It’s been a while since Amazon Chime was in mainstream telecom news. Chime is the cloud-based communication service that Amazon acquired in February 2018. Back then, many people in the VoIP world were scratching their heads, wondering what Amazon would do with it, largely thinking it would be a part of Amazon Connect, the customer service platform designed to support contact centers.
While that was the initial focus since the acquisition, since then, Amazon has integrated Chime with other Amazon services such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), allowing users to leverage the scalability and reliability of AWS with the customer service capabilities of Amazon Connect to enhance their communication and collaboration experiences.
But Amazon didn’t stop there. It has made several updates and enhancements to Chime, imitating Zoom by adding new features like Breakout Rooms, allowing users to divide a meeting into smaller groups for focused discussions, and improving security and compliance capabilities. Amazon has also expanded the availability of Chime globally and introduced new pricing options to cater to different use cases and budget constraints.
With Chime, Amazon provides developers with various tools to incorporate video conferencing, online meetings, and instant messaging into apps and services. This includes its ability to integrate with a variety of other services and platforms, making it a powerful and versatile tool for businesses of all sizes.
In essence, what Amazon has done is built its own competitor to Twilio and Signawire, as well as other CPaaS platforms that offer video conferencing and messaging as a service offering.
One of the services that have integrated Chime is Sessions. Sessions help businesses and organizations create and manage virtual events and webinars. With Sessions, users can easily schedule, host, and promote their events and then use Amazon Chime to conduct the event itself. This allows for seamless integration of video conferencing, screen sharing, and other collaboration tools, making it easy for attendees to participate and engage with the event in real time.
Another service that uses Amazon Chime as its core is BeHuman. This platform is designed to help businesses create more personal and human connections with their customers and clients.
BeHuman is built mainly around Chime’s video conferencing capabilities, allowing users to conduct face-to-face meetings, video calls, and other interactions with their customers in a more personal and authentic way. This approach is designed to help businesses build stronger relationships with their customers, improve customer satisfaction, and ultimately drive more sales and revenue.
After being under the radar, Amazon’s acquisition of Chime allowed AWS to expand its communication and collaboration tools portfolio. This approach provides customers with a more comprehensive solution for their remote communication needs. At the same time, the integration with other Amazon services and the constant updates and enhancements have made Chime a more robust and versatile solution for businesses and organizations.
Chime uses WebRTC technology to provide real-time audio and video communication, low-latency communication, and end-to-end encryption. WebRTC is a technology that enables web browsers and mobile applications to communicate in real time through audio and video without the need for additional plugins or software.
Given WebRTC includes encryption, this also ensures that the communication is secure and confidential. This is especially important for businesses and organizations that must comply with data protection regulations, maintain the security of their communication, and enhance the user experience while providing a secure and reliable communication platform.
When a user joins a meeting or video call based on Amazon Chime, they establish a connection with the Amazon Chime service using WebRTC. This connection enables real-time audio and video streaming between the user’s device and the other participants in the meeting. WebRTC also allows for low-latency communication, which means that the audio and video are transmitted in near real-time, providing a high-quality and seamless experience for the users.
Amazon Chime is a powerful and versatile communication tool that can be integrated with many other services and platforms. If you’re developing a service that hosts virtual events and webinars, want to build stronger relationships with customers, or improve your team’s ability to collaborate and communicate, Amazon Chime provides the tools to help you achieve your goals. With its easy-to-use interface and wide range of features, Amazon Chime has become an excellent choice for developers and businesses of all sizes and industries