Let us play a picture yourself game, where I say in-app chats are the key to making a business successful and the best strategy would be to simply integrate pre-made chat SDK from top-selling API providers.
On the other hand, you are so persistent that you build a chat system right from ground zero, just like an architect planning a skyscraper. Doesn't this sound like an age-old dilemma? Well, yes, and the only solution for this crossroad would be to study the differences between the two and find the right solution.
Plus, we will also discuss the merits and demerits of build vs. buy chat APIs so that you get the right option without breaking any sweat. Shall we start?
What Does Building a Chat Solution Involve?
On hearing this topic, you can sense it to be an interesting and thrilling one. To put precisely, a more exciting challenge that would allow developers like you to create a chat solution that meets your business needs.
However, when you opt to build your own chat app, you must remember that the bar is very very high and users expect certain features or capabilities that are way beyond quick development, like speed, security, privacy, and few others.
So, when they hear of the chat app, they think of only WhatsApp, FB, and Telegram. Therefore, you must realize that when you build one, your chat software has all the features and some exceptional ones that will elevate their liking toward the app.
This way, you can boost retention and engagement and drive sales. Whereas, if you miss any of the top features, it would be like a drain hole of a boat that would leave you submerged, thus getting negative feedback from your users.
Benefits of Building Chat from Scratch
If you ask me, I would say that this approach has both pros and cons, but that completely depends on the specific needs of your business and resources too. And, we will see the major perks in the section below:
1. Complete control
Now, when you build a chat software from scratch, you will have full control over it and you get an option to deliver the best user experience. Plus, you can make changes to infrastructure, design, code, and much more to make it look the best.
Also, you can look after the hosting on your own and choose to self-host apps and data on your own servers thus helping you save your data from third-party intrusions.
2. Full Customizations
Customization does not mean only features. You can choose to tailor make your app on security, design, and UI aspects as well. Because, users know what features stand out the best from the rest and hence you need attributes that are different from others.
Likewise, your users would retain only if you give them the feel that their data is safe and secure. That being said, you can customize the security parameters as well.
3. No Third-party Dependencies
If you buy an in-app messaging SDK, then there are possibilities that your chat API does not support certain features and hence you need to integrate with certain third-party apps, to make your chat app work well.
4. Scalability
This is one of the major benefits as when you build a chat app from ground zero, you can build a scalable chat app that can support any user base. Plus, your app will be flexible enough to upscale and downscale based on growing user demands.
Other benefits include
Reliability, stability, security, data privacy, and more.
Challenges Of Building Your Own Solution
There are quite a few challenges that cross our mind when we think of building a chat solution on our own, especially in terms of capital investment, time, and infrastructure. And we will see in short about them.
1. Investment - You need to invest a lot while developing a chat system as you may be billed with infrastructure costs, maintenance costs, hosting costs, UI/UX design costs, labour fees, and much much more.
2. Making use of the right infrastructure - This is very important because only the right medium will allow you to store chats, exchange files, let calls via VoIP, be fast, come secure, and give the ability to seamlessly add extra features.
3. Time - Time is very precious if you are a consumer-oriented firm as your customers would want to get answers instantly for their queries. So, while developing you must keep in mind that your developers are able to build the app soon.
Just not this, you need time for maintaining and upgrading the software post its launch, which may seem to be a tedious task.
4. Personnel costs - This is nothing but the employees you hire and the wages you provide them. In the bare minimum case, you would require 3 senior developers for each platform (web, Android, iOS), and front end developers.
So, considering these difficulties and parameters, it is always best to go ahead with pre-built chat SDKs.
Advantages Of Using Chat APIs
In-app chat APIs come as the most desirable alternative for building exceptional chat applications as they can easily bridge between the app frontend and server, thereby helping you offer ideal chat services to your audiences.
Plus, you can use chat APIs to add chat features to livestream apps, in-game software, e-learning platforms, logistics solutions, and more. Other benefits include:
1. Worry less on the scalability and security part as third-party CPaaS providers like MirrorFly give a chat SDK that has the ability to withstand any number of growing users.
2. Infrastructure cost is less and you get bulk in-app chat features.
3. An individual developer is enough to look after the integration process and if you need help, then MirrorFly offers developer support too.
4. Unlimited customization capability and the flexibility to host apps either on your own servers or third-party provider's cloud.
5. Can set up chat functionality into any existing application within minutes.
6. Most of the chat APIs are built to be secure and compliant with international guidelines and standards like HIPAA, GDPR.
7. Some of the providers allow you to build a custom whitelabel chat solution that would reflect your own identity and theme.
Key Aspects To Consider - Build vs Buy Chat API
Whether you build an app from scratch or simply use in-app chat SDKs, as a business there are some key or could say crucial factors that you must consider like
- Resources requires
- Risks involved
- Security concerns
- Product roadmap
- Software development lifecycle
- Framework to adopt
- Weighing costs
- Feasibility to build
- UI/UX design or to make use of pre-built UI kits
- Industry regulations and more
Solving The Crossroad - Build vs Buy Chat API
To put the post in a nutshell, we can say that chats are here to stay and whichever way you adopt, either to build from ground level or seek chat API integration, you can boost your engagement and retention levels in your app.
But, if you are a budding entrepreneur and cannot spend hefty on investments, or a business who needs quick addition of features, then chat API comes as the preferred option.
Just not these, with in-app chat SDK, you can build a customizable, whitebalebeled, and feature-rich chat app that users would love. But for that, you need to use MirrorFly's APIs and SDKs.
See you in another post.
