The world of work is undergoing a substantial change, we spoke to CEO and cofounder Craig Walker about Dialpad and the company’s role in driving forward the growing digital revolution.
“We were always built with the future of work in mind.”
It is accurate to state that 2020 has seen a large shift in the way people communicate, work, learn, and interact.
The influence of the current COVID-19 pandemic has caused companies and individuals to adapt to the new and necessary methods of practice, and because of this, there has been a substantial surge in the need for online platforms and services.
For many who can do so practically, government-implemented “lockdowns” have granted the opportunity to establish home-based offices and the ability to work with the consequential flexibility offered by the lack of commute time, as well as the increased sense of responsibility through a lack of face-to-face direct management.
And for Dialpad, 2020 has proven an opportunity to support those individuals and businesses that have had to make the switch from office-based to home working.
With a company mission and ethos surrounding the progressive attitude towards a working future, Dialpad has impacted thousands of businesses across the last decade since its inception in 2010.
The company provides its customers the very best and latest in digital cloud-based communication and organisation business platforms that are designed to bring clarity and efficiency to domestic and external business practices.
Craig Walker, CEO and cofounder of Dialpad, and orator of the opening statement, has watched the company thrive from its first day.
Having started his career as a securities lawyer in Silicon Valley (USA), working on venture capital transactions, he then joined a client of his who was starting a venture fund in communications in the late 1990s.
The next decade saw Walker work closely with the likes of Yahoo and Google, before he and a core group of individuals took it into their own hands to grow their own business.
In 2010, Walker and the founding team left Google to set up Dialpad in line with anticipating the future of the workplace.
“Work is not a place you go; it is a thing you do. It should not be restricted by excessive time spent commuting, and can be equally social, and even more productive, than that of the office,” Walker begins. “The movement to cloud-based technology in the workspace has changed the way we can proceed with work. We no longer require to be in one space to do our jobs.”
For Walker, that was what made the technology and communications industry so interesting and exciting — the prospects of a mass-progressive attitude towards streamlining the process of work, and the ability to integrate organisation and communication alongside flexibility and autonomy — each of which are key elements to a successful business.
“Work is not a place you go; it is a thing you do. It should not be restricted by excessive time spent commuting, and can be equally social, and even more productive, than that of the office”
Craig Walker
During the period of the coronavirus pandemic, Dialpad has become an access point to the necessary business software required and utilised in today’s climate—the company has answered the need for a growing digital business base.
One of the key aspects of Dialpad to note is that it is one of the newer companies to be established as opposed to many tech giants that had established themselves in and around the 2000s.
This is a factor that sets it apart from the competition—it is a new company, building new platforms, with the latest technology to serve current requirements. Dialpad is moving forward with, and looking ahead of, the present industry and its needs.
“Using the latest software allows us to bring a new customer into the fold and get them up and running instantly, with no issues surrounding out-of-date systems or tech,” Walker tells us. “Businesses can have thousands of individuals using Dialpad’s products within five minutes. Meanwhile, other providers would take companies weeks of time, money, and hassle to get their businesses and its employees fully integrated.
“The products provided by Dialpad are as easy to gain full access to as signing up for Gmail.” And having recently acquired HighFive, Dialpad has been able to considerably grow the potential of its products to better serve its customer base.
“HighFive was a company that focused on conferencing and video conferencing services,” Walker says. “Bringing the business into the fold consequently brought its experts with it, who have spent more time on conference software and tech then we ever had.
“A result of the acquisition is that we combined the two pools of expertise into a product line like no other. Having that combination of industry experts makes our video capabilities both consistently great and in continual improvement.”
Alongside this provision of expertise, the company incorporates AI as an aspect of its systems to better the experience of its users. This is one element of the firm that Walker notes is paramount to its success, and an aspect of Dialpad that is way ahead of any other business in the field.
“We are in front of our competitors on artificial intelligence. AI provides data that goes beyond the norm and helps tailor customer experiences directly to best suit the individual,” he tells us. “Establishing people with a high-quality connection and a personally customised experience allows Dialpad to provide a high level of service, and as a result, helps those individuals improve the running of their businesses.”
Dialpad’s effective products, high level of service, and innovative technology are reflected in the financial investment granted to the company.
Recently, the company raised a substantial $125 million in financing to aid expansion, evolution, and growth.
“I believe it was a recognition from the market of the promise and opportunity Dialpad holds,” Walker tells us. “The company is the most modern platform in the current market, and this level of investment will really enable us to show the industry and our customers what we can do.”
“It is great to have the trust and support of the market in doing so.”
This support is not only reflected in financial investment. As a global tech company, relationships with various business and industry partners play an important role in the success of Dialpad.
As a software provider, collaboration with external companies with regard to reaching out to potential customers and organising the process of product incorporation is of paramount importance.
The combination of excellent products and service, financial investment, and partner collaboration have helped Dialpad reach above and beyond its industry competition. As for the future of the company, Walker elaborates on the promising and optimistic plans for the years ahead.
“We are going to keep investing in and growing company teams, such as the engineering, sales, and marketing teams, and expanding further internationally covering areas we are currently limited in,” he says, bringing the conversation to a close.
“Dialpad has a sales office in Tokyo, Sydney, and London, and we will be expanding more into the Asian market as well as further into Europe, to reach customers and businesses that need our innovative and expert products and services, and to better the future of work.”
