Oberoi, left, and Groom

When Gaurav Oberoi and Chuck Groom got together last year to create a new startup, the Seattle entrepreneurs were certain about one thing: They didn't want to gamble on a business tied to online advertising. "We were really interested in starting a business that was revenue-oriented from day one," said Oberoi, who along with Groom sold Seattle-based Bill Monk to Obopay in 2007. "We wanted something that had a direct path to revenue, let's just say that."

Just seven months into the process, the two entrepreneurs have already achieved that goal. Oberoi and Groom today are taking the covers off Precision Polling, a new startup that attracted its first paying customer about two months after the company was formed last summer.

So, what is Precision Polling doing and how are these guys making money? The concept is pretty simple. They want to help companies, non-profit agencies, universities and other groups set up and manage automated phone surveys.

Obviously, anyone who has been interrupted at dinner with a phone survey, knows that phone-based public opinion polls and market research surveys aren't going away anytime soon. Two of the dominant players are SurveyUSA and Rasmussen Reports, while a number of boutique agencies also are trying to grab market share.

"Social media is great, but it is not going to reach everyone," said Oberoi. "And the phone is a tool that everyone knows how to use."

Precision Polling is looking to use technology to simplify and streamline the poll creation and management process, utilizing some of the nifty Web-based phone tools from Twilio on the back-end. (Oberoi wrote a guest post on the Twilio blog today about how they are utilizing the technology). After some initial market analysis Oberori said there's really nothing "like Survey Monkey if you want to set up your own phone poll."

The Precision Polling business model is relatively simple, with the company charging 10 cents per call.

If a non-profit environmental group wants to poll its 500 members on a specific issue, for example, they would pay $50 to do so. Unlike some other phone-based polling tools, there are no set up fees, Groom says. The results also can be tabulated in real time through a Web-based dashboard, with clients able to slice and dice the information in various ways.

"It seems like an industry where technology is ready to help it take a leap and go to the next level," said Oberoi, who just turned 30.

So far, the company has conducted its automated phone surveys for a few dozen customers who have paid between $80 and $1,600 for the service. One customer -- The Department of Political Science at Rice University-- recently used the Precision Polling technology to conduct automated phone-based polls related to the high-profile mayoral race in Houston.

In fact, politics is a growth sector for the new startup. Because the company does not charge set up fees, Oberoi said that political groups, media outlets or universities can conduct smaller polls. (Locally, both online media outlet Publicola and Mayoral candidate Joe Mallahan recently used the service). He also described the technology as "extremely fast," meaning that clients can gauge public opinion on a day-to-day basis.

In addition to political surveys, Oberoi said that clients have used the tool for everything from market research to wedding RSVPs.

"The cool thing is that you can also set up a survey so people can call in. You don't have to give us a phone list and call out," he said. For example, Precision Polling is working with a tech conference organizer to collect feedback from attendees after speakers give their presentations. In that case, a phone number could be flashed on the screen after the talk, leading attendees through an automated survey.

The company strictly forbids the service to be used for telemarketing purposes. "We are just not interested in that business," said Oberoi.

At this point, the company employs just the two founders, though they may ramp up hiring later this year. The business has been entirely self-funded to date, with Oberoi saying they've invested between $50,000 and $100,000 in the business to date. (Excluding salaries for Groom and Oberoi).

Here's a closer look at how the Precision Polling service works: