Google's closure of its voice search experiment in India, puts a question mark on the viability of search through automated voice responses.
"The experiment was wound up as we did not achieve scale and viability," said Vinay Goel, Google's India products head. "This experiment helped us learn more about user needs and build core technologies."
Analysts say that its cheaper to put a person behind a call in India than a machine. VC firm Canaan Partners India MD Alok Mittal says that it costs about Rs 2-3 per minute to have an agent answer a call. "A sales lead through local search can get you Rs 40-50, which far outweighs the cost of an agent."
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