June 2025 Summaries

Every business owner understands the importance of customer engagement for long-term success. Digital technologies are increasingly being used to connect with customers, and platforms that provide solutions for digital customer engagement need to build tools that drive engagement between organizations and their customers. SMS has emerged as a reliable marketing powerhouse for communication, connection, and sales with end users, with high open rates and strong engagement shown in surveys. Organizations of all sizes and types can use SMS for improved connection with their audiences, including retailers, medical providers, schools, and non-profit groups. Platforms that provide customer engagement solutions have an opportunity to build powerful digital tools that keep organizations connected with their audiences in the ways that matter most. To optimize their tools and create better customer engagement solutions, platforms should consider integrating multiple channels to make personalization simple, power connection through better communication, removing obstacles to communication, and streamlining staffing and support efficiency. This can be achieved by using integrations to streamline customization, automating the patient journey for healthcare providers, and providing reliable messaging services that ensure messages get through to their users.

Latency in digital communications refers to the time delay between event initiation and detection or perception by an observer, impacting applications such as web browsing, real-time video calls, and gaming. Understanding latency is crucial for assessing network performance and ensuring user expectations are met. Several factors contribute to latency, including routing and distance, IP communications, and physical infrastructure elements. Measuring latency accurately is vital for network assessment and troubleshooting, with tools like Ping, Traceroute, and benchmark procedures such as RFC 2544 and RFC 1242 providing valuable insights. To reduce latency, techniques like Content Delivery Networks (CDNs), Internet Exchange Points (IXPs), and leveraging bandwidth can be employed to minimize the time data must travel and optimize network performance.

In less than a year, voice service providers will be required by the FCC to implement STIR/SHAKEN. This involves three types of call attestation: full (A), partial (B), and gateway (C). Full attestation means the provider knows the customer and their right to use the phone number, while partial attestation indicates that the provider knows the customer but not the source of the phone number. Gateway attestation is applied when a service provider has originated the call onto the network but cannot authenticate the call source. Attestation is not the same as call blocking or spam identification, which are features within the terminating service provider's network. Analytics engines and call blocking software may vary in their decision-making parameters and treatment of STIR/SHAKEN information. Bandwidth has deployed STIR/SHAKEN protocols within its network and is actively working to address legitimate use cases that may be misidentified by various call blocking software being deployed by terminating carriers.

AI-powered customer engagement platforms are transforming the way businesses interact with their customers by integrating artificial intelligence into messaging. Platforms such as Nimblr and Clerk Chat are using AI to automate workflows, improve efficiency, and provide personalized customer experiences. Attentive's AI solution is one of the most robust in the space, customizing message content and personalization to improve follow-through and retention. Other platforms like Yotpo and Tailor are simplifying marketing planning and SMS know-how by automating almost every part of the process. The ability to meet customers on their preferred channels, such as SMS, email, MMS, and over-the-top messaging apps, is also crucial for success in messaging. With AI tools and automations, platforms can help their customers maximize efficiency and customer engagement, ensuring that messages get through to end-users reliably and efficiently. Bandwidth partners with companies like Attentive, Yotpo, Nimblr, and Clerk Chat to provide enterprise-level messaging service to platforms across all industries.