Dmitry Schukin, UIS: The virtual PBX acts as a serious factor in competitive struggle

Dmitry Schukin: All reports turn around digits about one order: the segment of virtual PBX "weighs" on different sources of 4-6 billion rubles. On a number of signs at us in the market of 10-11%. In Moscow — it is slightly more, in regions — it is slightly less. Therefore — yes, in general he agrees, but there are nuances. The matter is that the segment actually broke up to two. In the first the companies work mainly with individual entrepreneurs and sell service like "virtual number". If to consider in number of connections, then they have a serious market share if in money — kopeks. In the second segment where we work, services are focused on corporate clients. So a lot of things in results of researches depend on a calculation technique.

Dmitry Schukin: By our estimates, the market annually grows for 20–25% in terms of money. Economy — a secondary factor. There is a global trend: the ideology of installation of telephones to office changes. The organization of telephone lines and installation of office automatic telephone exchanges are replaced by broadband access in the Internet using which the provider of telephony under the SIP protocol provides the necessary number of rooms and lines. At the same time it is not necessary to pay for making of wires, there are no problems with administration of office automatic telephone exchange, numbers are instantly connected and disconnected and there is complete freedom in a question of the choice and change of provider.

Dmitry Schukin: Against the background of general delight that the segment was created and grows, there are three unpleasant things which I would not begin to underestimate. The first — legislatively in general the fact that all cloud services will organize internal subscriber lines on the public Internet under the SIP protocol is not fixed in any way. De facto all players, including Big Four, so do. While regulating documents of networks of traditional communication simply prohibit it. Each provider uses a beautiful wrapper that formally rules were executed, but nevertheless, it requires the solution.

The second problem connected with the first — the accruing lag in regulation of a telecom. By and large, in it changed little from 2000th years. In terms of traditional communication, the phone number and a subscriber line — inseparably linked concepts. Though the phone number became the same abstract identifier as the IP address long ago. And it is not connected with a subscriber line long ago. So modern technologies of communication with the regulatory base "are not on friendly terms" today.

Dmitry Schukin: The third problem — in cloud services as such. It is service or providing in use of the software? In the first case the cloud service should be assessed with the VAT, in the second — no. The legal framework empty and everyone treats it as there is a wish. Respectively, the companies which consider a cloud service the software at some point risk to receive the tax notification on additional accrual of the VAT.

Dmitry Schukin: Actually, problem one: the regulator is not in time behind growth of technologies.

Dmitry Schukin: Specifically other things are important for clients. First, key feature communication services in stability: phone should work always, the lack of communication can lead to collapse or damage to business. That it did not happen, the provider of telephony should be full-fledged operator — with a support service, operation and appropriate level of reservation of the equipment. For example, in the market now there are a lot of beautifully packed startups where the client does not see at all that he is created "under a cowl", being bought on the picture. And meanwhile, it is that moment when it is necessary to think of that, infrastructure of network of provider is worked how out. The second moment of which the client should be sure — safety of data and own information security. For example, once you accurately understand, the cloud server where service of telephony stores his talk with clients is arranged and protected.

Dmitry Schukin: Basis of long-term growth of the market — the increasing understanding by clients of the fact that the virtual PBX acts as a serious factor in competitive struggle. At the same cost level the company increases sales and raises the service level because on telephony a number of business processes is started.

Not the trend of integration of telephony with CRM amplifies accidentally more and more. Technology such sheaf allows to achieve the different depth of study and to implement a set of variations of service. For example, to direct to different managers calls back from the website depending on categories of visitors.

Dmitry Schukin: UIS is a serious technology platform for management of customer appeals not only by phone, but also on other communication channels via the website (a call back, chats, etc.). At the same time we are focused on assessment of effectiveness of these addresses in terms of business. For example, regarding work with calls the UIS Virtual PBX is supplemented by call tracking. It allows to trace what advertizing works, bringing the companies of clients and what — is not present.

Dmitry Schukin: The UIS virtual PBX — one of the most advanced in the market as allows to organize really any logic of processing of calls. One of options — in real time to obtain customer information from CRM and to use it during the work with calls. Or it is possible to automate informing clients and to selectively notify them on personal offers. Or it is possible to return potential clients using the module of processing of the lost calls (by our estimates, any company loses 5–15% of communications).

Dmitry Schukin: Practice shows that the interface for the client is secondary. And here appropriate to return to a question of our competitive advantages. We well understand two things.

First, the call remains a basic service of modern telephony, despite transition to a cloud. Therefore we work hard over communication quality, stability of network, its capacity and level of coherence with other networks.

Secondly, when the client "changes" in a cloud, he, upon, gives us on outsourcing the automatic telephone exchange. For this reason an integral part of our business model — consulting and a customer support. We could achieve really high level of client maintenance on quality and speed of reaction to requests of clients. By the way, insufficient attention to this question — an error, for example, of the companies of the big three which consider that all services can be driven into the directory, having left the client actually without support.

Dmitry Schukin: Our service changes continuously: we release two-three updates a week. From key — this year integration from two most popular cloud CRM is completely processed: amoCRM and CRM Bitriks24. From the latest — we completely remade reporting system on calls and made visual panels (dashborda) for the head.

Dmitry Schukin: Feedback, first of all, that the average bill of the client noticeably grew.

Dmitry Schukin: We are interesting first of all to the companies whose business took already place or scaled. We bring optimal effect to the companies from 20-50 by the employees who are actively working with calls. The number of the connected companies exceeded 15 thousand now.

Dmitry Schukin: Positive. This year we grow more actively, than in the past. Last year grew more actively, than in before last. According to the results of the 2017th we grew by 30%.

Dmitry Schukin: About 300.

Dmitry Schukin: There are no plans for an exit yet — we see, as our, Russian market, more than capacious today. Intend to maintain growth rates at the level of 30%. And as for absolute leadership, we try to bring the maximum benefit to our clients and we consider that this approach absolutely correct in the long term.