CPaaS Unveiled: Elevating Customer Experiences Through Cloud-Based Communication Solutions
CPaaS, or Communications Platform as a Service, is a cloud-based platform enabling businesses to incorporate communications functionality into their existing applications and workflows. CPaaS provides communications features so developers, ISVs, SaaS companies and other businesses can easily send messages and initiate phone calls from their own software.
A CPaaS platform is used by businesses of all sizes who want to improve their communications processes be it with customers or internal teams. With a CPaaS platform, you can quickly and easily develop messaging and call solutions, enabling SMS, MMS and programmatic voice into your own application within minutes.
Best of all, there’s no need to hire expensive developers or IT staff—CPaaS platforms are easy to use and require little coding knowledge. Simply sign up with a CPaaS provider, use their API, and start building communications solutions into your own workflow.
There are a handful of CPaaS providers, each offering a unique set of features. Consider your specific needs and budget to find the right communications platform for your business.
What Are the Benefits of CPaas?
Every company needs to communicate with its customers in various ways based on the wishes and needs of the customers. This is where CPaaS comes into play. Businesses now have access to SMS, MMS, programmatic voice, and elastic SIP trunking—CPaaS enables all of these use cases.
The following are practical benefits of CPaaS for all business communications:
Cost-effectiveness
Utilizing a cloud solution removes the need to establish your own backend infrastructure. With CPaaS, you are not required to invest in hardware servers and their accompanying upgrade and maintenance costs.
The “as-a-service” way also provides significant cost savings as you are freed from allocating resources to in-house development – developers’ salaries, workspace organization, licensing fees, telecommunication experts who stay up-to-date on the latest regulations, etc.
You gain access to a robust solution with minimal development time spent.
Increased flexibility
Flexibility is one of the key advantages that CPaaS platforms offer. It gives you the agility to scale up as your communications needs change. With on-premise solutions, making changes can be slow and complicated, requiring reprogramming or reinstalling software. With cloud-based communications, you have the power to make real-time changes without downtime.
Improved security
Security is always a top concern for businesses, especially regarding customer data. Most CPaaS providers use the latest security technologies to protect and keep your customers’ data confidential. They also follow strict compliance standards, such as PCI DSS and HIPAA, to ensure that data is always safe.
Increased customer satisfaction
By utilizing the latest communications technologies, you can provide a better customer experience and increase satisfaction levels. Most customers prefer text over email. And texts are generally read within 3 minutes. With a CPaaS platform, you can incorporate text messaging into your application and increase customer satisfaction.
CPaaS Use Cases
The following are ways different companies are leveraging CPaaS technology:
Lyft
Lyft is a ride-hailing company that uses a CPaaS provider to power communications within its app. The technology has completely transformed the way that Lyft runs its call center operations. Not only is it more efficient, but it also allows for future growth and innovation.
Lyft uses a CPaaS platform to automatically send text notifications to customers during critical points in their interactions, such as when a driver accepts a requested ride, arrives at the pickup location, or if the ride is changed or canceled.
The technology enabling these notifications has also allowed Lyft to automate its ‘Lost and Found’ feature. This automation has significantly decreased call volume and eliminated postage costs associated with ‘Lost-and-Found.’
Lyft users rely on the company to provide thirty million daily interactions with drivers. To make those interactions more efficient and without issue, Lyft uses a CPaaS platform for its communications needs. This ensures a better experience for both riders and drivers.
Airbnb
Airbnb is a popular home-sharing platform that allows people to rent out their properties to guests from all over the world. The company uses a CPaaS provider to power its two-way messaging features, which allows hosts and guests to communicate with each other before, during, and after a stay. With Airbnb’s CPaaS-powered messaging feature, hosts and guests can easily coordinate their plans, ask questions, and resolve any issues that may arise.
Instacart
Instacart is a grocery delivery service that allows users to order groceries from their favorite stores and deliver them to their doorsteps. The company uses CPaaS to provide a better customer experience by sending out automated tasks, such as order tracking and updates. This has resulted in shorter wait times and more satisfied customers.
Dell
The tech giant, Dell, has incorporated CPaaS-powered SMS to improve customer satisfaction through increased communication. During notable online shopping holidays, such as Black Friday, Dell sends their customers SMS notifications to update them on the status of their orders in near-real time.
Credit card fraud prevention is crucial, especially during high-traffic shopping holidays like Black Friday. For example, many consumers who shop on Dell.com also purchase items from other sites. If a customer’s credit card is flagged for fraud, banks will put the order on hold automatically.
Using a CPaaS platform, Dell can automatically send the customer a text notification as soon as their order is placed on hold. This allows customers to quickly contact their bank and Dell to rectify any issues and complete their purchase while the purchase process is still fresh in their minds.
Dell also harnesses the power of CPaaS to make order tracking more efficient by text. An SMS is automatically sent to customers when their orders ship so they can immediately access shipping information and track their package with little effort.
