Flexible, cloud-based solutions for communication, collaboration and customer service are quickly becoming the norm for today’s CX leaders. CCaaS platforms have given business leaders the freedom to unlock new levels of scalability and business continuity, even in a time of hybrid and remote work.
However, as more companies transition into the cloud, they need more flexible, cloud-based solutions. CPaaS, or Communication Platform as a Service technology, allows brands to embed communication technologies for serving customers into their existing tools, and create automated workflows to boost business efficiencies.
As the CPaaS market accelerates towards a value of $45.3 billion by 2027, vendors in the CX space are beginning to introduce their own CPaaS offerings to today’s contact centers. Here are just some of the top vendors worth exploring in 2023.
- Twilio
- Bandwidth
- IntelePeer
- Plivo
- Mitto
- Radisys
- Sinch
- Toku
- Vonage
- Cisco Webex
- Microsoft ACS
- MessageBird
- Kandy
- HORISEN
- Avaya
- Infobip
Twilio
Offering a host of solutions for companies looking to invest in better customer experiences, Twilio is one of the best-known brands in the CPaaS space today. The company has its own Customer Engagement Platform offering, as well as a range of CPaaS solutions tailored towards contact centers.
Within the Twilio Flex landscape, business leaders can find numerous fully-customizable and programmable solutions for connecting with customers through SMS, voice, and video. Twilio offers geographically distributed hosting, a horizontally scalable architecture, and easy-to-use APIs to help reach clients across numerous digital channels. The programmable contact centre platform even allows brands to integrate numerous tools within their ecosystem into a single pane of glass.
Bandwidth
Vendor of numerous UCaaS, CCaaS, and cloud computing tools, Bandwidth empowers businesses of all sizes to accelerate their digital transformation initiatives. As both an API provider and network owner, Bandwidth can assist companies and software developers with no telecommunications background, allowing them to embed real-time communications into their existing portfolios.
Bandwidth’s CPaaS platform delivers access to APIs for messaging capabilities, authentication and security functions, and SMS communications. Plus, companies can also leverage voice and WebRTC APIs from the same brand. The Bandwidth ecosystem even integrates with other platforms from leading vendors like Microsoft and RingCentral.
IntelePeer
Customer experience platform vendors, IntelePeer delivers numerous solutions for the modern contact center, including smart cloud queuing tools, omnichannel campaign automation services, and inbound spam protection. IntelePeer supports business leaders in embedding numerous tools into their communication ecosystem. There are tools available for sending bill reminders, providing users with self-service options, and even gathering feedback.
IntelePeer’s platform supports both internal and external communications, with APIs for customer experience management, caller ID, and AI automation. The communications automation service also integrates directly with existing tools, to allow companies to build in their existing investments.
Plivo
Committed to helping companies unlock the power of mobile in customer communications, Plivo’s CPaaS solutions deliver access to APIs for voice, MMS, and SMS capabilities. The all-in-one platform solution gives teams the freedom to choose from a range of API solutions for voice, SMS, and more, so they can serve their clients across any channel. Plivo also has its own dedicated contact center environment with programmable capabilities in the form of Contacto.
Delivered as a part of Plivo’s wider cloud communication portfolio, the CPaaS solution offered by Plivo can also be enhanced with additional services from the brand, such as dedicated SIP trunking, automation capabilities, and phone system IVR tools. Plus, companies can also utilize automation capabilities for voice notifications, service status updates and alerts.
Mitto
Omnichannel communications software vendor Mitto delivers a programmable environment where businesses can build and customize unique communication experiences. Users can leverage an end-to-end performance platform with telco connections to over 800 carriers, developer documentation, AI-powered routing, and pay-as-you-go pricing packages.
Alternatively, business leaders with limited developer resources can take advantage of pre-built APIs, integrations, and tools. Mitto can assist brands with diving into the areas of chat, social media, voice, SMS, and mobile intelligence in their CPaaS strategy. Plus, there are tools available for building automated and programmable workflows too.
Radisys
Concentrating on the service provider landscape, as well as enterprise businesses, Radisys helps users build omnichannel communication environments via programmable tools. Solutions offered by the team range from video and voice capabilities which can be embedded into existing apps and workflows, to flexible analytics and conferencing services.
With the Radisys CPaaS platform, companies can build automated workflows for customer care, immersive marketing, team collaboration and more. Radisys also offers a variety of network services to business leaders looking for digital transformation, as well as custom development support for those without the necessary skill sets to build and implement APIs.
Sinch
Sinch empowers business leaders and service providers to delight customers across a range of channels. The Sinch customer engagement platform is a CPaaS solution with built-in tools for messaging, voice, and email. Companies can also leverage Sinch technologies to build chatbots and automated workflows to streamline customer communications.
Sinch provides direct access to common communication tools like WhatsApp. Plus, it assists brands with maintaining compliance standards through a dedicated authentication API. The SDKs and APIs created by the brand can be adapted to virtually any preferred coding language. Moreover, Sinch offers extensive developer documentation and tutorials for each tool.
