Sipuni: development path from a virtual PBX to a SaaS-service for receiving phone calls
Hi, Habr! For eight years now I've been doing IP telephony. And for these eight years it has not unwound enough, despite its limitless possibilities.
Despite the ubiquitous development of instant messengers, chats, emails, no business can do without the most humane, fast and understandable way to communicate with customers - voice communication. Prices, quality, equipment have changed, but one thing has not changed since 2007: complex settings of the software and even more complex settings of the equipment. Well, still IP-telephony has not found its market, with the exception of niche solutions, except that more and more integrations with CRM-systems have started to appear recently.
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The complexity of IP telephony for the end client literally deprived me of sleep, I decided to create my own Sipuni service — easy to set up, easily scalable, and combining all the advantages of a cloud service and a virtual PBX.
So, I am developing a Sipuni service for Internet telephony. With the service, you can rent a multi-channel phone number and receive calls directly to your computer. Without buying equipment and without complicated settings - right in the browser. But this service Sipuni came later - it all started with the idea of ​​simplifying the configuration of the call logic. We came up with a graphic designer that helps to create a scheme of an incoming or outgoing call. The user thinks over the script and simply collects a visual algorithm, simultaneously recording the time of work, speech modules, messages for the client. For example, in just 10 minutes you can set up several important things for office telephony by simply dragging the icons.
I’m sure it was a lot of work in order to provide companies, as it seemed to me, the main thing. By simplifying the configuration of scenarios, we allowed customers to design interesting processing options, retain the client in every possible way and transfer it within the company.
However, at the start of using the program, I noticed a difficult thing - the employee must answer the call using some kind of virtual or real terminal (telephone). It turned out that each installation had to be accompanied by the departure of our specialist to adjust the equipment or the presence of a technical specialist from the client. These guys had to set up the router, stretch all the necessary wires, set up the phones via the web interface (even if using Autoprovision). Of course, for a professional it is not difficult, but for a small business up to 10 people this is an additional cost for the payment of specialist services, plus for each installed phone (which is from 3,000 rubles). The use of softphones did not solve the problem - setting up even the simplest softphone is another test for an inexperienced manager. Here, for example, is a window that can frighten almost any office worker who needs only to set up a telephone and make calls.
Both hardware and software devices for modern IP-telephony provide impressive functionality and allow you to solve problems with the organization of additional services and services, provide high quality voice transmission. Every year new phones and softphones appear on the market, but the principle of their operation remains unchanged: complex setup, complex maintenance, and expenses for specialists. Is it really impossible to bypass at least a part of these costs?
The term “Internet telephony” continued to excite me. Yes, the connection is by IP-protocol, but nevertheless, the settings are made on the server, we call via softphone, application, equipment. And what if you take and call directly from the browser? This is very convenient for a quick start of a small company for which business processes are closely related to telephony - cold calling, technical support, telemarketing, and so on. All the logic and all our voice processing programs are located on servers that are connected to the Internet. If our servers are on the Internet, why not strive to stay there? Let's take calls where end users use the Internet — in a browser. We will not install programs, customize them, update, etc., give a voice immediately to the browser! I began to study the problem seriously and went to WebRTC, an open source project designed to organize streaming data transfer between browsers and other applications. Thanks to him, he managed to realize the idea of ​​a real Internet telephony.
The possibilities offered by the use of telephony in the browser, gives serious advantages from the point of view of the end user.
The combination of the listed opportunities provides the company with a reliable and convenient IP-telephony system, which is easily implemented, starts quickly, changes flexibly and does not require a highly paid specialist to service.
We launched sales of the Sipuni service in 2013, and during this time about 800 clients have joined us. Every month we miss 1.5 million minutes of traffic and have 2500 active users. Of course, this allows us to receive income, which gives us the opportunity to continue to develop and conduct experiments. But, in addition, this is the experience of communicating with customers and their attraction, numerous cases that help to understand what customers need and what they see as the advantage of our service over other popular competitors. I'll tell you about some of their findings.
We know how important IP-telephony is in business and we address our service to those who are at the start or ready for expansion, who need to be in touch with the client, and the mobile and landline phones have become scarce. We are at the beginning of the journey from the virtual PBX to the SaaS-service for receiving phone calls. In the future, the service will be developed, and we will be able to offer our clients a full range of services related to Internet telephony - simply, quickly and in the cloud.
I will not be cunning - Sipuni will not serve as the root cause of additional sales, but you will get many benefits and comfortable working conditions. And this ensures that managers can work effectively with clients without losing any of them.
Despite the ubiquitous development of instant messengers, chats, emails, no business can do without the most humane, fast and understandable way to communicate with customers - voice communication. Prices, quality, equipment have changed, but one thing has not changed since 2007: complex settings of the software and even more complex settings of the equipment. Well, still IP-telephony has not found its market, with the exception of niche solutions, except that more and more integrations with CRM-systems have started to appear recently.
')
The complexity of IP telephony for the end client literally deprived me of sleep, I decided to create my own Sipuni service — easy to set up, easily scalable, and combining all the advantages of a cloud service and a virtual PBX.
Moving chips: call logic in 10 minutes
So, I am developing a Sipuni service for Internet telephony. With the service, you can rent a multi-channel phone number and receive calls directly to your computer. Without buying equipment and without complicated settings - right in the browser. But this service Sipuni came later - it all started with the idea of ​​simplifying the configuration of the call logic. We came up with a graphic designer that helps to create a scheme of an incoming or outgoing call. The user thinks over the script and simply collects a visual algorithm, simultaneously recording the time of work, speech modules, messages for the client. For example, in just 10 minutes you can set up several important things for office telephony by simply dragging the icons.
