Tata Sky seals tele-payment deal with atom Technologies

Tata Sky, the JV between the Tata Group and STAR, has signed an agreement Atom Technologies, provider of mobile interactive voice response-based payment solutions provider to offer innovative phone and mobile payment facilities to its over 3 million subscribers across India.

Tata Sky is already using ATOM's phone based IVR technology. It will now start using Atom's new innovative technology to enable its subscribers to make payments, subscribe or renew their subscription on their cell phones.

Tata Sky uses two kinds of Atom IVR services - the fully automated IVR model for top-ups, where in the subscribers can directly interact for topping up their pre-paid cards, and an agent-assisted IVR model for purchasing set-top boxes.

The customer can call a call centre representatives who, after retrieving information from the customer, bridges them on an Atom IVR that guides them to enter card details through the phone's key pad. This service provides a completely secure and automated environment to end customers' worry about disclosing their card details to any human being.

"Our association with atom Technologies for using the innovative Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology will offer more convenience to our subscribers by providing them with additional option of making payments, adding top-ups and purchasing new Tata Sky connection," said Atul Bansal, Chief Financial Officer, Tata Sky, announcing the tie-up.

"Our IVR and mobile payment services will help Tata Sky increase their distribution spread and permit easier and faster collections," said Dewang Neralla, director, Atom Technologies. "Over a period of time, we have seen an increase in volume of transactions happening over our platform across different cities and verticals" opined Neralla.