Couldn’t agree more, the enterprise software market has experienced tremendous growth in recent years with video conferencing software proving to be the biggest crowd-puller.
Market revenues have doubled and global IT spending has increased as we are navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. Industry players have acted quickly to retain business operations in full swing. Sectors where collaboration is the key to successful business navigation, there video conferencing software is seen as the light at the end of the tunnel. Probably no time underscores the importance of video conferencing app development as the ongoing. From remote working and enterprise collaboration to telemedicine and distance learning; a real-time video conferencing app is helping us sail in the hurricane.
Web Conferencing Software Marks the Highest Software Spending in 2020
Clearly, video conferencing has evolved into something ubiquitous for all those working, studying, and quarantined at home. Thus, shifting the focus of investors to the existential need and increasing their software spends into the most-wanted collaborating software.
As this video chat tool transforms as a nerve to business, it becomes equally important to contribute and address the immediate need of organizations. Here in this post, we will encapsulate everything supporting the development and growth of video chat tools and software.
A sneak peek to what you’ll find inside:
- Features of Video Conferencing Software
- Popular Video Conferencing Systems
- Industries where Video Chat Tools are Used
- Technologies Required
- Cost to Develop a Video-conferencing Chat Solution
Features of Video Conferencing Software
Essential Features of Video Conferencing App
- Pre-call Test Video Preview and Mike Testing
- Messaging Personal and Group
- File Sharing Media and Documents
- Search People, Group, and Messages
- Screen Sharing
- Multi-party Conference
- Call Recording
- Whiteboard
- Add Contacts
- Push Notifications
1. Pre-Call Test (Video Preview & Mike Testing)
Embarrassing moments sucks! Especially in professional meetings; everyone wants their presentation to be flawless. Be it on the front of appearance or voice. To perfect it, many popular apps (like Hangouts) allow users to check their camera and sometimes test their mike. This feature is called as pre-call video preview. Where users can ensure that they are looking good and virtuous before taking a call.
Use-cases given during the pre-call test screen are:
- Messaging: The user can send a text message like if he is waiting for the other user to join the call.
- Cancel the Call: This feature stands a worth if the user wants to cancel the call even before it connects.
- Video Preview: A preview of the user’s own video gives them the time to fix hair, and teeth and most importantly, check if the camera is working fine.
- Quality Check: This control help users assess if the video and audio quality is adequate to continue a call.
- Switch to Phone Call: During a poor network or the time when the user does not prefer to make a video call, the user can dial in for the audio option.
2. Real-time Messaging
There shouldn’t be any communication barriers while conducting meetings and collaborating with teams. Sometimes, what can’t be said, can be written and vice versa. In such scenarios, having both media chats and message sharing- can be an added advantage. Provided, members can send and receive messages during the call and improve communication.
3. File Sharing
An essential feature in any business collaboration tool is file sharing. Often during video calls, team members have to share the documents, reports, and files to mature the official conversation. With other team members having the ability to download and view it during an ongoing video call. The app should offer a secure way to file transfer, download, and storage.
4. Screen Sharing
Whether it is a business meeting or work-at-home collaboration, a screen-sharing feature can add immense value to enhance any online conference meeting. For instance, if you’ve to explain any statistics or translate any pictorial concept without having the facility to share the screen- you’ll be wondering all the time if your listeners are on the same page as you. But through screen sharing, as a speaker and viewer you always have a surety the listeners have consumed the same what is being explained.
5. Multi-party Conference
Creating one-to-one video calls is easy. But what if multiple users want to join the call? The multi-party conference feature enables multiple users to join a video conference and secure video meetings. Before you ask a video conferencing software development company to embed this feature, it’s good to have a clear idea of the maximum number of users your app should support.
6. Call Recording
Recording a conference call or online meeting becomes essential to jot down minutes of the meeting, carry proof as a record of everything that’s happened in the meeting. Thus, making this feature of recording a conference or online meeting becomes extremely important. So, if you want to enable call recording to your app decide the type of storage, recording format, and all the security measures to prevent fraudulent or suspicious activities.
7. Whiteboard
This feature adds immense value to business collaboration software and eLearning and education apps. Through the whiteboard, it becomes easy to express, share thoughts and ideas.
8. Add Contacts and Search People
Users should be able to add contacts by username, email id, and phone number. In addition, users should have the ability to search people, groups, and messages by name, email id, and contact details. This feature is extremely important as when the user has an active group and the messages are frequently bombarded by multiple users, it becomes difficult to prioritize while sending and receiving messages. Search feature comes as a rescue where a user can send or read message of the preferred person.
9. End-to-end Encryption
The messages sent and received between the users should be fully encrypted. That means, no one can read the content of messages in between as the messages and video/audio calls are secured with a lock and only the recipient can unlock and read them.
10. Push Notifications
A must-have feature for video conferencing software is push notifications. It allows users to take a sneak peek whenever a new message comes. Users can slide down the screen in the Android/iOS phone and take a quick look without having to open the app.
