Telavi urges Philippine firms to embrace cloud communications

Philippine cloud communications provider Telavi is urging businesses to modernize their communications infrastructure, warning that missed customer calls and fragmented systems may be costing companies more than they realize.

The company said many local businesses continue to rely on personal mobile phones, messaging applications and traditional office phone systems that are no longer suited to today's hybrid work environment and digitally connected consumers.

According to Telavi, the global Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) market reached $87.39 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 19.8 percent through 2030, with the Asia-Pacific region leading adoption as businesses migrate to cloud-based platforms.

Telavi said Philippine companies risk losing customers through missed inquiries, delayed responses and inconsistent communication, particularly as consumers increasingly expect businesses to be easily accessible online and by phone.

The company said its cloud platform eliminates the need for on-premise hardware, reduces maintenance costs and enables employees to access a unified communications system from any location.

Telavi added that its platform offers 99.99 percent uptime, is ISO 27001:2022-certified and complies with the Philippine Data Privacy Act.

Founder and Gur Lavi Corp. President and Chief Executive Officer Erwin Co said many businesses underestimate the financial impact of unanswered calls.

"In retail and food service, up to 30 percent of customer calls could be going unanswered—and with 85 percent of those callers never trying again, the cost isn't just a missed call. It's a missed customer, forever," Co said.

He cited one restaurant that allegedly lost an estimated ₱800,000 in potential monthly revenue because of missed calls, while a barbershop chain was estimated to be losing at least ₱300,000 monthly due to missed bookings.

One of Telavi's clients, Bruno's Barbers, said its branches previously operated separate phone numbers, making it difficult to handle incoming calls during busy periods.

"Before Telavi, our branches were too busy to answer calls. We were losing bookings and receiving negative feedback," said Richard Domingo of Bruno's Barbers.

Following the deployment of Telavi's cloud communications platform, the company said calls are now automatically routed to available staff across branches, helping raise booking conversion rates to 80 percent.

Founded in 2013, Gur Lavi Corp. provides cloud-based Unified Communications as a Service and Contact Center as a Service solutions for businesses, enterprises and local government units. The company was recognized among the Top 10 VoIP Solution Providers in Asia-Pacific by Enterprise Networking Magazine in 2022 and maintains a strategic partnership with PLDT.