Twilio launches API for mobile enterprise, customer conversations

Twilio launched a new application programming interface for private text and voice conversations between a customer and mobile worker.

The API, dubbed Twilio Proxy, is built to enable moderated conversations and could be used by any enterprise with mobile workers using their own devices.

According to Twilio, the Proxy API will be added to its Engagement Cloud, which is a collection of APIs to build multichannel communications.

How will Twilio Proxy be used? For starters, more delivery people, hosts, and mobile workers use their own devices for customer communication. Twilio Proxy provides a filter for inappropriate content and privacy for both parties and enables logic for routing of calls, phone number provisioning, and logging.

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Key features include:

• Masked communications across multiple channels. Twilio Proxy supports voice, SMS, and various messaging services such as Facebook Messenger, Slack, Twitter, Line, and BlackBerry Messenger.
• Phone number management to set up text and voice conversations in a way that keeps personal IDS and numbers private.
• Content moderation via filters and time bounded sessions.

Twilio's Engagement Cloud will feature the Proxy API as well as Twilio Notify to orchestrate automated notifications, TaskRouter for contact center workflows, and two-factor authentication.

In its first quarter reported May 2, Twilio reported revenue of $87.4 million, up 47 percent from a year ago, and a net loss of 16 cents a share. Non-GAAP net loss for the first quarter was 4 cents a share.

Twilio ended the first quarter with 40,696 active accounts.

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