Virtual Office Resource

Communications Platforms as a Service offer a range functionality. But whatever their specific needs, this cloud-based approach makes it more affordable and less complex for organizations of all kinds to enjoy and employ real-time communications. That helps them better meet customer and internal needs in our always-connected, multi-screen world.

For example, help desk services provider uses CPaaS for call tracking, click to call, SMS, and WebRTC.

Medical research firm Parkinson’s Voice Initiative employs CPaaS for its IVR functionality and to mask phone numbers.

And Lyft and Uber leverage CPaaS to deliver account and SMS arrival alerts, and field service and order notifications. They also employ CPaaS functions to do driver recruitment, to mask phone numbers, and to make voice calls.

Using one interface to interact with customers, and be able to message a colleague to get an answer while you’re working with the customer, can be especially helpful. These communications and collaboration capabilities can also be embedded into existing business applications. And they can even tie in with endpoint devices that want to get in on the conversation.

“CPaaS represents a new technology and business model for communicating person to person and device to device,” Gartner (News - Alert) says. “It can enable innovative business solutions for communicating with customers and employees, and connecting operational systems and devices. CPaaS can significantly reduce costs for many enterprises.”

Gartner expects the CPaaS market to be worth $4.63 billion by 2021. IDC (News - Alert) forecasts the CPaaS space will reach a $8 billion valuation next year.

"We have seen the growth of CPaaS solutions on the backs on UCaaS solutions,” says Todd Carothers, executive vice president of sales and marketing at CounterPath (News - Alert) Corp. “This is because developers are looking for more than off-the-shelf solutions. They are looking for ways to easily insert their preferred
communications methods into their applications and/or workflows.”