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Vonage > Case Studies > Vonage Voice API Enables Opearlo to Cut User Verification Costs by Half

Vonage Voice API Enables Opearlo to Cut User Verification Costs by Half

Technology Category

Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Application Development Platforms

Applicable Industries

Buildings
Telecommunications

Use Cases

Speech Recognition
Time Sensitive Networking

Services

System Integration

The Challenge

Opearlo, a London-based agency that builds voice applications for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant platforms, faced a significant challenge with its previous API vendor. The vendor charged a minimum of one minute for each call, regardless of the call's duration. Given that most of Opearlo’s calls averaged only five seconds, the company was paying for significantly more time than it used. This pricing model was not cost-effective for Opearlo, leading to inflated operational costs and reduced profitability. The company needed a solution that would allow it to only pay for the actual duration of the calls, thereby reducing its user verification costs.

About The Customer

Opearlo is a London-based agency that was launched two years ago. Initially, it built voice applications for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant platforms. However, within a year, the company transitioned from doing mostly agency work to building its own consumer-facing voice apps. Today, Opearlo has a family of voice bot apps, including 'Find My Phone'. This app uses Vonage APIs to place calls and verify phone numbers. Opearlo's apps are part of the expanding capabilities of voice bots, with third-party apps like theirs enhancing the functionality of digital assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

The Solution

Opearlo found its solution in the Vonage Voice API. Unlike the previous vendor, Vonage charges its customers on a per-second basis, which was a more cost-effective model for Opearlo given the short duration of its calls. In addition to the cost savings, Vonage also offered better customer support and resolution of issues, as well as clearer documentation. Opearlo uses the Vonage Voice API and SMS API to power its 'Find My Phone' app. When a user commands the app to find their phone, it places a call to that phone via the Voice API. The SMS API is used when Opearlo verifies the phone that a new user will use the app to find. The user's phone number is captured via a voice message, validated, and then the Vonage SMS API is used to send the user a security code for verification.

Operational Impact

Switching to Vonage's Voice API and SMS API has not only resulted in significant cost savings for Opearlo, but also improved operational efficiency. The per-second charging model is more aligned with Opearlo's usage, making it a more cost-effective solution. Additionally, Vonage's superior customer support and clearer documentation have facilitated quicker resolution of issues, further enhancing operational efficiency. The use of Vonage's APIs in Opearlo's 'Find My Phone' app has also streamlined the user verification process, improving the user experience and potentially leading to increased user retention and satisfaction.

Quantitative Benefit

Opearlo's user verification costs were cut in half by switching to Vonage's per-second charging model.
Most of Opearlo’s calls are only five seconds on average, leading to significant cost savings with Vonage's per-second charging model compared to the previous vendor's per-minute model.
Vonage's clearer documentation and better customer support led to more efficient issue resolution, further reducing operational costs.