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can help their customers tailor services based on their industry or individual customer needs. In order to know which API-enabled messaging solutions to offer enterprise customers, MSPs must first understand common messaging use cases. Outlined below are a few examples, which highlight the variety of ways a business might choose to use messaging solutions. While the four services listed above can be used in a variety of depart- ments, customer support and market- ing are two areas where MSPs have helped their customers deploy MMS and SMS services. A call center can offer texting or in-app messaging as a way for its customers to connect with a customer service representative. As a result, support is more easily acces- sible to customers and any issues can be resolved without having to wait in a lengthy call queue. In marketing, SMS/MMS is a power- ful way to engage customers. For example, a clothing store can send targeted sales and promotional infor- mation such as holiday discounts or coupons to shoppers. Typically, these messages are only sent to custom- ers who are opted-in to receive mobile messages from brands, which is helpful in fostering customer loyalty. Though telecom APIs are commonly praised for their benefits to customers, they also offer benefits to MSPs. Specifi - cally, they streamline the process for MSPs to set customers up with the right message-enabled phone numbers and behind the scenes support. Traditional development of IT servic- es or structure of processes requires that MSPs build new infrastructure from scratch – a process that is time consum- ing and costly. In contrast, APIs allow for quick provisioning of new products, using existing IT investments and cloud presence. APIs also more easily tailor products to meet individual needs. For example, if an MSP has an enterprise customer that wants to incorporate a chatbot into its app, APIs can help MSPs streamline implementation, rather than having to create the feature from scratch. However, if an MSP is tasked to create a new service from scratch, an API-centric approach enables and eases the building of services so they can easily be repurposed across multi- ple platforms. Overall, when MSPs utilize APIs, they increase their agility. As a result, they are more efficient in adapting to technological advances and/or evolving customer preferences. Since APIs can integrate across multiple ecosystems, MSPs can simplify the process of deliv- ering services to end users via mobile networks, apps and the internet. As MSPs increasingly adopt APIs to boost their messaging services, they will deliver better, more reliable, flexible, and scalable solutions to their customers. This action will further establish them as a competitive market leader offering in-demand services and maintaining a loyal customer base. o Darach Beirne is vice president of customer success at Flowroute, now part of Intrado. Flexible plans, smart shared data usage. Count on Dynalink's competitive pricing and reliability from trusted major providers. Enjoy flawless enterprise mobile communication. Business Mobile and managment Advanced 833.396.2546 • Dynalink.com VOICE DATA MOBILE HOSTED TRACKING Dynalink aims today for the technology of tomorrow, so that your business is always prepared for new frontiers. 23 January - February, 2021 | CHANNEL V ISION