Small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs) no longer need to make hefty investments in technology to begin their digital transformation, according to Telavi, a cloud communications platform that aims to level the playing field between small businesses and large corporations.
Erwin Co, president and CEO of Gur Lavi Group and founder of Telavi, told BusinessMirror in an e-mail interview that many SMEs delay digitalization because they believe it requires significant capital spending on hardware, software and dedicated IT personnel.
‘Small businesses don’t need a big budget to go digital. That’s the whole point of how we built Telavi,’ Co said.
He explained that Telavi operates entirely on the cloud, eliminating the need for businesses to purchase expensive equipment or maintain their own IT infrastructure. Instead, customers pay a monthly subscription based on the number of users, allowing them to scale services as their business grows.
‘We’re cloud-based, so there’s no equipment to buy and no IT team needed to run it. You just sign up, pay per user each month in pesos, and you’re up and running in hours, not months,’ he said.
The subscription-based model enables even small clinics, retail stores and startups to access enterprise-grade communications technology without large upfront costs.
Beyond affordability, Co said cybersecurity remains one of the biggest concerns among SMEs as more business operations move online.
He said Telavi addresses this by embedding security into its platform instead of treating it as an optional feature.
‘Security isn’t something we sell as an add-on. It’s built in, in layers, for every customer we have,’ Co said.
The company is certified under ISO 27001:2022, the international standard for information security management, and complies with the Philippines’ Data Privacy Act. Since Telavi manages its services through the cloud, software updates, monitoring and security maintenance are handled by the company, allowing SMEs to benefit from enterprise-level protection without hiring dedicated cybersecurity teams.
Co said the platform serves a broad range of industries, including retail, healthcare, education, banking, logistics, construction and government agencies.
One example involved a retail client that discovered missed customer calls were costing the business about ?800,000 in potential monthly sales.
According to Co, as many as 30 percent of calls to Philippine businesses go unanswered, while 85 percent of customers who fail to reach a business never call back.
‘That’s the kind of problem we solve,’ he said.
As e-commerce continues to reshape the business landscape, Co said SMEs must be able to respond quickly to customers across multiple digital channels.
To address this, Telavi offers solutions such as OneChatAI, which enables businesses to manage customer inquiries from platforms including WhatsApp, Telegram and Messenger through a single interface. The AI-powered system can respond in English, Taglish and other languages before seamlessly transferring conversations to human agents when necessary.
Another solution, Tap2Call, allows website visitors to connect directly with businesses through a single click, reducing friction and minimizing missed sales opportunities.
‘Together, they mean faster replies and fewer missed customers, without needing extra staff just to keep up,’ Co said.
Furthermore, Co said Telavi plans to deepen its presence in the Philippines while exploring opportunities in international markets. The company also intends to expand its investments in artificial intelligence to help businesses improve productivity without significantly increasing manpower.
‘Our mission is to give Filipino businesses, especially small and medium ones, the same level of technology and reliability that used to be reserved for big companies, so they’re not left behind as the country goes digital,’ he said.