Research suggests that every minute a total of 41 million messages are sent out. Also, there are 2.52 billion people using messaging apps on mobile phones.

No wonder it makes sense for businesses to connect with customers over chat applications. Is your developer team looking forward to building a chat application for your business? Well, in such a case, leveraging a chat API provider can prove to be of great help. In this article, we shall discuss some of the best tips that would help developers select the most suitable chat API for app development. Stay with us and read on!

Why Using a Chat API Makes Sense

Building a chat application from scratch can consume a lot of time and resources. Here is exactly where chat SDK and APIs come into action! API helps developers to integrate modern chat functionalities into their communication platform within no time. Third-party chat APIs have lower maintenance costs and help developers establish a solid backend infrastructure. Tough-to-code features can be incorporated into existing communication systems without any hassles. 

Now that we’ve understood the value of chat APIs, let’s further discuss some points that would enable you to opt for the right chat API service provider for your app development. 

7 Tips to Choose a Chat API Provider

There is a suite of Messaging API providers to choose from in the market. However, every business is unique and has its own unique set of requirements. It becomes important to dig into some essential factors before making a final choice.

Here are a few crucial aspects to consider:

1. Perform a thorough research on the API’s primary feature

Before connecting with any third party chat API provider it is important to delve into its specifications. Identifying its primary functionality helps you understand whether the API feature matches your app requirements or not. You need to make sure whether the chat API is capable enough to help you stand out from the crowd or not. 

Let’s understand this with the help of an example. Imagine you want to develop a chat app that prioritizes the data privacy of customers. Now, you would require a chat API service provider that offers end-to-end encryption and follows security measures such as GDPR, ISO 27001, and others. 

You need to customize your research and identify the core API functions that can lead to your app’s success.

2. Look for suitable secondary features

Once you’ve identified the primary feature that you want to integrate into your application, you need to focus on the secondary functionalities. There are multiple secondary features that you might look for including activity status, emojis, threads and replies, customized user interface, and much more. Make a list of all the secondary functionalities that you want in your application. This helps you narrow down your chat API search and pick up the best available option.

3. Search for an in-app chat API partner, and not a vendor

While choosing your chat API provider, it is essential to move beyond the idea of an API vendor. You should be looking for a third party that has the potential to become your long-term trusted partner. For this, you need to communicate your business values properly to your prospective API provider. Innovation is only possible when all your objectives are aligned.

4. Prioritize reliability

Checking the reliability of the chat API is extremely important before integrating it into your communication ecosystem. Frequent lags can annoy your app users and increase your app’s churn rates. 

It is recommended to perform a reliability check before choosing any chat API provider. You can ask the API provider about past server outages and how much time it takes to resolve such incidents. Many chat SDK providers come with a dedicated status page that summarizes both past and current incidents. This way, you can research each server’s operationality. 

Another important factor that you need to examine is the uptime SLA. Even when servers are down 1% of the time, the chat API is not good for your application. Remember that even short outages can disappoint your app users. 

Hence, it becomes indispensable to choose a chat SDK that can reduce latency issues. 

5. Examine Chat SDKs

Developers should look for third parties that tend to support a chat SDK in their preferred language. With the right chat SDK, developers can save a lot of time while performing the integration process. Adding channel headers and emojis becomes a lot easier. 

In case, the API provider does not have a chat SDK in the language you’re looking for, ask for documentation. Well-structured documentation can provide you with a suite of details concerning code snippets, use cases, and much more. It is always recommended to review documentation with a technical lead.

Also Read : 6 Do’s and Don’ts of Running a Successful OTT Platform

6. Ask questions around use cases

Make sure to have one-on-one sessions with the chat API provider to comprehend the various API use cases better. Let’s have a quick look at some of the questions that you can ask:

• What ways do you share product updates with customers? 
• How frequently do you release new features and will we be notified about the same? 
• What is your mitigation plan for future outages? 
• May we know your uptime over the past year? 
• Does your API support customisation?

7. Take a demo of the chat API

Trying a chat API before buying it is always a wise thing to do. It’s the best way to understand whether the API technologies can function effectively for your platform or not. There are various chat API providers in the market that allow you to book free trials.

Conclusion 

We hope our article helped you understand all the relevant aspects of choosing the right chat API service provider. Now, wait no more! Connect with the best chat API platform to accelerate your app development process. We wish you all the good luck in your future endeavours. 

Take a step towards enhancing your business communication practices today!