Gartner defines communications platform as a service (CPaaS) as a cloud-based platform used by developers, the IT team and other nontechnical business roles to build an array of communications-related capabilities using APIs, SDKs, documentation and no-code/low-code visual builders. The CPaaS tools facilitate access to multiple communications channels spanning voice, SMS, email, messaging apps, video and conversational capabilities, along with security. The purpose of CPaaS is to enable enterprises to improve communications workflows by providing simplified access to multiple communications capabilities. CPaaS enables enterprises to shorten time to market for new products and services, personalize communications, and orchestrate customer journeys across multiple channels. It delivers digital engagement and operationalizes customer experience, while also driving business efficiencies at scale with digital service delivery. It’s modular/composable in design and can expand from initial single-use cases to many others as additional business units learn of its value. CPaaS capabilities can also be consumed in a wholesale model, powering third-party cloud vendor offerings such as contact center, CRM, multichannel marketing and ERP. There are also wholesale use cases in which CPaaS providers wholesale to each other and telcos.
Gartner defines contact center as a service (CCaaS) as solutions offering SaaS-based applications that enable customer service departments to manage multichannel customer interactions holistically from both a customer-experience and employee-experience perspective. CCaaS is a key technology platform used to support the customer service experience, whether it be self-service or assisted by customer service representatives. All organizations need to offer customer assistance. The preference is for remote support via voice and digital channels over physical presence in offices and stores, though it is common for organizations to offer multiple options.
The corporate telephony market is evolving from a focus on innovation in proprietary hardware to use of commodity hardware and standards-based software. While most telephony solutions are Internet Protocol (IP)-enabled or IP-PBX solutions, the associated endpoints are a mix of time division multiplexing (TDM) and IP. Corporate telephony platforms focus on high-availability, scalable solutions, which support Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), desktop and soft phone functionality, and the ability to integrate with enterprise IT applications while delivering toll-grade voice quality.
Gartner defines unified communications as a service (UCaaS) as a multitenant, subscription-based service. It is cloud-delivered, and it provides business telephony features; external, public switched telephone network (PSTN) connectivity that enables inbound or outbound calling; and collaboration features, such as messaging and meetings. UCaaS services can be consumed by end users with traditional handsets, desktop clients, meeting room systems and mobile apps. Gartner’s definition of meetings for the UCaaS market focuses on the capabilities for internal collaboration, work from home and external presentation meeting use cases only. Other specialized use cases — such as webinar, remote support, distance learning and training — are often available from UCaaS offerings, but are not mandatory for this research. These use cases are part of a separate market defined by Gartner (meeting solutions).