, allowing shoppers to pay faster, no matter the mobile device they’re using. Other payment use cases include making it easier to pay friends in close proximity with peer-to-peer payment apps. Looking up someone you have never paid before leads to worries that users are going to pay the wrong person and never see that money again. But with LISNR SDKs embedded in payment apps, the mobile devices each person has can emit and hear tones verifying and pairing the devices to make a safer payment faster.
On the mobility side, we’re helping taxis, paratransit, rideshare companies, and beyond connect with their riders to make accurate billing and seamless experiences possible.
Q: What makes LISNR’s approach to data unique?
A: Sound was largely an untapped medium for sending data. With countless mobile devices in the hands of consumers, there was a major gap in the market: these devices were enabling seamless communication—but only when they were connected to the internet. By embedding our technology into apps and platforms, businesses can connect with their customers at any time.
Our approach to data allows for secure, reliable, and high quality data transmission. We’re always improving the amount and speed of data transfer. In April 2018 we launched our highest throughput yet, allowing our customers to send 1,000 bits per second using our Kilo Audio Bit tone.
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Q: What can we expect from LISNR in the future?
A: Here at LISNR we look forward to expanding our use cases, helping more businesses connect with their customers, and enabling top notch experiences. We are working to drive strategic partnerships across numerous retail and payment companies around the world. With the help of our ultrasonic technology, we are enabling diverse companies to own the customer journey and provide a more efficient payment process.
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