India is growing. Technically, it has been a developing country since its independence. But in the present time, one can actually measure growth in terms of a lot of factors. One of those factors is having access to a phone. Another one of those factors is being socially active on platforms like Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp. In this case, WhatsApp.

The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has chosen WhatsApp as their new mode of registering public complaints. A mobile number has been made available to the masses. The instructions are specifically to use the given number (i.e. +91 77100 12345) for any complaints regarding any advertisements that are currently making the rounds of Indian television.

One of ASCI’s prime jobs is to regulate and control any commercial or ad that the general public finds objectionable. However, complaints are not that easy a thing to register with the formalities that any association has in place. The new plan of using WhatsApp to submit objections is a brilliantly timed idea. It gives the general public a convenient and hassle free way to deal with the problems that they encounter while browsing their televisions.

At this point, ASCI has reported that complaints which have been registered through WhatsApp have taken over about twelve percent of the total lot of complaints that go for scrutiny in the Consumer Complaints Council. This can easily be pointed as a success.

It is expected that using a social platform like WhatsApp will prove to be very much helpful in spreading awareness among the masses. And the outlook so far has supported that expectation. The complaints, reports say, have been coming in from metro cities like Chennai as well as from cities like Bareilly. The people registering the complaints have also been found to be spread across a wide range of age group, from young college students to senior citizens.

This can be credited to the easily usable and friendly interface of WhatsApp which allows the use of both text and voice notes to deliver a message. It doesn’t require an e-mail or any site specific handle and nobody needs to be painfully technical to type or speak a message into their phones. The choice of this medium by ASCI pretty much explains itself with its manner of use and ease of access.

In the words of the chairman of ASCI, Benoy Roychowdhury, this method was implemented with the aim to provide an on-the-go means of service. It has a ‘whenever you need it, wherever you need it’ sort of approach and that is exactly what the association requires at this time. Another helpful aspect of the whole deal is that it could improve theinfluence of ASCI to areas where it wasn’t a thing before. Especially rural areas and remote areas will benefit from this scheme as it’d give them a means of unhindered communication. As it seems, the plan has already set about its task.

And within three months of its launch, this initiative has done well. Not only the customers but certain other associations have also appreciated this measure. These associations include Prasar Bharti, Ministry or Road, Transport and Highways and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Using technology to integrate public services is quite a smart move and at this point and at this state of the country’s technological advancement, it can pave way for a lot of such similar actions.