What is CPaaS?
CPaaS stands for Communications Platform as a Service. CPaaS are cloud-based platforms that enable developers to add real-time communication channels (e.g. voice, SMS and other interactive channels) to their own business processes without having to build or manage the backend infrastructure and interfaces. CPaaS applications can be completely adapted to your current communication infrastructure.
Real-time communication
Traditionally, real-time communication (RTC) takes place in applications built specifically for these purposes. Examples are the traditional telephone, but also software like Teams, Slack, FaceTime, WhatsApp, etc. For a long time this was the only way to have live communication, because it is complicated and expensive to build and maintain dedicated communication apps.
Templates, APIs and SDKs
CPaaS is changing that. These solutions provide software tools, APIs, sample code on e.g. GitHub and pre-built applications like templates. Some providers also have software development kits (SDKs) and libraries for building applications on various desktop and mobile platforms. There is also a large online community with information, training courses, tutorials, manuals and more to get started quickly and effectively.
Affordable and time-saving
Compared to traditional platforms, CPaaS is a lot more interesting financially. You only pay for what you need; like infrastructure, programming, manpower, tools and licenses. CPaaS saves developers a lot of time because not everything has to be built from scratch and they only have to deal with the front-end. This makes it easier for them to focus on the core task (the communication channel).
Easy to reproduce
Because you don’t have to start from scratch, you have a short lead time and can quickly launch new applications with CPaaS. Such applications can often also be used for multiple customers or brands. Each in their own environment, because everything can be duplicated. That’s a lot easier compared to the development of a dedicated app.
Examples CPaaS
You can use CPaaS in various departments such as marketing, customer contact and sales. These platforms enable you to create new ways of interacting between customer and service provider. Such as video calling with customer service, interactive access to FAQs, SMS or voice verifications, SMS for reminders or referrals, and chatbots for 24/7 availability. Businesses can also use CPaaS to better track customer engagement across platforms and report on trends, behaviors, and improvements.
New techniques
CPaaS makes it easier to deploy new techniques. At Sound of Data, we’re currently implementing services such as text-to-speech and speech-to-text for speech bots, conversational IVRs (recording instead of typing) and real-time translations with CPaaS. These ways of automating help departments work more efficiently without compromising the customer experience. They shorten wait time and reduce the need to repeat things.
Do you want to take your company’s communication infrastructure to the next level? Dive into the world of CPaaS! We are happy to tell you more about it.