Introduction
Sumesh Menon from Message Central went to Amsterdam in September 2023 to witness the whole CPaaS industry coming together at #CASA23 by CPaaS Acceleration Alliance.
As the world navigates post-pandemic waters, CPaaS providers are poised for a new era of expansion and evolution. Having harnessed the momentum of digital transformation and heightened customer engagement during the COVID-19 crisis, the industry is now turning its sights towards a future of consolidation and sustainable growth.
The goal? To soar to new heights, with a collective vision of achieving a remarkable $100 billion in industry revenues by the dawn of 2030.
Conference’s Key Pointers
Here are the 8 major takeaways as narrated by Message Central's founder and MD, Sumesh Menon on himself :
"I had the good fortune of attending the recently concluded #CASA23 by CPaaS Acceleration Alliance at the Royal Amsterdam Tropical institute. It was an enlightening event 2 days, with some great content, speakers and hosts (Rob Kurver) at a stunning venue”.
“It was an enlightening event 2 days, with some great content, speakers and hosts (Rob Kurver) at a stunning venue"
- Sumesh Menon
Here are 8 takeaways from the inaugural CASA 2023:
- Trust is Key: The highlight keyword of the event that weaved through every track was the emphasis by industry to build trust across the value chain. It is imperative for the industry to come together and make accountability and transparency front and center of every business engagement.
- Collaboration x Telco: The conference underscored the need for the Telco (CSP) community to push beyond their comfort zones and come together to play an active role evolution and acceleration of CPaaS. The progress made by CAMARA alliance in Programmable Networks and also case studies from KPN and Deutsche Telekom were insightful, In order for Telco’s to truly convert into a Techco, they need is to reset the operating DNA, redefine the customer and enrich the current API infrastructure to be future ready.
- CPaas 3.0 to 4.0 – Adnan Saleem from Radisys Corporation explained that we are currently at version 3.0 with omnichannel digital engagements including video and chatbots. The next transition will be AI enabled engagement aligned with industry 4.0 Automation and 5G enablement. This new era will be a convergence of Programmable communications + Programmable Networks + Conversation and Vision AI powered by 5G and Edge computing.
- API led Business Models: The growing adoption of the API based models (SaaS) are have transformed the way enterprise customer now engage, source and buy consumer connectivity. 2FA, alerts, OTP SMS, notifications are some well-known examples of how CPAAS providers are converting Network APIs to enterprise ready service APIs.
- Shaking off the Legacy: 75% of the current CPaas industry is driven by large enterprise and hyperscalers. Moreover, only 15% of the revenue comes from non voice and non messaging solutions. In order to unlock value, they will need to find ways to drive SME adoption at scale and diversify to omnichannel offerings.
- Defining the Customer: The decision maker at the enterprise has moved from a pure IT and technology stakeholder to a diverse set of stakeholders with different needs, hence the demand lead can originate from Product, CX or marketing. In addition to this understanding and connecting with the developer community is imperative for the continued success of API based business models.
- Tech Shift in CPaaS: Newer authentication solutions like SIMSwap detection, flash call, silent mobile notifications provide advanced authentication beyond OTP SMS. The growing popularity of OTT messaging channels at the global and regional level provide a richer customer engagement experience.
- RCS Message Potentials: The rich media messaging service is seeing a resurgence of interest globally. Some use cases implemented in market have demonstrated high conversion and user engagement rate. The kind of seamless, OTT like user experience that can be achieved by RCS shows tremendous potential in the face of competition from OTT channels.One case study presented by Telekom Deutschland and Infobip, showcased a 2X performance growth over conventional messaging and significantly high metrics across open rates, engagement and conversion percentage. One challenge with RCS is the non-availability on iOS which can be a challenge in markets with high iPhone penetration."
Alliances like that of CPaaS Acceleration Alliance provide a space to the entire industry to collaborate and steer the tech improvements.
Message Central is excited about our continued participation in events like these, where we can contribute to and benefit from the ongoing innovation and growth of the CPaaS ecosystem.