- Write an IVR for a response to the client after hours or for forwarding to the required service
- Ask the need to download information from the integrated with Sipuni CRM - the manager knows in advance what the caller's name is and can call him by name.
- Register speech modules for automatic responses to customers. You can load a pre-recorded audio file, or you can type the text in a special window, select a voice, and the Sipuni system will announce the text in a few seconds.
- Set the rules for processing an incoming call in case a customer calls during non-working hours and needs to be redirected to round-the-clock service, fax or voice menu.
I’m sure it was a lot of work in order to provide companies, as it seemed to me, the main thing. By simplifying the configuration of scenarios, we allowed customers to design interesting processing options, retain the client in every possible way and transfer it within the company.
Difficulty setting
However, at the start of using the program, I noticed a difficult thing - the employee must answer the call using some kind of virtual or real terminal (telephone). It turned out that each installation had to be accompanied by the departure of our specialist to adjust the equipment or the presence of a technical specialist from the client. These guys had to set up the router, stretch all the necessary wires, set up the phones via the web interface (even if using Autoprovision). Of course, for a professional it is not difficult, but for a small business up to 10 people this is an additional cost for the payment of specialist services, plus for each installed phone (which is from 3,000 rubles). The use of softphones did not solve the problem - setting up even the simplest softphone is another test for an inexperienced manager. Here, for example, is a window that can frighten almost any office worker who needs only to set up a telephone and make calls.
Real Internet Telephony
Both hardware and software devices for modern IP-telephony provide impressive functionality and allow you to solve problems with the organization of additional services and services, provide high quality voice transmission. Every year new phones and softphones appear on the market, but the principle of their operation remains unchanged: complex setup, complex maintenance, and expenses for specialists. Is it really impossible to bypass at least a part of these costs?
The term “Internet telephony” continued to excite me. Yes, the connection is by IP-protocol, but nevertheless, the settings are made on the server, we call via softphone, application, equipment. And what if you take and call directly from the browser? This is very convenient for a quick start of a small company for which business processes are closely related to telephony - cold calling, technical support, telemarketing, and so on. All the logic and all our voice processing programs are located on servers that are connected to the Internet. If our servers are on the Internet, why not strive to stay there? Let's take calls where end users use the Internet — in a browser. We will not install programs, customize them, update, etc., give a voice immediately to the browser! I began to study the problem seriously and went to WebRTC, an open source project designed to organize streaming data transfer between browsers and other applications. Thanks to him, he managed to realize the idea of ​​a real Internet telephony.
The possibilities offered by the use of telephony in the browser, gives serious advantages from the point of view of the end user.
- We were able to make the workplace of an employee, which is available and works immediately after a simple registration. Now this workplace looks ascetic and performs the minimum necessary tasks. Ahead - the history of calls, listening and other necessary functions, which are often so lacking either on an IP phone, or on a softphone, or on a mobile phone.
- All settings are logical and simple - each manager can customize the logic of his call in a familiar browser window.
- In the browser on a separate tab of the application reports are available on calls that occurred during the period. The manager can make any selection using filters.
- Due to the use of the browser, we remove the need to train the user of a virtual PBX: how to transfer a call, how to make a conference, how to call the city. I’m sure some of the readers will remember the rules: “dial * 202 # to transfer a call” or “# * Caller ID # to add to the conference”. An employee working with a telephone has to memorize and write down a multitude of codes and combinations of characters. In our case, everything on the web page is clear, each virtual button is called as it should be called and offers to enter only what you need to enter! You can hire a specialist and spend time only on specialized training, and not on mastering telephony.
- From a technical point of view, work in the browser allows you to quickly respond to poor call quality or failure of calls in the selected direction.
The combination of the listed opportunities provides the company with a reliable and convenient IP-telephony system, which is easily implemented, starts quickly, changes flexibly and does not require a highly paid specialist to service.
From our business to yours
We launched sales of the Sipuni service in 2013, and during this time about 800 clients have joined us. Every month we miss 1.5 million minutes of traffic and have 2500 active users. Of course, this allows us to receive income, which gives us the opportunity to continue to develop and conduct experiments. But, in addition, this is the experience of communicating with customers and their attraction, numerous cases that help to understand what customers need and what they see as the advantage of our service over other popular competitors. I'll tell you about some of their findings.
- Typically, the introduction of CRM, ERP, corporate IP telephony system requires training - and there is an inevitable technological gap, which affects the productivity of the company. So, most often the decisive factor in choosing Sipuni is exactly the guarantee of a quick start.
- The second advantage is the simplicity of working with the system: after connecting, it is enough to send links to the employees sitting on the calls. The remaining entities in the game form are created during the work with the system.
- Sipuni is a great tool if a company has branches or geographically distant offices. If necessary, offices can copy the entire call script or individual blocks of the scheme.
- All scripts are configured in a few minutes. The entire interface is aimed at helping the client adapt Internet telephony to the company's business processes.
- Finally, Sipuni is a huge savings. The acquisition of expensive telecommunications equipment falls into capital expenditures, which is especially undesirable for companies during economic stagnation, and IP telephony itself allows saving. In turn, the Sipuni service in small companies does not need special equipment at all - customers pay only for communication.
We know how important IP-telephony is in business and we address our service to those who are at the start or ready for expansion, who need to be in touch with the client, and the mobile and landline phones have become scarce. We are at the beginning of the journey from the virtual PBX to the SaaS-service for receiving phone calls. In the future, the service will be developed, and we will be able to offer our clients a full range of services related to Internet telephony - simply, quickly and in the cloud.
I will not be cunning - Sipuni will not serve as the root cause of additional sales, but you will get many benefits and comfortable working conditions. And this ensures that managers can work effectively with clients without losing any of them.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/266921/
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