SawasdeeShop Co, a Bangkok-based international voice service provider, has kicked off Thailand's first cloud-based telephony service to capitalise on demand from small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups.
"We see the rise of new entrepreneurs, particularly startups, prompting demand for business communications systems to support their operations and reduce costs," said SawasdeeShop's president Aswin Phalapongpanich.
Called ClouDee, this telephony service system uses technology from Knowlarity Communications, Asia's largest cloud telephony service provider, to allow SMEs to have fixed line numbers with an 02 area code on its virtual system. Employees can then use their mobile phones to pick up incoming calls from their mobile work places.
"Having fixed lines as their office numbers will boost the image and credibility of SMEs," he said. It will also help SMEs save on operating costs, as they will not need the investment in a PBX system.
ClouDee charges its customers a monthly fee of 1,000 baht per office number, with additional fees depending on the number of users.
The cloud-based telephony allows any caller and receiver to use smartphones or basic phones to make calls without internet connectivity, unlike other messaging apps or voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) services .
The company uses True Corporation's data centre and fixed line numbers and back-end cloud engine technology from Knowlarity. It also uses a local data centre to make its service reliable and stores voice records of every conversation for 5 years.
SMEs can use the service for interactive voice response in marketing campaigns. They can also use it as a virtual receptionist or office number to conduct business abroad without needing a physical office.
"It's a blue ocean for us and it will help grow our revenue opportunities among SMEs," said Mr Asawin.