One of the newest startups to make a scene in the telecommunications industry is Aircall. It is based in France and relies on the use of desktop and Chrome apps that use WebRTC to act as virtual phones.
Aircall originally targeted its software toward small business with equally-small support teams of just a handful of individuals. The software was able to create a virtual number that would ring the mobile devices of each team member for the dispersion of company assignments, schedules, or any other important information. Now, it has grown to meet the needs of smaller midsize firms that may have support teams of up to 15 people each.
In an article at TechCrunch, Aircall CEO Oliver Pailhès commented about the present focus of the company and the various features found within the software.
“We launched a desktop and Chrome app that acts as a virtual phone,” Pailhès said. “We worked a lot on collaboration features. We have a shared inbox for the entire team, a shared address book, and more.”
He then commented on the solid base of customers Aircall now has that support the company and could help support its future growth:
“This handful of clients manage between 5 and 15 numbers, with 10 or 20 people using Aircall every day,” he said.
In tandem with its growth, Aircall developers are also working on expanding the platform to sync with other communications and help desk platforms such as Slack and Zendesk. There are plans to integrate with various CRM platforms and release a public API that will allow outside developers to make Aircall their go-to software for all their support team needs.
What Aircall represents in the communications industry is not just what typical startups bring to their markets. It does more than be a copy of a copy. Instead of moving swiftly past its base of initial supporters, it appears to have embraced those clients and listened to their input because they are the ones actively using the software and providing feedback. Moreover, it is holding onto those clients while preparing for the future. A recent seed round with Newfund of $800,000 means that new growth could come quite rapidly, yet there is a feeling that those initial supporters will not be left behind.
For everyone else, this could be just the company they have been looking for. Wait a year or two, and with this continued backing, CRM integration and an API should be in full force, and the client list will no longer be in just the double digits.
Edited by Maurice Nagle