How to develop a video conferencing app software, including features and cost?
Developing a video conferencing app involves incorporating essential features like pre-call testing, messaging, file sharing, screen sharing, and more. Technologies such as WebRTC, iOS/Android development tools, and frameworks like Angular are crucial. The cost varies based on features and technologies, with WebRTC app development and tools like ProRTC simplifying the process.
Popular Video Conferencing Software and Apps in 2021
- Facebook Messenger: Text and video chat for free anytime, anywhere with Facebook Messenger app. The app makes it easy for users to stay in touch with their friends and family.
- Zoom: Zoom is a unified communication platform that brings teams together and provides a frictionless and secure video environment through features like video meetings, voice, webinars, and chat.
- Skype: Skype is an all-in-one messaging and video conferencing software that allows users to make free internet calls to friends and family. Skype is available on monthly subscriptions as well as on the pay-as-you-go model.
- WhatsApp: A messaging, connection-building, and collaboration app with secured and encrypted chats and calls- WhatsApp from Facebook Messenger is the most popular communication app with 600 million downloads.
- Google Duo: Google Duo is a free, simple, and reliable video-calling app that allows group calling with up to 32 participants. It is the highest quality video calling app that works across Android and iOS app platforms other than the web, tablets, and smart devices.
- Google Hangouts Meet: Google Meet is a real-time meeting app that allows people to securely connect to high-quality video meetings.
- Cisco Webex Meetings: Cisco Webex® Meetings is the world’s most popular video conferencing service for the enterprise.
- Microsoft Teams: Microsoft Teams is a chat-based workspace in Office 365. It is an easy-to-use and simple collaboration software that brings together people, chats, and content along with the tools that teams need.
Growth of Popular Video Conferencing Systems During COVID 19, 2020
Industries Where Video Chat Tools Are Used
Video conferencing services have it applications and benefits across many different industries where it is helping to communicate and connect with employees, clients, customers, students, and business partners easily and conveniently. Let’s see how it is helping the top industrial sectors:
Healthcare
Two-way secured and encrypted video calling has become the lifeline of the healthcare industry. Telemedicine apps and doctor on-demand apps supported with key features like video consultation and text messaging is helping in delivering urgent care to patients anytime, anywhere. Especially, in uncertain times like COVID-19, the telemedicine app solution has helped healthcare organizations and clinicians improve care delivery.
Video conferencing software enabled with WebRTC API aids in telehealth services like remote patient monitoring, on-demand doctor consultation, and clinical educational programs amongst others.
Education and eLearning
With remote learning increasing in trend, video conferencing tools have gained immense popularity. From simply pre-recording or live-streaming to interactive video conferencing; video chat tools are facilitating smooth interaction by bringing people together.
Video chat tools enabled with WebRTC API are helping the education and eLearning industry in content sharing, recording functionalities, connecting participants, and interaction and collaboration.
Remote Working or Field Services
Video chat in the field can help a field service technician in face-to-face communication with the support team which reduces the number of errors, handling time, and help improve customer satisfaction scores by 50% to 80%.
The range of areas where video chat and conferencing software can be used are virtual sales, customer service, hiring and recruiting, contractor to company, and technical support.
Enterprise Collaboration
Enterprises can enhance productivity across their team with face-to-face communication by enabling real-time voice and video interactions. Video conferencing tools in enterprise collaboration helps in boosting customer satisfaction, troubleshoot emergencies, and retain customers.
Various enterprise collaboration tools helping teams meet goals and improve work are Skype, Zoom, Frame.io, RemarkHQ, Go ToMeeting, Webex, etc.
Customer Engagement
WebRTC-enabled video chat tools are helping eCommerce companies and customer-facing industries make communication easier with customers and drive a seamless customer experience through secured end-to-end video calling.
Video calling supported by features like voice calls, file sharing, and screen sharing levels up customer engagement by personalizing communication, boosting satisfaction, assistant services and delivering demos.
Technologies Required
iOS app development : Swift, iOS SDK.
Android app development: Java, Android SDK.
Frameworks : Angular, Laminas, Symfony, Laravel.
WebRTC: An open-source framework for real-time communication.
Business Tools: Confluence.
DevOps: Require.js.
Utilities: ClickTale, App Annie.
API & SDK: Twilio, OpenTok, Wowza GoCoder SDK.
Cost To Develop Video Conferencing Chat Solution
The total cost to develop a video conferencing chat solution largely depends on the features of the website or mobile application and the technologies employed to develop it. As these apps are totally different from regular VoIP calls and they need good amount of space and bandwidth.
However, WebRTC app development or WebRTC product ProRTC can help you to make the development process simple.
WebRTC is a standard enabling plugin-free, Real-Time Communications (RTC) in the browsers which includes components for enabling high-quality communication used in voice and video chat apps.
Whereas, with ProRTC you can embed messaging, voice, and video chats into mobile apps and browsers to make frictionless chats and video calls.
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