Should You Be Using Chat SDK Versus Building A Complete Chat App?

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April 20, 2021 Business, Programming

Messaging platforms and chat applications aren’t new, but they have started to change the way businesses operate. This is one of the fastest, easiest, and most efficient ways to deliver messages to clients. E-mails and phone support representatives may still exist, but chatting platforms also paved the way for a better customer service experience. With that being said, if your business website or mobile app needs to level up, getting your messaging platform is crucial.

There are different ways to integrate chat onto mobile apps, and one of the most popular talks of the town is using chat SDK. What is it? Is this better than creating your chat app? How can businesses benefit from it?

Small and medium-scale businesses need to consider the chat app’s feasibility analysis, product roadmap, and cost approximation, among others. There’s no denying that creating a separate chat feature from scratch requires a lot of time and money, and this is where chat SDK enters the scene.

Simply put, chat SDK is an open-source chat platform integrated into both Android and iOS devices. This platform makes it easier for developers and business owners to integrate their messaging platform without the high costs of creating an app. This also makes it easier for new and budding businesses to get the messaging platform up and running without taking too much time, without having to hire multiple in-house developers, yet still get the features they’ve always wanted.

Why Choose Chat SDK?

As mentioned earlier, compared to building your app, chat application SDK has made it easier for businesses of all sizes to integrate their messaging platform into mobile devices. With multiple templates and layouts available, phone developers now have the chance to incorporate everything they wanted from a mobile chat platform without the added cost and extra time spent.

Do you want to assign specific roles to users? You can do that. Do you want your customers to have the ability to send and receive media files other than the basic text messages? You can do that too. You may opt to turn this off if you don’t find the need.

You have the power to do everything that you want to meet your business demands without the extra time, effort and cost.

Customization is another amazing feature that chat application SDK has to offer. You can always create multiple templates, assign those to specific users, and use a different layout for a separate page. If you need a different messaging platform for your employees and use it internally, you may create a separate template for that. The sky is the limit, and all of these can be easily done with a few tweaks and some built-in templates to choose from.

When it comes to integration, chat SDK also makes it easier for businesses to integrate some apps and plugins within the chatting platform. There are hundreds of free and premium plugins that businesses can choose from.

You can also scale the chat SDK to meet your business requirements. If your business grows, you can scale messaging platform up and assign and accommodate more people using the platform. While you may still need a developer to help you straighten out some features and functionality of your chatting app, it would cost less as you won’t need to hire someone to do everything starting from scratch.

Here are a few things to take into consideration when choosing chat SDK vs. creating a complete chat app from scratch:

1. Understand your goals

What do you intend to do with your chat application? Are you going to use it for customer service? Announcements? In-house messaging platform? Knowing first-hand what you’d like to use the platform will make it easier to make the necessary adjustments and ensure that it is well within your business needs.

2. What’s the volume of people that will be using the app?

This is important as you don’t want to develop a plan that is too small or too big for your intended audience. Remember, you can easily scale the chat SDK app if you need to upgrade the user count. Go for the average number, and take it from there.

3. What are the additional features that you’re looking for?

Do you want people to have the ability to send media, photos, and other files? Do you require spam flood protection, or maybe some profanity filters for more extensive group chats? Understanding these requirements makes it easier to lay out the foundation. This way, your developer will be able to develop an accurate chat SDK app that meets your requirements.

Chat SDK is a great and cheaper alternative to building a complete chat app. It has most of the integrations and functionalities you’re looking for, for a quarter of the price.