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Security & ComplianceWhat is CPaaS?
Overview of Communications Platform as a Service
Communications Platform as a Service
Communications platform as a service (CPaaS) is a cloud-based application development environment designed to facilitate business communications. CPaaS allows a business to customize their communications stack by integrating selected communications channels with their current system, instead of buying a whole new system.
CPaaS is a cloud-based platform that enables developers to add real-time communications features without needing to build backend infrastructure and interfaces.
Scalable Communications Technology
In the world of digital voice, CPaaS emerged as a means to deliver reliable, scalable communications technology without the need to maintain and manage complex code bases or expensive hardware. CPaaS allows developers to add communications features into existing interfaces and infrastructures using application programming interfaces (APIs).
CPaaS has typically been a technology that helps companies to build their own technology. This gives companies complete control over their digital voice and communication channels. While this remains a good option for some companies, newer offerings of Plum Voice tools and pre-built templates streamline the application development and management processes even further.
When it comes to your voice channel, CPaaS lets you automate customer interactions with applications that enable interactive voice response (IVR), messaging and intelligent call-routing.
Benefits of CPaaS
CPaaS is a cloud-based approach that gives businesses flexibility in how they add new communications and engagement opportunities to their tech stack. Developers don't have to start from a blank screen to build their applications and infrastructure. Instead, they can use APIs, code, pre-built templates, etc. to get started.
Some other benefits of utilizing CPaaS include:
- Boost employee efficiency – Employees are empowered by various efficient communications and collaboration options embedded within company systems and procedures. They may communicate with one another and obtain information in a manner that best suits them.
- Utilize the latest technology – Companies of any size may affordably acquire innovative technologies. 85 percent of businesses feel that APIs will be critical for future success. CPaaS, in many ways, facilitates change for everyone
- Increase sales – Cloud-based infrastructure-as-a-service (CPaaS) solutions provide unlimited options for boosting business profits. SMS APIs enable businesses to send consumers automatic reminders. And chatbots provide online self-service possibilities
- Save costs – Cloud-first CPaaS solutions are as adaptable and customizable as their users require. There are also pay-as-you-go systems for businesses seeking to reduce expenses
- Enhance customer service – CPaaS ensures you can communicate with customers through their preferred channels. A superior customer experience generates brand loyalty, increased sales, and eventually, brand ambassadors
- Customize without restrictions – If the organization requires text chat and video conferencing but no voice chat, CPaaS can also help with this. It offers a degree of customization that allows you to fulfill any of these requirements without subscribing to many unnecessary services. Additionally, developers may tweak any provided APIs to deliver the most optimal solution
- Scale faster – In addition to being entirely customizable, CPaaS platforms are fully scalable, as one can add or remove features without any hassles
CPaaS Business Applications
Outbound Voice Calls
With a CPaaS platform, users are able to manage their outbound and inbound calls easily. Some CPaaS providers make this process easy by automating it on their cloud-based platform. When businesses combine virtual agents and a voice API, they can easily manage all of their outgoing calls and the data collected from these calls.
Inbound Call Routing
CPaaS companies provide solutions which make incoming calls easily managed while collecting customer data. CPaaS providers, such as Plum Voice, offer industry leading IVR systems which help companies manage inbound calls and also collect customer data.
With an IVR system, businesses can completely automate the inbound call routing process by combining virtual agents and conversational AI together to create intelligent virtual agents (IVAs). This simplifies the workflow process and reduces the live agent workforce needed to manage a high call volume. Instead, IVAs will handle these calls and provide customers with the information they need or transfer them to the appropriate agents.
Text Messaging (SMS)
Businesses can add SMS/ text messaging features to their CPaaS using APIs. This opens other avenues of communication to keep in touch with customers. This enables businesses to provide their customers with a way to communicate without telephone or live interaction.
This is how it works. SMS notifications are sent to a customer/ user's device via a business phone number. The customer receives and reads the message. By adding SMS APIs, the business is able to review data such as delivery status, bounce rate and receive responses. This helps the business to make better process decisions and create efficiencies in how they communicate with their customers.
SIP Trunking
Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) trunking is a service offered by a communications service provider that uses the protocol to provision voice over IP (VoIP) connectivity between an on-premises phone system and the public switched telephone network (PSTN), as described by TechTarget,
In order to access CPaaS APIs for voice, video, SMS, security and email, there needs to be good bandwidth that comes with reliable and fast SIP trunks and global SIP facilities, numbers, and the like. Therefore, CPaaS uses SIP trunking as a way to communicate information back and forth.
SIP trunking provides cost savings because it routes calls over the internet instead of through a traditional phone company. It also allows for scalability in bandwidth because changes can be made quickly and easily to keep pace with business needs.
Social Media Messaging and Chat
With the use of APIs, CPaaS allows communications channels like social media messaging and chat to easily be added to a business' tech stack. Customers can now contact a business via their preferred social media platform - Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, etc. - for a comfortable and streamlined experience.
CPaaS makes it easier to manage messages between customers and the customer service team or contact center for a fluid communication stream.
CPaaS Use Cases
1. Financial Services Company Achieves 90% Automation Rate
Controlling customer interactions with automation helped one prepaid card company automate 90% of its incoming calls. This helped to improve their overall customer service offerings and delivered better customer experiences.
2. Erie Insurance Uses Plum Voice IVR Surveys to Improve Customer Retention and Customer Satisfaction
Learn how Erie Insurance uses voice surveys to gather critical information about its customer service and then uses that information to drive positive change.
3. Leading Mobile Software Company Uses Plum Fuse to Create, Manage, and Deploy Voice Applications
Discover how a major global software company (MSC) improved their customer service offerings without sacrificing developer resources.
CPaas, UCaaS and CCaaS
CPAAS, UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service), and CCaaS (Contact Center as a Service) are different types of cloud-based communication solutions. They each have a different focus and target different use cases. Plum Voice provides a CPaaS platform for developers to build, deploy, and manage communication services like voice solutions, chatbots and other customer and internal business communications for applications. CPaaS platforms such as the Plum Voice secure cloud platform is often used to add communication software to existing applications, such as chatbots, or to build other applications that can be completely customized.
UCaaS
Unified Communications as a Service is also a cloud-based communication solution software that combines communication channels such as voice, video, instant messaging, and more all on a single platform. The goal of UCaaS is that it provides a single point of access to all of an organization's communication channels which makes it it easier for employees to communicate and collaborate.
CCaaS
Contact Center as a Service is a more specific cloud-based solution for managing a large frequency of customer interactions over various communication channels such as voice, email, chat, and social media. CCaaS provides businesses with the tools and technology needed to handle customer inquiries, support requests, and other interactions.