Enterprise communication is always challenged to keep up with trends, times, and technologies. In the recent past, CPaaS innovation (Communication-Platform-as-a-Service) has tried to remedy this recurring challenge.
To many businesses, CPaaS enables integrating various communication applications like WhatsApp messaging, SMS, and automated emails into new or existing software. This helps them eliminate the need to create new app structures and develop flexible omni channel communication tools for improving customer experience.
As with every technology solution, the many CPaaS providers make it difficult to choose. Yet, tech is only effective if a company uses it well. Here are some things to consider when choosing a CPaaS provider:
Ease of Implementation and Languages
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When choosing a CPaaS provider, choosing one with languages or technologies unfamiliar to your team makes no sense. Equally, there is little point in choosing a provider that doesn’t provide ready support if the integration becomes difficult and beyond your team. A provider should have the most common communications API languages. This will make the implementation and support easy. You should also consider the provider’s initial onboarding and their level of implementation support.
Developer Community
Before you settle on a CPaaS provider, check their developer community and what they talk about. Developers reach out to online forums and their online counterparts when they face a problem in a code. Ensure that the provider has an active and supportive developer community and forum before subscribing to their service. This can also be a great source of knowledge for your team and reassurance of available support.
API Availability
Communications as a platform is a very broad service that includes several other types of communication technology and styles. Most leading CPaaS solutions are equipped with SDKs and APIs for easy implementation. A CPaaS provider you choose should provide a range of communication or messaging APIs for your business needs such as:
- SMS API
- WhatsApp Business API
- Facebook API
- Telegram API
You can also consider other types of API that allow for video or voice calls, emails, push notifications, RSS feeds, or emergency service calls. This will enable the service to integrate with a near endless list of your applications’ communications features.
Reliability and Security
Businesses use communications as their key element in developing and maintaining customer relationships. It’s only imperative to choose a CPaaS provider that’s reliable and secure for the security of your customer relationships. The best provider should be transparent about their solution’s uptime. They should also be open about their software’s compliance with various data privacy security regulations, both nationally and globally.
Customer Management
To many, customer management appears like a no-brainer, but it’s a critical component of a quality CPaaS provider. A provider should have an account manager dedicated to every customer. Consider whether the providers’ use cases, processes, and communication procedures fit your needs. Only settle for a provider that can serve you as a key customer.
Endnote
A CPaaS solution should simplify and accelerate your digital transformations, regardless of where your business is in its journey. It should also have a great community to complement its customer service and support. Choose a CPaaS provider that fits your budget and provides unique features for your business and customer service needs.