By: Venky Balasubramanian

As we close out 2015 and look ahead, it is becoming clear that telecom voice and SMS Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) are finally hitting their stride.  Thanks to the age of mobile communications and apps, the newest and most advanced cloud-based voice & SMS APIs are taking off and are rapidly reshaping the global communications landscape. 

When one looks at the use cases, the “a” in API could just as easily stand for “agility” as for “application".  It’s become all about delivering big capabilities fast and with greater flexibility. Here’s how today’s APIs are accelerating new opportunities for communication service providers, OTT businesses and enterprises alike, enabling them to scale and respond to new market opportunities more nimbly and affordably than ever before.

Enabling Quicker and More Stable Network Builds

API-based SIP Trunking has eliminated the painful months of communication network set-up time typically required in the traditional carrier model. Today, enterprises of all sizes are realizing the benefits, including the ability to successfully launch applications globally in a matter of weeks and verify users anywhere in the world. And gone are the days when to gain reach, companies (and their customers) had to put up with poor voice quality and SMS deliverability. The beauty of cloud-based services is that they are ambidextrous of sorts, able to master two outcomes at once: delivering dramatically improved quality while keeping costs down.

Achieving Growth while Minimizing Fraud with 2-Step Verification

Popular high volume Over-the-Top (OTT) services such as media and messaging apps, as well as ride-sharing and food delivery businesses are leveraging API features to verify and activate new users immediately via mobile voice and SMS. This not only speeds conversion, but it significantly reduces the risk of fraud as each user is connected to a unique phone number. This means companies can be sure of their customer metrics and not have to worry about ‘bots interfering with their business and marketing intelligence. In addition, the uniqueness of a phone number increases security because it's harder to intercept a text message than it is to hack into someone's email to find the password reset. Verification processes can also build in a time limit, requiring the user to type in a code within 30 seconds to increase security. All of this helps companies avoid fraud and security issues that can slow a company’s growth.

Creating a More Nimble Call Center

With Voice APIs, businesses can easily and immediately retrofit their call centers to communicate with customers the way they want to be communicated with – namely on their mobile devices. New text-to-speech campaigns can be easily integrated with most call center systems, often leveraging WebRTC, to reach high volumes of users. These APIs are assisting call centers as more of them move to the cloud for scalability and better international presence, while not having to worry about infrastructure. Text messaging can be an add-on feature that provides sales agents with relevant notifications. And the benefits are three-fold – these features increase customer satisfaction, increase call center efficiency, and reduce costs.

The Accessibility of Voice Broadcasting Is Breeding Agility in New Sectors

Cloud communications APIs are making voice broadcasting functionality a reality in sectors typically slow to adopt new communications techniques. The public sector is using the integration of mass voice broadcasting to rapidly transform the way it communicates with its constituents, from public universities to municipalities to political candidates running for public office at all levels. This type of communications agility was once thought impossible for these types of organizations, but now it’s the standard.