Talkdesk's Global Expansion Enabled by Twilio

Technology Category

Automation & Control - Human Machine Interface (HMI)
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Cloud Databases

Applicable Industries

Cement
Telecommunications

Applicable Functions

Sales & Marketing

Use Cases

Speech Recognition
Time Sensitive Networking

Services

Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services
System Integration

The Challenge

Talkdesk, a company co-founded by Tiago Paiva and Cristina Fonseca, was faced with the challenge of developing a complete call center cloud solution. The existing call center solutions in Portugal, where Paiva had personal experience, were expensive and time-consuming to manage. The idea of a cloud-based alternative evolved in his mind, and the opportunity to participate in a Twilio contest gave him a means to make it a reality. The objectives for their service were straightforward: use web browsers as the only user interface, make it simple to set up a call center, make it easy to send and receive calls, support the product in the cloud, and make it affordable. Despite being predisposed to Twilio through the contest and Twilio Fund, the Talkdesk team researched other alternative services.

About The Customer

Talkdesk has grown to more than 150 customers since its inception in 2011. The company has seen particular traction among sales and support organizations based on its ability to integrate with a quickly growing list of more than 25 CRMs and other database systems, including Salesforce.com, Desk.com, Zendesk and SugarCRM. When a call comes into a Talkdesk-based call center, agents are automatically presented with customer information, complete with call history. Support reps can then add notes and forward calls to others within the organization or to outside numbers. Talkdesk customers, including brands like Sidecar and Mindvalley, have saved substantial money and time by implementing Talkdesk into their business operations.

The Solution

Talkdesk decided to stick with Twilio as it provided all the voice, SIP, and SMS features that they required, had an established infrastructure track record, would scale to match their needs as well as those of their customers, and offered SMS-enabled phone numbers worldwide. Talkdesk's commercial offering met the original requirements and more. Customers use the service on a pay-as-you-go basis and manage it exclusively through their browser. The average setup time for a Talkdesk solution is about one hour. Talkdesk provides the features of hardware-based call centers and more: unlimited concurrent calls, IP phone, intelligent routing, recordings, prioritized queues, IVR, and outbound forwarding. New features on Talkdesk's roadmap include the release of SMS features that are currently in beta, use of SIP and IP phones, addition of MMS, and expansion to more countries using Twilio-powered phone numbers.

Operational Impact

Talkdesk's solution has not only met the original requirements but has also exceeded them. The company has been able to provide a browser-only interface, easy setup, and affordable price. The use of Twilio has allowed Talkdesk to develop the first commercial version of their product in just two months, with only 20% of that time related to integrating Twilio features. This has resulted in a record time-to-market. The ease of integration and affordability of Talkdesk's solution has attracted a wide range of customers, enabling them to save substantial money and time. The company's ability to integrate with a growing list of CRMs and other database systems has also been a significant operational benefit.

Quantitative Benefit