The global telecom API market has grown significantly over the past several years and is predicted to continue to grow as more communication service providers (CSPs) look to automate and unify communications for end users. With a valuation of $93.82 billion in 2016, the API market is projected to reach $473.66 billion by 2025.
CSPs are increasingly relying on telecom APIs to integrate voice and messaging capabilities into their unified communications, communications platform-as-a-service (CPaaS) and contact center-as-a-service (CCaaS) offerings. When businesses work with their CSPs to incorporate telecom APIs into their applications, they expand communication capabilities for their customers, thereby advancing telecom innovation, business growth and the overall customer experience.
How APIs advance telecom innovation
APIs are becoming vital in the business world as companies become more reliant on cloud-based services and real-time data. Telecom APIs provide a clear, defined way for systems to communicate with each other, allowing businesses to be nimble and adjust to the changing needs of their customers.
APIs are also being used to innovate a range of telecom resources such as call control, location, messaging, provisioning and subscriber information to developers. This level of accessibility is making it significantly easier for businesses to add calling and messaging capabilities to their apps to transform the user experience. What used to take months to code, now can be developed almost instantly with APIs, which enables quicker delivery of new capabilities into the hands of consumers.
Businesses can also drive consumption of their core services by integrating modern telecom offerings that make it easier for customers to interact with a brand.
How telecom APIs drive business growth
Two major benefits of APIs are the ease of implementation and the ability to scale services. In the case of telecom APIs, businesses can easily and instantly purchase, port, provision and configure voice and messaging services with direct access to and control over high-quality telephony resources.
Cloud communication platforms, such as the company, Blueface, leverage telecom APIs to provide businesses an all-in-one hosted solution that is customizable and scalable. Blueface can go beyond traditional VoIP landlines to support businesses with multiple offices via one account, offer international numbering, support call center functionality and remote working, among other features. Ultimately, companies like Blueface are streamlining offerings for business leaders looking to improve user experience, while also centralizing control over their communications and advancing business development.
Further, as businesses grow, they may see a need to migrate contact centers to the cloud or implement services like two-factor authentication or video chat capabilities. With telecom APIs, business leaders can pick and choose services that match their businesses’ and customers’ evolving needs.
How telecom APIs evolve the customer experience
APIs evolve the customer experience by enabling the integration of a variety of new features into existing applications. The assortment of features and the speed at which they can be deployed, allows decision makers to quickly and effectively meet a diverse range of customer needs and preferences. For example, while a growing majority of end users prefer to communicate via text messages, some customers prefer email or traditional voice calls. Businesses that leverage telecom APIs can choose how and what services to implement that are best suited for their customers, and customers can decide which of those services meet their individual needs.
Messaging platforms such as Message Hopper are helping business leaders improve customer experiences by letting consumers communicate directly with businesses through text. In the hospitality industry, for example, platform Mews Systems (Mews), a cloud-based hotel property management system, supports the behind the scenes operations of a hotel in order to improve the customer experience. Mews’ open APIs allow hotels to access thousands of intelligent third-party solutions to customize offerings for guests.
APIs also power omnichannel communication at the edge strategies, which gives end users the ability to communicate with a company representative at every phase of the customer journey; and gives businesses context on these interactions to provide better service.
From calling a phone number listed on Google Maps to leveraging in-app messaging on Expedia, APIs bolster accessible communications between businesses and their customers.
How Flowroute can help
Flowroute empowers businesses in building voice and texting applications with services like appointment reminders, two-factor authentication, routing functions, phone masking and numbering functions. Our APIs are used by a variety of customers focused on improving communications in-house and to their end users. Check out our API library.
