3 Reasons Why CPaaS Is Great For Your Business

FACT – the digital age is exciting!    

One of the most interesting things is how communication technology has advanced rapidly in recent years. New possibilities are opening up all the time.    

Here are just a few examples of how technology is improving business communication:   

• Ride-hailing companies such as Uber or Gojek use technology to allow users and drivers to talk directly via a voice call, but it hides the telephone numbers so both parties retain privacy.  
• A delivery company uses technology to take customers through security verification, allowing them to choose between SMS or voice call authentication.  
• The same delivery company uses an IVR (Interactive Voice Response) to allow customers and drivers to talk without going through a support agent.     

 This is just a small sample of exciting ways that communications APIs are being used.    

So, the question is – what makes it possible for these companies to integrate or embed real-time, person-to-person communication features into their products?    

The answer is CPaaS.    

What is CPaaS? 

CPaaS stands for Communications Platform as a Service.   

In basic terms, CPaaS software is used to enable real-time communication features in existing applications and software. This means that instead of using an application that is specially built for communication such as Skype, Zoom, or WhatsApp, you can embed communication channels directly into any kind of app or website.    

Most CPaaS platforms work with multiple communication channels such as voice, text, or video conferencing.   

For example, a banking app can use CPaaS to embed video communication technology that allows customers to talk directly with an advisor.     

One of the most attractive things about CPaaS is that it doesn’t need any extra hardware or background infrastructure to make it work. Everything is done through the cloud, over an internet connection and integrates directly with existing software using something called an API.    

By applying communications APIs, all the developer has to do is add a couple of lines of code to connect the app and the CPaaS, and off you go.     

In other words, users can connect through multiple business communication channels on existing software remotely – a powerful advantage in today’s “work from home” society. CPaaS also opens up possibilities for enhanced customer engagement.  

Power up your Unified Communications with CPaaS 

One of the big buzzwords these days is Unified Communications (UC), which refers to linking up all your communications channels and platforms into one central, usually cloud-based, system.    

It’s important to stay ahead with this trend, as companies that unify their communications will have an edge in terms of lead generation, prospecting, operational efficiency, and customer service.     

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CPaaS is the ultimate way to achieve unified communications, for the following reasons.   

1. Increased flexibility

The one-size-fits-all model of the past no longer cuts the mustard. Why switch between apps to communicate with people, when you can do it all in one place?     

Using CPaaS, businesses can now build the exact kind of communication software you want. You can take multiple communication channels and create an omnichannel experience for customers and employees, which simultaneously streamlines your operations and improves UX (user experience).    

Also, the way CPaaS is delivered is highly scalable. You can get individual APIs to connect your existing software to as many channels you want, or you can get CPaaS bundles which allow you to embed everything at once.    

This is ideal for smaller, agile companies, who may want to begin by embedding a chat feature in their app with an API, with the potential to add extra channels as the company grows.  

2. Reduce costs

A common dilemma faced by businesses (especially startups) is whether to build communication features into their app or buy a solution that is easily integrated. Overall, buying a communications API is preferable as it is cheaper, allows businesses to scale their product, and embed the communication channel into an existing app without building anything.     

In other words, you don’t need to pay for extra development to get seamless communication features, and you don’t pay for ongoing maintenance or hosting either.     

Your developers will love it, as they can focus on building the bespoke functionality of your website or app, rather than wasting precious time building the backend infrastructure.   

In some cases, CPaaS features can reduce the amount of time customer service staff spend resolving issues or reduce the amount of staff required. For a good example of this, read on!  

3. Expand globally

If you are looking to scale in other regions, applying a CPaaS layer can help you to achieve them by allowing you to manage different communication carriers in each individual country with ease.  

This enables you to reach customers by telephone in their own country without worrying about regulation or practicalities. To put it simply – CPaaS helps you to remove the roadblocks that can arise when trying to establish communication channels in a new country.  

A CPaaS success story 

We’ve already mentioned a few different applications of CPaaS technology, but here is another one to help you see its true potential.    

Gojek – Improving lost-and found case resolution using CPaaS 

Gojek used Toku’s CPaaS solutions to empower its customers with rapid resolutions. For example,

• More than 50% of lost and found cases are now resolved by an IVR flow. This allowed Gojek to scale down on manpower and adapt to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic more effectively.
• 90% of reported lost & found cases are solved without agent intervention.

The best part? Toku removed the need for an in-house built solution. Toku’s APIs eliminated the need for Gojek to build a base framework from scratch, providing significant cost savings.