A programmable voice API can be quickly integrated into your company’s software and allows the company to bring its own devices or carrier. It grants users access to a carrier-grade cloud-based telecom system with various collaborative features. A voice API enables a developer to connect their company or client’s existing CRM or app to voice service in the cloud, permitting users to communicate seamlessly using an app. Implementing voice into an app or CRM can improve customer service and boost productivity.
Organizations want to leverage voice technology to connect users on-demand in an increasingly remote business world. Understanding programmable voice APIs and how to choose an API solution to integrate into your company or client’s software can help you decide on an ideal voice API provider for your software integration. We will discuss voice API solutions, guiding you through vital considerations when deciding on a voice API.
Why Would Your Company or Client Want To Integrate Voice Into Its Software?
Corporations are rapidly adopting cloud-based telecom solutions through convenient and reliable programmable APIs. The telecom API market is expected to rise at a compound annual growth rate of more than 15% over the next six years due to the need for secure and scalable cloud-based telecom solutions.
Your company may want to investigate this fast-growing technology to optimize incoming and outgoing voice traffic and allow voice service within an app or CRM. As the developer, your company or client may ask you to assess programmable voice API providers and implement a solution into its current software.
A voice API offers extensive scalability, reliable calling, and automation solutions to reduce resources spent on repetitive calls. It can be part of an all-in-one solution to bolster your company’s communications as part of a unified communications strategy. You can implement voice, messaging, and other communication features into business processes using simple API integration.
How Does a Programmable Voice API Simplify Voice Integration Into an Application?
If you are developing software for a corporation or client, you understand integrating new services can take thousands of lines of code and hours of testing. Integrating voice service into another developer’s code can also be frustrating.
A programmable voice API easily integrates into your current applications in a few lines of code. Most APIs work with popular programming languages and will likely take minutes to integrate using your preferred language.
The leading voice API providers use REST architecture in their APIs for lightweight and frustration-free integration into most programming languages. API providers can include documentation and SDKs for various programming languages like Python, .NET, and PHP to help with this integration.
API providers can make their source code available for microservices in GitHub repositories. You’ll be able to quickly build the experience your client desires without coding the entire service yourself.
Related: Telecom APIs: A Key IT Tool to Scale Services and Improve Customer Experiences
Considerations When Choosing a Programmable Voice API Provider
When deciding on a programmable voice API to integrate into your company or client’s app, CRM, or software, finding an excellent provider is essential to reducing stress on IT professionals and allowing the end user to communicate seamlessly through the software. Up to 55% of organizations claim integration of an API into their software is critical to their business strategy.
Cost
Most voice providers charge a monthly/annual fee for unlimited or a set number of calls. A metered payment plan allows your company to pay for only the minutes consumed during calls. Metered payment plans can generally help a corporation save money by preventing overcharging your company for minutes it does not need. A metered plan will also never leave your company’s users without minutes when they need them.
Voice API providers also charge for features like business phone numbers, custom or vanity phone numbers, local calling, and toll-free calls. If specific calling features are necessary for your company’s app, consider a voice API provider that allows you to integrate these features at a low cost.
For example, toll-free calling can help your company or client avoid carrier-specific fees that may result in unexpected costs. A custom phone number may also be essential for your company to integrate a recognizable number.
Implementation
As discussed above, implementing voice into software from scratch can consume valuable developer resources and may require an in-house PBX or business phone system. An API is a cost and time-efficient choice, but it helps to consider how well the API will integrate into your software.
It helps to look for a REST API to make integration into the app or software easy. Programmable voice APIs with representational state transfer (REST) architecture consume fewer bandwidth resources over HTTP, work with most programming languages, and use simple and uniform commands. REST APIs are preferred for web communication because they are lightweight and compatible with popular data types.
A programmable voice API can generally be implemented into your existing software using a few lines of code, but documentation can be helpful. Look for an API provider that offers developer resources like quick start guides, code examples, and SDKs to help you get your voice-enabled app up and running in your preferred programming language.
Scalability
A programmable voice API provider should have the resources to support your company and its app as it grows. Your company may want to move into increase incoming call capacity or add SMS/MMS to its app. Scalable voice API providers can make these adjustments seamlessly from the cloud.
A scalable voice API provider will be able to provide unified communications integration in an API solution for adding email, SMS, voice, and video to your company’s app. Ideally, a voice API provider will have a wide communication network and dynamically scale inbound calling capacity to suit your company’s fast-growing app.
Reliability
Reliability is a primary concern for business communications, and since many apps require 24/7 performance, your voice API provider should experience minimal downtime. When you choose a programmable voice API to integrate into your company’s app or CRM, the provider should have redundant features to prevent calls from dropping or failing, such as failover capabilities to switch from an offline server to another server. Voice communication should be seamless.
A reliable voice API provider will have a wide network of VoIP servers with quality-of-service (QoS) for crisp and clear voice communication. The voice service should choose the shortest path for better reliability and lower calling costs. Security also contributes to reliability. An ideal voice API provider should have a secure cloud-based network to keep your company’s data safe and its voice services working.
Features
When considering a programmable voice API provider, ensure you are getting a carrier-grade and full-featured experience. The voice service provider should offer the features you need to integrate into your company’s app or software.
Productivity features can include call tracking capabilities and access to caller information through the call detail record (CDR). Automation features can also be useful to handle repetitive calls and control phone queues.
An ideal voice API provider will let you port in numbers quickly and choose a custom business phone number. A programmable voice API provider can also facilitate a company’s need for privacy by allowing it to change the name and number displayed on the user’s caller ID.
Advantages of a Programmable Voice API for Your Company
While simple integration into your company’s software is likely your main reason for choosing a programmable voice API, there are other benefits to choosing a voice API. Using a voice API offers you and your end client some valuable, built in benefits::
- Deploy containerized voice instances to improve business voice efficiency and security
- Click-to-call integration into an app or CRM
- Mobility outside of the office with VoIP-enabled mobile devices
- Carrier-grade reliability and uptime maintained by a world-class cloud-based provider
- Collaborative business features like conference calling
- Tracking and recording calls for analysis and quality assurance
- Allow your company to bring its own devices, carrier, and phone number
- Mask names and phone numbers with relevant business identifiers
Related: Modernize Your Enterprise Communications With a Cloud-based Carrier
Optimize In-App Communications With a Programmable Voice API
A programmable voice API is an efficient solution for integrating voice service into an app, CRM, or business software solution. It saves you or your development team hours of coding and gives you access to carrier-grade service with your existing devices and business phone systems. Voice APIs allow for scaling and automation to position your company or client’s app for long-term success.
A programmable voice API from Flowroute can be implemented in a few lines of code and can have your voice service up and running in minutes. Your company or client will have access to productivity-increasing features and a wide network of voice communication centers to make reliable calls seamlessly.
A voice API from Flowroute connects to the Flowroute HyperNetwork™ for unlimited calling capacity. With Flowroute, you pay for the inbound and outbound calls on a metered basis, so you never pay for more calling time than you use. If you are ready to optimize your company’s in-app voice calling with a programmable voice API solution, get started with Flowroute today.
