June 3, 2022

How VoIP Systems Utilize API Integrations

VoIP systems provide businesses with endless benefits. Using API integrations, businesses can implement VoIP features into other applications and vice versa.

Richard Grant

Reading time: 5 minutes

VoIP refers to the technology that allows for voice and video communication over an internet connection. It usually comes in the form of a software that you easily download or purchase from a business phone system provider.

There’s no doubt that VoIP provides invaluable benefits to businesses and helps them enhance their communication systems. These benefits range from interoperability to economy, flexibility, and mobility, among others.

But, we can’t forget that an added advantage is that VoIP systems can also be integrated with other applications with ease by using APIs. This allows your team to work more efficiently by incorporating all the software in your tech stack with your VoIP solution.

What are APIs?

APIs (Applications Programming Interfaces) can be defined as a set of rules that dictate the communication and sharing of data between applications. Software developers implement them into their applications to add the required functionalities.

For instance, businesses can use calling and texting functionalities in CRMs by integrating APIs from telephone systems such as the VoIP system. It would be challenging and time-consuming for developers to write code from scratch that provides them with this functionality.

This shows that apart from improving the functionality of applications and allowing them to communicate with each other, APIs make the life of software developers easier. They can build and release applications within a short time.

How VoIP systems integrate with APIs

A VoIP system is just another network service that shares a network infrastructure with all other services in a business. This means that it can be integrated with other services easily without any problems.

But how do VoIP systems work and integrate with APIs?

A VoIP service can be used in two ways — acting as the API user as well as the API provider.

As an API user, the VoIP service implements the API of another application. This means that it integrates another API to implement certain functionalities.

As an API provider, the VoIP service offers its interface for other applications to implement. This means that it is providing an API for other applications to integrate and implement some of the functionalities that it provides.

For instance, you can use voice calls on your website or even access calling buttons on your mobile or desktop applications — all through the VoIP system. This means that such applications have integrated a VoIP API.

You can also integrate your VoIP phone with third-party APIs, for instance, to record your calls or keep a count of calls and how long they last. This is VoIP integrating other APIs.

Examples of VoIP API integrations

Web/Mobile app in-app calling

When using a web or mobile application, you might realize that the application provides you with the functionality to make calls directly from the application. Take, for instance, a hotel booking application.

You have made a booking but you have a problem with payment. You can go to the application’s contact page to send an email or get a phone number that you can call. This is too much work.

Instead, modern applications implement VoIP APIs to make it easy for customers to make calls directly from the applications. The application’s SIP interface connects to that of the developers for the call to go through.

Helpdesk

Businesses can use an API to integrate their helpdesk systems (especially those that are cloud-based) with their VoIP systems. This is done when these businesses want to add more features to the help desk systems.

Some of the common features introduced by this integration include;

Call tracking: Businesses need a way of tracking calls to identify the source of their calls. Integrating APIs with their VoIP systems, they can measure how successful their marketing campaigns are and find ways of improving those that have not met expectations.
Call buttons: Let us assume that a customer has created a ticket to get a solution to a problem they are facing with one of your products. To call this customer, you might have to get their phone number and then call them through your phone. However, through API integrations, you can click a call button on that particular ticket for your desk phone to initiate a call. This is efficient and saves time.
Call information: Businesses need to gather information about their calls and tickets to measure their performance. Using API integration, they can gather all information with regards to calls and tickets and analyze it to understand and improve their workflows.
Ticket creation: Whenever a complaint about a product comes in through a call, most businesses create a ticket manually. This is a long process and time wasted here can be used to address other customer complaints. Instead of doing this, businesses can implement an API that automatically creates a new ticket immediately after a call comes in.
Statistics: If you are running a business, you must be aware of the fact that if it cannot be measured, then it cannot be improved. You need to get statistics about all calls and tickets created in your business. This might include things like your representatives’ productivity, call durations, and the number of calls, among others. You can get this through API integrations.

CRM

Businesses rely on CRM software when it comes to managing and maintaining their customers. We all know that the most successful businesses have always ensured that their customers have everything that they need and are handled well.

CRM applications come with a host of features that allow businesses to evaluate their engagements with customers, whether potential, current, or past customers. However, these features can be improved further through API integrations.

Integrating VoIP systems with CRM applications through APIs allows businesses to streamline their operations and workflows. For instance, a business representative does not have to manually add the details of a customer into the CRM.

This can be done automatically when a new customer calls. If it is a current or past customer, these integrations can automatically add call details to the CRM for future reference.

Data analysis and reporting

Due to advancements in technology, data has become one of the biggest assets for businesses that want to survive in an increasingly competitive environment.

Using API integrations, businesses can collect this data and share it in a centralized location. It can be analyzed and reports generated to help them (the businesses) improve their operations.

When using any of these applications and want to make a call, they can simply do that directly from the application instead of having to use their phones.

Customer location

Businesses want to collect as much information as they can from their customers. This is important when it comes to addressing their customers’ concerns or even marketing new products. But how can they collect their customers’ location details?

Let us take an example of a company that offers third-party technical support for smart televisions. When a customer calls a representative from this company, they have to provide details of the problem they are facing as well as their own details.

The representative has to take note of all this information and create a ticket where service technicians can see it and proceed with the next action. However, this is a lot of work and can be a waste of time.

Instead of doing this, businesses can utilize API integrations to collect their customer data. Imagine a situation where instead of taking note of the customer details, you use an API to record the call instead.

In addition, you can integrate a Maps API such as the Google Maps API to give you the exact location of the caller. The business representative can then forward the location to technicians even when they are not in the office.

Are there any risks with VoIP systems integrating APIs?

As technology advances, so do cybercriminals. They are always looking for new ways to beat every security measure that businesses try to implement. This means that businesses need to care about data privacy protection to add value to their businesses when integrating APIs.

Fortunately, smart businesses are making sure that they have implemented the right security measures to keep customer data safe. In addition, they understand that data security is a continuous process, not something that they can do once and forget about.

Conclusion

The fact that VoIP runs on the same network infrastructure as other services allow for easy integration with other applications. As discussed above, businesses can use VoIP systems with API integrations to streamline their operations and improve their businesses.

However, you need to be careful especially when it comes to security. In addition, you need to make sure that the APIs they are implementing have gone through a thorough testing process to eliminate any errors.

For more of such tips and advice, check out our blog!

Richard Grant

Richard is certified tech consultant and writer. He helps key stakeholders understand new technologies for their business. He also regularly contributes content to a number of different publications.

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