By Darach
Beirne, Vice President of Customer Success at Flowroute,
now part of Intrado
As businesses across
the globe continue to adapt to the ongoing pandemic, many
have migrated to cloud-based communication systems and workplace tools to maintain
business continuity, and improve remote collaboration within teams and interactions
with customers. But the shift to remote work was sudden and many businesses made
quick decisions and swift migrations to cloud-based telecom providers without a
long-term plan.
Looking ahead,
while some businesses will embrace remote work long-term, other will begin the
task of planning for a shift to a hybrid system of remote and in-person operations.
In either case, IT decision makers will look to better understand and improve
their cloud communication investments to maximize their return on investment.
A growing trend
in the cloud telecom market is likely to gain even more traction as a result: Adopting
a be-your-own-carrier (BYOC) communications model.
BYOC Communications
Strategies
In summary, the
BYOC model provides enterprises or third-party software developers with direct
access to public carrier-level telephony services through partnerships with
cloud-based communications providers. By using APIs, enterprises can build custom
communications offerings into their existing services. Another version of BYOC
exists where businesses can adopt a bring-your-own carrier model.
Bringing your own carrier simply means businesses have the flexibility to take their
own carrier to their platform of choice rather than being forced into a single carrier
or a bundled approach. This is similar, but distinct from the
be-your-own-carrier model.
Benefits of Being
Your Own Carrier
The BYOC model
is an appealing solution because it gives the business or third-party developer
the control to design and deploy services that meet the unique needs of their operations
and customers. This control creates new ways for enterprises to innovate and differentiate
products and services by incorporating tailored communications capabilities.
Examples include masked phone numbers to maintain privacy of contract workers
for companies like Uber and Rover, or dynamic location tracking of a phone
number for emergency services.
Flexibility is
another advantage of the BYOC model. In today's marketplace, customers' needs
are constantly changing, and businesses must be flexible and adapt to their needs.
The BYOC model allows enterprises to make changes without having to invest in
new equipment or engage with a new service provider. For example, if data shows
that customers prefer texting vs. calling when communicating with a company,
the business can adjust offerings to match that change in preference and
engagement.
The Role of Telecom
Providers
In response to
this trend, cloud communication providers are tailoring services for enterprise
customers by offering BYOC solutions that deliver greater transparency and
allow the business to take control of their telecom. While it may seem that this
shift would displace telecom providers, industry experts expect it will open
new revenue streams and channels to market existing services. And given the
strict and complex FCC regulations, there will continue to be an important role
for telecom companies to manage the direct connection to the telephone network
and bear this regulatory burden - something that most companies are not
equipped to handle.
Communications
solutions encompassing a variety of telecom APIs create the most robust BYOC
models. Businesses that adopt the BYOC model may choose to work with multiple
telecom providers, which will increase competition between providers and lead
to more innovation in the telecom industry. Those that offer the greatest access
and control will emerge victorious.
As businesses recalibrate
and plan for the future, they'll take stock of the new technologies they
implemented in the early days of the pandemic and seek opportunities to
maximize the investment. Cloud-based communications technology and the BYOC
model present the perfect opportunity to crop up stronger and nimbler in the quickly
evolving business world.
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About the
Author
Darach
Beirne is vice president of customer success at Flowroute,
now part of Intrado. With more than 25 years of experience building and
leading B2B customer success, Darach leads Flowroute's dedicated customer
support team, driving strategy for customer success and improved customer
satisfaction. Prior to joining Flowroute, Darach lead professional service and
sales engineering teams for providers such as Contenix, Huawei/3Leafsytems,
InQuira, Siebel/Scopus and Ingres. He also has assisted high-tech companies
develop strategies to improve the customer experience and increase scalability.