What it does: Cloud communications for chat apps, phone verification, SMS and voice services.
Best known for: The media has described Unifonic as the ‘Twilio of emerging markets’ after the former secured US$21 million of Series A funding from investors. Twilio is a USA-based cloud communications platform and service provider.
Staff stats: Between 200 and 500 employees.
The good bits: The UAcademy at Unifonic accepts anyone with a bachelor’s degree to undergo training at the company.
The not so good bits: There are limited opportunities to join Unifonic as a full-time employee. Most of the vacant positions require at least four years of hands-on experience.
The company started in 2006 as the brainchild of a computer scientist and two engineers. Unifonic has grown into a cloud communication solutions provider with more than 100 employees in ten offices, including Saudi Arabia as their headquarters. The company’s investors include Endeavor Catalyst, ELM, RTF, Raed Ventures and Saudi Technology Ventures.
They oversee over 5,000 business accounts for clients such as Alinma Bank, Careem, Saudi German Hospitals and Uber. Unifonic also caters to 720 mobile network operators in 190 countries and provides them with chat app, phone verification, SMS and voice services through their cloud communication suite:
Unifonic’s job opportunities are mostly in Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. You can apply online or through a recruiter, and the process can take between one and five weeks on average. Candidates should expect a phone interview as the first stage of the hiring process. There might be two separate interviews with local directors and managers from the main office.
Applicants should also prepare for online tests that may be given in the middle of the recruitment stage. Interview questions can include different topics like behavioural questions, your personality and reason for joining Unifonic.
The UAcademy serves as the easiest way to join Unifonic. The company requires a bachelor’s degree, effective communication skills and extensive knowledge of Microsoft Office to be considered for the training program. Recent graduates should consider this route if they want to pursue a career at the company. Most of the vacant positions in Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE require at least four years of professional experience.
The company provides annual salary appraisals and bonuses, free nights out, entertainment activities (eg bowling, karting and paintball) and medical insurance. Not much is known about their compensation structure for entry-level roles, although the average salary for employees in Jordan could be JOD900 per month.
Unifonic still has the startup vibe despite having been in the industry for more than ten years. The company claims to have an informal and a multicultural environment and some employees said that their work evolves frequently. You should anticipate these changes and plan a coping mechanism. The dynamic workplace may apply not only for engineering and IT roles but also for marketing positions.
Unifonic competes with Convo, Infobip, Plivo, Live Guide, Nexmo, Twilio and Voxox. Live Guide is one of the oldest rivals of Unifonic with the latter’s corporate history going back to 1981, as opposed to Convo that only started in 2013. The company is an interactive business workspace from the USA, where they offer cloud-based services that allow real-time online conversations.
Nexmo focuses on application software solutions since they began in 2010. The company is based in San Francisco, California. Plivo established their business in 2011 in the same city, although their services mainly target the internet software industry. Infobip and Voxox started in the same year as Unifonic. London-based Infobip provides IT services, while Voxox combines VOIP with social networking and instant messaging as their primary communications services. Twilio is a much bigger company than Unifonic with around 2,500 employees.
You won’t last at the company if you prefer a monotonous workplace. Each day is different at Unifonic as evidenced by evolving responsibilities. This environment, however, favours individuals who easily become bored with routine tasks. It might be more difficult to negotiate your starting salary due to the lack of available information.