‘Idea Sakhi’, a mobile based safety service launched exclusively for women
Pune’Mayor, Mukta Tilak celebrated International Women’s Week with
women employees of Vodafone Idea #AbIdeaHaiUdneKa
To address the increasingly felt, safety related concerns of women who wish to step out and do more, brand Idea has designed a unique mobile based solution,Idea Sakhi. It is a free of cost service available to all women customers using either prepaid or postpaid services of Idea, across the country. Accessible on both smartphones and basic feature phones, Idea Sakhi offers three extremely useful features – Emergency Alerts, Emergency Balance, and Private Number Recharge.
Launched during the International Women’s Week, this service has been made available to women customers of Idea across UP East, AP & Telangana, Assam & North East, TN incl. Chennai, Kerala, Gujarat, J&K, Maha & Goa, MP & Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Bihar & Jharkhand. It will be extended to all 22 circles within this month.
In Pune, Idea Sakhi was launched byHonorable Mayor of Pune Smt. Mukta Tilak. She celebrated the occasion by holding an exclusive chat session with the women employees of Vodafone Idea Ltd, wherein, she shared her experiences and encouraged them to contribute to the society and be role models for other women. She expressed her delight on the launch of Idea Sakhi and the way it can address safety concerns of the women.
Later, senior women employees of the organisation attended an event organized by Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) for the women of Samaj Maha Vikas Mandal and addressed the gathering about Idea Sakhi and its benefits.
According to Avneesh Khosla, Operations Director – Marketing, Vodafone Idea Ltd.“Technology can help overcome barriers and solve problems in the life of the consumer. With almost half of our population being women, and 59% of them* using a mobile phone, we are in a unique position to extend the benefits of technology for their safety and security. With Idea Sakhi, we are taking forward our long-term commitment of driving inclusion and deploying technology to serve a social purpose.”
Idea Sakhi works on all smartphones and feature phones, and even if the customer does not have any voice or data balance – thus ensuring that the service can be easily accessible to women whenever they need to use it.
Women Customers can register and activate Idea Sakhi in two simple steps:
Step1: Call on a multi-lingual toll-free number 1800-123-100
Step2: Register Emergency Contacts (Friends & Family). Up to 10 mobile numbers can be saved as Emergency Contacts.
A registered Idea Sakhi customer will:
· Receive a 10-digit proxy number, with which she can recharge her connection at any retail store without revealing her actual mobile number.
· Receive 10 minutes of free local/STD calls, 10 SMS and 100MB data when her balance reaches < Re. 1 or if she exhausts her data pack.
To send an Emergency or a Safe Alert, the Sakhi user will need to:
● Give a missed call to 55100 to send an Emergency Alert. A call, flash and SMS with the location and time details of the Sakhi user will be sent to the Emergency Contacts, alerting them.
● Call 55100 and press 2 to send a Safe Alert. SMS with the location and time details of the Sakhi user will be sent to the Emergency Contacts, for assistance.
Speaking about the Idea Sakhi service,Sunita Bangard, National Brand Head – Idea, Vodafone Idea Ltd., said, “Brand Idea has always championed causes that help change lives. With Idea Sakhi, Brand Idea wishes to give women the freedom to live their lives and pursue their dreams and understand the need of women to feel safe when they step out of their homes. On this special occasion of International Women’s Week, we are happy to offer Idea Sakhi to the women of India, to feel more confident and safe – Ab idea Hai Udne Ka.”
