In this article, learn how Telecom APIs unlock the opportunity for companies to scale and build resiliency in 2021.
With the long road of economic recovery ahead, businesses face substantial challenges to getting back on track. In the past year, many company leaders have boosted their company’s digital capabilities by adopting new tools and services that power remote workforces and contactless customer engagement. Because of the flexibility and ease these resources provide, cloud-based technologies have become some of the most popular options for many enterprises.
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Following a strong wave of initial cloud investments in 2020, organizations may want to learn how they can expand on these technologies in order to set themselves up for success and future growth. Not only are these businesses well-positioned to go further with their existing tools but they are likely now comfortable with layering on new tools to their suites.
Businesses have several options for tools that can seamlessly integrate with the resources they already have while creating potential for better customer experiences and improved marketing operations. A top choice among these options is telecom Application Program Interfaces (APIs).
Telecom APIs unlock the opportunity for companies to scale and build resiliency by integrating with some of the marketing functions that businesses already use, like calling, messaging and video chat. As customer preferences evolve and the world economy finds its footing, APIs can be a significant resource for businesses that want to refresh their marketing toolkit to meet the demands of today’s market. Below are a few key examples that business leaders will want to consider as they look to level up their marketing in the coming year.
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Maximizing Phone Numbers
Shifting communications rapidly to respond to the market is a critical driver of success. Telecom APIs can allow businesses to ensure their communications and marketing efforts remain flexible. If an organization needs to change carriers, for example, number porting APIs make this process simpler and easier to manage, ensuring minimal disruption for sales.
Companies can keep their well-known numbers in use so that customers don’t get confused or frustrated. In addition, an API can be used to scale a channel according to how frequently it is used.
Marketing and advertising campaigns can also benefit from APIs. For example, if an ad campaign doesn’t generate as many customer calls as expected, the company can reuse the phone number from the ad for another purpose. When the market suddenly shifts, telecom APIs are incredibly effective tools to make adjustments to marketing and communications resources as needed.
Powering Modern Messaging
Texting is becoming a common preference for customers who want to engage with a business without using their computer or placing a phone call. In fact, most consumers prefer texting over other communications, with 85% of smartphone users indicating a preference for text instead of email. Customers are simply more responsive to this method of communication, where nine out of 10 of people will read a text message within three minutes of receiving it and reply within 90 seconds.
Some businesses have already caught on to this tend and have implemented SMS and MMS texting as part of their communications and marketing offering. To expand on this initial investment and open up new doors for marketing, organizations can consider using Messaging APIs to create more intelligent SMS or MMS communication.
Businesses can use Messaging APIs to send marketing texts to customers who have opted-in to receiving messaging from the company. These can include links to book discounted services or shop for products on sale from their phones. Being able to make the customer experience simpler and creating more impactful marketing starts with showing up where customers are and Messaging APIs are a useful resource for this purpose.
More Informed Customer Interaction
Not only can telecom APIs make communication resources more powerful, they can also allow companies to deliver a data-informed customer experience. Customer calls that come through a telecom API will create a call detail record (CDR) that is linked to the phone number from the inbound call. The CDR gives businesses a record of previous communications with that customer. Should the same customer reach out to the company using that number in the future, the customer service agent can access detailed engagement information and allow for faster service to the customer.
CDRs are also commonly used by companies to inform their marketing plans and ensure the right operational support is in place for upcoming campaigns. Call records help businesses to get a firmer grasp of trends like call volume and originating location, which may provide an indication as to whether a particular ad campaign is effective in a given area. They can then use this information to inform future campaigns, testing and tweaking messaging to see what resonates most with their audience.
And, with many customer service agents working from home, CDRs can help companies understand whether customer needs are being met or whether they need to scale their service teams up or down to meet demand. Quick access to customer support is an influential driver of customer satisfaction, and businesses will want to be sure they’re doing everything possible to keep customers happy.
Using telecom APIs gives businesses an opportunity to sharpen their marketing approach and be nimble and responsive to customers’ changing needs and preferences. By deepening their existing tools and resources with telecom APIs, companies can confidently forge a successful future—even as they face significant obstacles.
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