Flowroute is one of the companies in technology that “gets it” when it comes to APIs. Yes, I know APIs aren’t new… Us developers have been using them and function calls since programming progressed beyond punch cards. It’s for this reason, some underestimate how much is happening in this area of technology. They may not realize just how much opportunity there is in opening up your platform to the world of developers and becoming the hub at the center of a thriving mini-economy you help create and foster.

The company had also sent me this email and it is so powerful, it literally took my breath away. We decided to launch a show called All About the API because we believe the opportunity in this space is huge but then I read this and realized just the telecom API market alone is gargantuan! (The violent clip below may not be safe for work. View till the end to see why its here.)

Here is that letter:

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In 2006, there were only 380 public APIs; today that number has grown to over 1,000.

With the number of public APIs having nearly doubled in the past 18 months, enterprises and developers are rapidly beginning to incorporate APIs in their business strategy in order to improve customer experience, add functionality to existing products and services, and increase profits.

The telecom industry is a huge contributor in this API revolution – according to Market Research Engine, the global telecom API market will grow at a CAGR of 24% and is expected to reach $325 Billion by 2022.

It’s no secret that innovation with telecom has been stifled due to the walls that have been built around telephony resources. Now, APIs are being used to expose a range of telecom resources, such as call control, location, messaging, provisioning and subscriber information to developers.

This level of accessibility, and speed of integration, makes it easier for developers to add calling and messaging capabilities to their apps, and transform the user experience. What used to take months to code can now be developed almost instantaneously with APIs, enabling developers to quickly complete product integrations.

Companies like Uber, Rover.com and AirBnB, are taking advantage of telecom APIs to add calling and messaging functionality directly to their apps, making the customer experience more seamless than ever. Even Cisco has gotten into the API game through their acquisition of Tropo. By adding Tropo to its portfolio, it is now adopting an API first mentality, and working to create APIs that developers will love.  easier for developers to add calling and messaging capabilities to their apps, and transform the user experience. What used to take months to code can now be developed almost instantaneously with APIs, enabling developers to quickly complete product integrations.

I’d like to connect you with Dan Nordale, CMO of Flowroute, to discuss how the API economy is opening doors for 

developers to create new services and businesses using telecom, and how APIs are ultimately helping to democratize telecom, and fuel innovation.
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I had just conducted an email with Sean Hsieh (pictured) the Founder and Chief Product Officer of the company and this email served as a perfect introduction to the market opportunity. The following interview will show you how Flowroute can help you benefit from all the growth and excitement for years to come.

Come see Sean at All About the API this July in Las Vegas. We hope to see you all there. The excitement is building!!

Describe your organization

Flowroute provides carrier communication services enabling developers to integrate calling and messaging capabilities into their digital offerings or applications.

What APIs do you have available?

Flowroute provides a single API that enables developers to programmatically control the the provisioning and operations of their communication services. Additionally, Flowroute provides SDKs in common programming languages: NodeJS, Python, PHP, and Ruby on Rails with additional language support coming soon.

What are the benefits/ solutions they help provide?

The Flowroute API allows SaaS-based companies to incorporate communication capabilities into their user experience simply, and at scale, by removing the need to manually intervene when onboarding new customers or provisioning additional capabilities for existing customers.

What new business opportunities do they potentially open up for your partners?

Partners can use the Flowroute API to offer turnkey services for SaaS-based or enterprise companies who are looking to rapidly get to market with an improved user experience. This can be accomplished by utilizing a single API to provision phone numbers, enable calling and messaging capabilities through one provider – giving partners access to a broader range of communication services to drive incremental revenue through new and existing customers.

Why should developers/ decision makers choose to be part of your ecosystem?

Flowroute gives companies the ability to deliver innovative applications through powerful integrations to carrier networks. Since Flowroute is a certificated carrier, it provides direct access to telephony resources to give developers unparalleled quality, control & transparency over their communication services.

What are some of the cooler solutions that have been developed using your APIs?

• Appointment reminders by ReminderCall
• Mental health app by CENTRD
• Dating app by Type.Me

How do you market your API’s?

Flowroute sponsors a number of hackathon’s, developer-specific events, creates developer content and use cases, and evangelizes its capabilities through developer user forums.

Who is the “customer” for your API’s?

SaaS-based and enterprise developers looking for a simple, yet powerful way to incorporate human interaction through calling and messaging into their applications and services.