CPaaS, or "Communications Platform as a Service" has introduced the world of communications and collaboration to a new era of flexibility. Companies of all sizes can use CPaaS to build crucial features for communication into the heart of their daily processes.
With CPaaS, organisations can access everything they need for an effective digital transformation, including presence tools, workflow management, and instant messaging, all through simple solutions like SDKs and APIs. For those who can't afford to compromise with a one-size-fits-all communication stack, there are few things more effective than CPaaS. In fact, around 85% of companies say that using APIs will be critical to their growth going forward.
We caught up with some of the leaders in the CPaaS realm, including Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, Ribbon, and Voximplant, to discuss where the industry is heading as we approach 2020.
What CPaaS Trends Helped to Shape 2019?
To gain a comprehensive view of the future, we often need to look at the past, and how certain trends have led us to the point that we're at today. In 2019, the CPaaS industry grew drastically, accelerated by the growing demand for more flexible and custom communication stacks. We asked our Roundtable experts what they thought some of the leading trends were for 2019.
Matteo Kotch, Cloud Business Development Manager of ALE:
The Cloud Business Development Manager for Alcatel Lucent Enterprise told us that one of the biggest trends for 2019 was the increasing demand for "hypermobility" and flexible working.
"Whether working remotely, on the go or simply using mobile devices (connected to public networks) in the workplace, companies realise that to be able to successfully attract and retain productive talent, they need to be flexible in the way that their employees work and from where"
According to Kotch, the rise of the Millennial workforce and generation Z means that flexibility will become increasingly crucial going forward. More businesses are beginning to use technology like ALE's Rainbow UCaaS and CPaaS platforms to deliver contextual and collaborative communications to users wherever they are. Indeed, Timewise notes that 15.3% of job adverts now offer flexible working as an option. What's more, Forbes found that 92% of millennials prioritise flexibility when job hunting.
Sacha Gera, SVP of Cloud Products Ribbon:
According to Ribbon, 2019 was a year of significant growth for the CPaaS environment. CPaaS saw a double-digit growth level in the second quarter of 2019 alone. As vendors continue to compete, many are adding new communication channels that combine messaging, voice, video and other channels with intelligent tools like AI and IoT.
"CPaaS adoption has expanded beyond the original adopters, on-demand companies such as Uber, to encompass companies in more ‘traditional' areas including retail, banking, and health care where customer engagement and integration with business processes are critical."
Ribbon believes that wrappers or pre-packaged applications will be useful to streamline the adoption of CPaaS, as well visual building and low-code tools. "We are also seeing advanced Communications Service Providers offer up marketplaces that offer their business customers new options for implementing real-time communications quickly and easily, driving new revenue streams."
Alexy Aylarov, CEO and Co-founder of Voximplant:
Co-founder and CEO of Voximplant, Alexy Aylarov, noted that in 2019, carriers began to deliver more CPaaS platforms by working with CPaaS vendors that could provide white-label offerings.
"2020 will see additional carriers enter this market through partnerships as they will be able to share the risk while simultaneously rapidly launching CPaaS offerings to their customers"
"As the customer base broadens, we’ll see growth in the development of turnkey digital solutions helping to accelerate the integration of communications into a customer’s web site and mobile applications."
Additional enhancements in the CPaaS environment are likely to emerge as artificial intelligence, natural language processing, transcription, and analytics pave the way for more immersive cloud-based solutions and services. "We also expect to see more of these solutions being developed for specific verticals, and additional integration between UCaaS and CPaaS solutions. This will ensure that existing communications solutions will be part of the business process integration introduced within the CPaaS platform."
What Technologies are Creating the Biggest Opportunities?
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Matteo Kotch[/caption]
Most of the communication and collaboration environment today is caught up in its own kind of digital transformation. The arrival of new innovations and technologies has changed the way that we approach CPaaS, with everything from new low-code APIs, to immersive app-building systems. We asked our roundtable contributors for their insights into the technologies that represent the biggest opportunities in CPaaS.
The Cloud Business Development Manager for ALE, Matteo Kotch, noted that to better engage with employees and customer and simplify daily processes, companies are looking at intelligent technology. Indeed, the demand for smart communication capabilities is growing for both staff and customers alike. Questions on how a business can benefit from things like IoT and AI are now emerging in the modern landscape.
"Inserting AI into a communication flow can help optimise customer engagement by promoting self-service and (at times) engaging a helpful human contact if the AI senses frustration or hesitation (Sentiment analysis) by the customer. Using AI enables the optimisation of agent resources while simultaneously addressing most routine interactions."
Kotch noted that connecting objects and sensors into a process flow in the business landscape can stimulate better decision making and handling of emergency situations. According to DZone, IoT and AI together could promise a new future for communication and business processes.
Alexy Aylarov[/caption]
Sacha Gera[/caption]