Toku
Cloud communications vendor, Toku, launched during the pandemic to help companies embed real-time communication capabilities into their existing platforms. The brand specializes in delivering bespoke, custom features and integrations tailored to the needs of each company, with 24/7 support from a team of developers. With automated workflows, companies can also connect all of their digital tools to their existing legacy investments.
Toku offers programmable solutions for Microsoft Teams, and tools available from the company can integrate with various WFM, CRM, and security systems too. What’s more, business owners can also access AI-powered solutions for sentiment analysis and reporting, built into their programmable toolkits.
Vonage
Specializing in conversational commerce, contact center software, and unified communications, Vonage assists businesses of all sizes across the globe. The company’s CPaaS offering comes in the form of a carefully created solution of communication APIs. These pre-built tools allow organizations to implement voice, video, authentication, and SMS capabilities into their toolkits.
The Vonage platform has access to a complete developer center, where users can unlock various documents, resources, and tutorials for guidance. There are also tools available for linking tools to existing platforms, such as WhatsApp and Microsoft Teams. Users can even explore two-factor authentication and conversational AI solutions from Vonage.
Cisco Webex
Cisco Webex produces tools for UCaaS, CCaaS, and CPaaS customers in today’s digital landscape. The Webex Connect ecosystem is the core CPaaS offering from the brand, designed to allow companies to build custom interaction workflows into their operations. The enterprise-ready platform includes a variety of tools for building and testing applications in any environment.
Cisco Webex supports users in the use of APIs and SDKs and even has its own offerings for companies taking advantage of low-code capabilities. Application options built into the platform range from Webex Campaign for marketing automation, to Webex Engage, for empowering omnichannel customer interactions.
Microsoft ACS
As Microsoft continues to expand into the communication world, the company has begun exploring new opportunities in the programmable landscape. The Azure Communication Services (ACS) platform empowers companies with a collection of cloud-based services with client library SDKs and REST APIs, so teams can embed communications into existing applications.
Azure Communication Services support a variety of communication formats, from voice and video calling to rich text chat, email, and SMS. Users can also acquire phone numbers directly through ACS or connect custom client apps and services and the PSTN to their ecosystem however they choose. Companies can also link their communication environment to Microsoft Teams.
MessageBird
The MessageBird CPaaS ecosystem is a collection of API solutions which support brands in bringing communication capabilities into their workflows in an extensible format. Business leaders can leverage tools for building unified inboxes, video scheduling applications, SMS, and voice conversations. There are also APIs available for email, WhatsApp, Google, Instagram, and push notification messages.
Within the flexible MessageBird ecosystem, developers will find tools for automation and the creation of custom FAQ bots and assistants. There are even drag-and-drop building tools available for companies exploring the low-code landscape. MessageBird CPaaS solutions also include options for adding two-factor authentication into existing apps.
Kandy
Part of AVC Technologies, Kandy is a Cloud Communications platform offering white-labelled solutions to service providers. With Kandy, vendors can integrate any voice, video, messaging, chat, or collaboration into any app or business process. The CPaaS offering includes a range of SDKs and API options to choose from, as well as pre-built integrations.
Alongside programmable APIs, the Kandy CPaaS offering also includes access to third-party applications from an ISV ecosystem and a marketplace featuring a range of vertical market applications, with the ability to overlap existing SIP and UCaaS solutions with WebRTC.
HORISEN
Referred to by many as a CPaaS-enabler, HORISEN assists service providers in creating scalable, tailor-made solutions for communications and customer service. HORISEN focuses on developing simple software for businesses to use in their platforms, with direct access to SMS platforms, business messenger tools, MNP lookup services, and inbound SMS.
The suite of tools includes a comprehensive range of tools for mobile business messaging, as well as a dedicated testing platform where developers can examine the functionality of their applications. Users can leverage white-labelled solutions, workflow automation capabilities, and a fully managed service from the HORISEN development team.
Avaya
Delivered as part of Avaya’s comprehensive portfolio of communication and customer experience tools, Avaya’s communication APIs allow teams to rapidly add programmable functionality into their existing workflows. The CPaaS solutions come with AI capabilities and data-driven automation capabilities, so teams can access solutions for voice, messaging and more as quickly as possible.
Unlike some other CPaaS providers, Avaya offers a selection of general APIs for real-time communications alongside tools specially designed for specific industry verticals. Toolkits are available for healthcare and banking companies, as well as members of the public sector.
Infobip
Communications platform vendor, Infobip, has been experimenting with the power of CPaaS for some time. The CPaaS X solution offered by the company is the next evolution of the Infobip CPaaS API stack, brimming with enhanced tools for business owners. The solution allows companies to tap into a range of tools for messaging, voice, and data management, with flexible, and modular technology.
Companies can pick and choose the APIs they need and implement them into their applications and workflows quickly. Plus, team leaders have complete control over deciding which information and data they want to collect and manage. The APIs are designed to be flexible, and they come with support from the Infobip technology team, so businesses can access assistance with connecting all of their crucial applications and communication resources.
