In a time that’s redefining everything we think “normal” means, the COVID pandemic has definitely brought out the importance of communications and interacting virtually more so than ever.
That said, VoIP is two decades old now. I think it’s time to retire the label “VoIP,” short for Voice over Internet Protocol. It seems antiquated, doesn’t it? Cloud communications is the new normal now (just like wearing masks!) so no need to talk VoIP anymore, it’s so 1990s.
With that being said, though, we have to look at the breadth of services that make up cloud comms and acknowledge that the spectrum contains everything from folks still installing PBXs and dropping desk phones to developers building custom solutions on CPaaS APIs. Based on that, I’ll hit 3 points across the spectrum that every modern cloud pro must take advantage of in 2020 and beyond.
Cut Costs with a Robust Least Cost Routing (LCR) Solution
If you’ve been in the business a while, you understand the importance of an LCR engine. Most folks I’ve seen who say they have an LCR though are setting up their routes with an ordered carrier preference. While that’s good for uptime and rerouting failed calls, it doesn’t really help with costs, as there is no real dynamic granularity to truly maximize your margins.
If you’re a thinQ partner, you know this our bread and butter, and can attest to the value and utility of our LCR with 40 high-quality carriers in route and intelligent routing that lowers your costs. For our readers who are not customers yet, we give you full transparency of carrier selection so you can easily build out your outbound routing profiles.
In today’s market, you have to be price competitive and lower your operating expenses more than ever, so let us help you capture more margin.
If you’re not already leveraging SMS in your business or product offerings, you’ve at least heard all the buzz about SMS for business. Did you know that when a business makes outbound calls that are not answered, a very large percentage of those you’re calling are responding via text?
If you’re not leveraging SMS for business, you’re missing valuable interaction with your customers! All of thinQ’s numbers are capable of SMS, so it’s just a matter of turning it on and instantly you have SMS in and out for your thinQ numbers. We provide SMS communication via our simple REST API. If you need help on how to leverage it, no worries, we’ll gladly walk you through it.
Web Browsers are the “New Phone”
Web Real-Time Communications (WebRTC) is another technology that I’m sure you’ve heard of and have used by now. If your products already include WebRTC-based services, great, you may skip ahead!
If not, you are probably still dropping desk phones and attaching them to a cloud PBX service. With all the remote working these days, users have become accustomed to all of the popular web-based services like Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Skype, the list goes on.
People are just used to using their Web browsers to click-to-talk to other people now. Time to start moving your services to the browser! If you’re hosting an IP PBX platform of some sort, even open-source versions, you probably already have WebRTC capabilities. If you’re using a commercial solution, consult your vendor.
I’m partial to FreeSwitch, so if you’re using that or thinking of it, check out “mod_verto” (freeswitch module for webrtc) and “verto communicator” which is an example WebRTC user interface that you can run with your FreeSwitch. I will be giving a webinar in the near future on how to set up a FreeSwitch with thinQ and leverage WebRTC.
Those are 3 things that should spread across the spectrum of cloud comms services. I know many are already taking advantage of these points, but I’ve found there are still many who know about them but haven’t implemented them yet. Usually, it comes down to time and resources, but these three things definitely will help you stay competitive with modern service offerings and up-to-date technology.
